How do you really feel about your business?
When you’re just starting out, everything feels fresh, and new, and exciting. You’ve got this awesome idea, and you’re going to get out there and be your own boss and take the world by storm! But somewhere along the way, that bright-eyed visionary becomes exhausted, overwhelmed, worn down, and burnt out…
What happened??
Seasoned entrepreneurs know that building a business is stressful. You’ve got a lot on your plate as you work to generate new leads, build a reliable team, and deliver high quality results on time and on budget. It’s not easy, but it doesn’t have to consume you!
If you’re experiencing the burnout blues, it’s time to sit down and take a close look at what you want for your business, and your life. Here are some questions to ask yourself:
1. What Do I Want from My Business?
The easy answer is obviously money, but that doesn’t mean it’s the only answer. Yes, you need to earn a living. Your business funds your lifestyle, so setting revenue goals is important, but it shouldn’t be the sole focus of your success plan.
You spend a lot of your time at work, so shouldn’t you be doing something that you love? If your business is feeling more like a burden than a blessing, it’s time to make some changes. What can you do to free up your time so that you can focus on the important parts of your business? Maybe you need a bigger team. Maybe you need to delegate more. But if you can get rid of the tasks that make you crazy and focus only on the things you do best, I guarantee you will fall in love with your business all over again.
2. What Do I Want for My Life?
Your happiness matters as much as your bank balance, but we often let our joy take a backseat to our ambition. Wanting to succeed is a great quality, but don’t let it stand in the way of all the other things that matter. If you’re so focused on building your business that you don’t have time for anything else, are you really succeeding?
Remember- this isn’t just about revenue! I spent far too long assigning a dollar amount to success and feeling like a failure every time I fell short. I let the joy and satisfaction drain out of my business as I exhausted myself and made myself physically ill in pursuit of the almighty million. When I realized that what I really wanted was to do the work I love, but also have time to travel, relax on the beach, and enjoy my family, it changed my entire outlook on success.
It is completely possible to have a business you love and a life you love, but you have to prioritize both. You need to create a business structure that allows your company to grow without taking over your life. It takes time- sustainable success does not happen overnight. But if you’re willing to give yourself ease, grace, time, and space to design and implement the systems and strategies that allow you to scale your business while still having time to live your life, you’ll have the best of both worlds.
3. What Do I Want for My Future?
The years have a way of adding up on you, so the time to plan for tomorrow is today. If you can pinpoint where you want to be in six months, a year, or five years down the road, you can map out the action steps you’ll take to get there.
Do you want to work full-time next year, or would you like to scale back to a four-day work week? When do you want to retire, and what do you want your retirement to look like? Do you want to create a legacy business that carries on long after you’ve stepped out of the day-to-day?
There are no “right” answers. This is ‘your’ life, and you get to call the shots. You’re the boss, and it’s up to you to design a business model that fits your needs and helps you create the life you want to live.
I’ve done the hustle and grind, and I’ve done the slow and steady approach to scaling, and I can tell you one thing for sure- I’m never going back to hustling and grinding again. I have grown my business with ease and grace and time and space, and now I get to do what I love, and still have time to enjoy everything that makes life worth living!
