The other day, we had an international client who wanted to put his project on hold because his entire staff was currently on holiday. We were more than happy to accommodate, but the wheels of thought began spinning. As is true with most hard-working Americans, we’re on the job even when we’re on vacation. Morning, noon, night, vacation, power outage, there’s very little that stops us from fulfilling our commitment to clients. We even have neat smartphones so we can check our emails no matter where we are. As consumers, that level of dedication is phenomenal. As business owners, it’s a recipe for burnout.
We talk to business owners all of the time who are on the verge of losing their passion, literally getting crushed under the weight of what they’ve created, whether it’s succeeding beyond their wildest dreams or they’re financially struggling. If you’re a small business owner, your leadership skills are what led you to create your own company, but that level of independence may actually be more difficult to sustain than you can imagine. Here are a few ways to avoid the burnout that is so often a part of the small business world. It’s advice we’re certainly going to follow, and we hope you will, too.
- Outside help and expertise is sometimes going to be necessary. You may never be big enough to have an onsite marketing department, and tackling those side duties can be draining. Consider creating a support system that can help your business stay on the right path.
- Schedule carefully. When you’re a small business in today’s connected world, it’s easy to never be off. You have to make room for your needs, as well as those of your family. That may mean moving some tasks off of your plate. Perhaps it means not handling your own social media marketing or allowing someone else to do website updates, but in the long run, it’s going to mean keeping your energy up.
- Know time management. The need for everything to be just right is one that overwhelms most small business owners. You’d likely turn that project in as-is if you were working under someone else’s umbrella, so if it’s a four hour job, be sure you just spend four hours on it, not twelve because you need it to be more than perfect.