Three Ways To Avoid Burnout While Building Your Business
In this article from 'Forbes', Daniel Griggs discusses 3 ways in which to avoid burnout, whilst still keeping your business growing.
We live in an age where burnout is so common it is sometimes celebrated as a hallmark of success. As a culture we value productivity and “hustle,” but often at the cost of our mental and emotional health — especially around the holidays.
As an entrepreneur and business owner, this is the first holiday season I have not burned out. Anyone who runs their own company knows it is difficult to find the sweet spot between investing in the company and investing in yourself. I attribute my newfound sense of balance to three principles I embraced this year.
Build a team.
Wherever you are in your entrepreneurial journey and no matter your budget, you need a team to support you as you build your business. “But I can’t afford a team,” many new entrepreneurs think. Your team can include paid staff members, but it may also include interns, volunteers, mentors, friends and family.
When my business was brand new, I wore every single hat. I was the CEO, administrator, salesperson, marketer and IT professional. This is a recipe for burnout. Over the past five years, I have prioritized building my support system: from mentors to interns to staff. By getting the support I needed, I was able to invest more into building out my team, and this year I was able to hire a new marketing department.
Even if your team is one or two other individuals, investing in them will help you avoid burnout and ultimately save you time, money and stress in the future.
Strategize.
“Work smarter, not harder” is easier said than done. I like to work both smart and hard, but I’ve found that efforts toward both can be wasted if there are not strategies and procedures in place. For each aspect of my web design and digital marketing agency, I create strategies and standard operating procedures (SOPs).
For example, this year I worked with my team to create a comprehensive marketing campaign game plan strategy that we can apply to any of our personal campaigns or the campaigns of our clients. This strategy outlines each step, from brainstorming to implementation, and has streamlined our marketing efforts significantly. Using this process, my team is able to stay completely aligned while taking a marketing campaign from inception to launch within seven days.
Implement quickly.
I am a big proponent of speed. My background is in professional sports where important, game-changing decisions are often made within a split second. While careful planning is important, I have found that overthinking and overdeliberating can lead to burnout.
I understand that new business owners are sometimes afraid to make a wrong move and lose clients or an investment. But my strategy has always been to make a decision, gain momentum and then course correct if necessary. I regularly advise new entrepreneurs to start with their minimum viable product (MVP) and scale from there.
A personal example is my agency’s podcast and TV show, Startup Social. My team launched this initiative as the MVP a week after brainstorming the idea. Once we had proof of concept (POC), we were able to scale the concept and diversify our marketing efforts.
Preventing burnout is not easy as an entrepreneur. Your business means a lot to you, and you want to make sure it succeeds. While there is no magic solution, I have found that investing in a support team, creating detailed strategies and moving forward with your MVP as quickly as possible can help you maintain your strength and sanity as you navigate the world of entrepreneurship.
Available from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/theyec/2019/12/13/three-ways-to-avoid-burnout-while-building-your-business/#2d0709732a48