As a small business owner, I’ve experienced burnout.
I’ve overcome many obstacles as I’ve grown my business, and I help my coaching clients do the same. Today I want to share my story and how I overcame entrepreneur burnout to scale my business and achieve my goals.
I took a leap of faith and started Monarch Life Coaching after I left a toxic corporate environment and spent several months working as a consultant. At the time, I was a one-man operation.
Many entrepreneurs decide to strike out on their own because it’s an opportunity to pursue financial freedom and gain flexibility over their schedule. It’s a means to an end to free up time for passion projects, travel, or family. We don’t foresee how the venture will overtake our every waking minute. Entrepreneurs wear every hat, and if we’re not careful, we sacrifice the time and energy we’d hoped to regain.
Incidentally, this is when we experience burnout.
We can’t do it all
In the first few months of starting my business, I was also juggling a full-time job and the needs of my family.
As my business grew, it demanded more of me. I was trying to do it all, and I was on the brink of burnout. The logistics of running my own business pulled me away from the one thing I wanted to do most: coaching.
“I don’t know if I can do this anymore,” I said to a friend.
My friend recommended the book “Who Not How” by Dan Sullivan, and it completely changed the trajectory of my business. The book taught me this: When you build a team, you free up your time for the tasks that matter.
There is tremendous freedom in admitting that you can’t (and probably shouldn’t) do it all. Shouldering every responsibility is a one-way ticket to burnout.
Focus on building a team of people who share your values and support your mission.
Avoid burnout when you learn to “let go”
I took Sullivan’s lessons to heart. Fast forward a few months, and I hired my personal assistant to take on the administrative tasks that drained my time and energy.
Today, I don’t know what I would do without her. I have since added two more members to the Monarch Life Coaching team.
Letting go of control is one of the most challenging things to do as a business owner. That’s because nobody is going to be as committed to your business as you are.
Even so, each of us has different strengths, and expanding your team is about finding the right people to lend their expertise in areas where you have less experience. Delegating to my team freed up my time to take on more coaching clients and subsequently grow the business.
Takeaway
Burnout will be the death of your entrepreneurship dreams.
Don’t let it get that far. Learn from my mistakes and don’t try to shoulder every responsibility. Find your “who’s” to help you reach new heights in your business. Play to your strengths.
Are you experiencing burnout? As a Certified Life Coach, I can help you overcome obstacles and reclaim your time. Book my calendar for a complimentary session and let’s chat about the positive changes you want to make.