There is a fire inside of every business leader that lights their passion to start a company. Whether it’s from your home office in Burleson, TX, or a coworking space in Fort Worth, starting something new is incredibly exciting. But watching every detail, solving every problem, and putting in endless hours can quickly extinguish that flame. When you feel mentally, physically, and emotionally drained, you may be experiencing business owner burnout.
Know the signs of entrepreneur burnout
Business owner burnout can sneak up on you if you’re not careful. Like any problem, the sooner you catch it, the easier it is to fix. Here are a few tell-tale signs that you may be headed towards burnout:
Fatigue or Sleepiness | Carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders
If you’re feeling run-down and tired, you may be experiencing the effects of business owner burnout. This isn’t a healthy feeling, tired after a long day of productive work, and sleeping in on the weekends kind of tired. You may feel tired all the time, have trouble concentrating for long periods, or feel physically drained before your work day even begins.
In today’s hyper-competitive North Texas market, many solopreneurs try to power through this feeling. However, burnout will only cause you to slow down (when you can’t afford to) and make costly mistakes on your balance sheet or operational planning.
Lack of Enthusiasm | “What’s the point?”
Entrepreneur burnout really saps the joy out of the tasks you once loved. You know your “why”- the reason you risked it all to start your business. But when you’re bogged down with the “how,” the why can begin to feel trivial. You may start procrastinating on big-picture business decisions or become indifferent to new business opportunities. Your brain is trying to protect you by checking out.
Low Productivity | Treadmill fatigue
Ever feel like you’re running in place? You work more hours than ever, but seem to get less done. Low productivity is a common side effect of business owner burnout. Because you feel like you aren’t getting as much done, you work more hours, which causes you to become more exhausted and less productive. You may also find yourself doing busy work rather than rolling up your sleeves and doing the hard things. This happens because when you burnout, it’s hard to focus. You start dipping your toe into any task that will keep you busy.
Emotional Numbness | You used to care a lot more
Burnout often leads to feelings of cynicism towards your business, clients, or employees. When you’re under a ton of pressure, it’s easy to feel angry at the world or lack empathy towards others. As a business owner, you may start to view clients as nuisances and employees’ struggles as excuses. This is another symptom of business owner burnout. It’s your brain’s way of creating distance between you and the things that cause you stress.
Irritability | Suddenly, everything annoys you
Do you find yourself getting angry over small issues? When you’re in burnout mode, your fight or flight mode is likely activated. If you never give your brain a chance to rest from stress, it will lash out. Whether it’s yelling at an employee for a small mistake or freaking out because a printer isn’t working in Fort Worth. Your brain is trying to tell you something.
Entrepreneur burnout can be avoided
As tedious as it sounds, you have to step back and look at how you’re operating your business. Instead of looking in the mirror and asking yourself how you can do more. Look in the mirror and ask yourself what you can stop doing. It may sound strange when your to-do list is miles long, but trust me, doing nothing is actually the most productive thing you can do to avoid entrepreneur burnout. Here are a few ways to avoid burning out:
Take a Vacation | Because doing nothing is better than doing busy work
I know what you’re thinking. How can I take a vacation if I have so much to do? Easy. You can’t. Fight through it. Just like a hard workout or your yearly physical, you need to take time for your mind to heal. Shut your laptop and take the entire weekend off. No phones, no computer, just you and your family. Your brain goes into “default” mode during this time, and that’s when your mind starts working through problems. Take a mental health day, drive around Rosedale Lake, or take a vacation. Being away from your business for a few hours or even a few days can do wonders for your mental health.
Realign Your Business Strategy | Work smarter, not harder
Odds are, if you’re feeling burned out, your business could use some tweaking. Chances are you’re bogged down in the day-to-day minutiae of running a business. Take a step back and look at your workflow: Are there things you can outsource? Can you automate your bookkeeping rather than manually entering every transaction?
Realignment doesn’t mean cutting corners; it means focusing on the zone of your genius and finding someone to help with the backend stuff. Maybe it’s tightening up your client intake process, or creating a more scalable bookkeeping process so you don’t have to keep every receipt, as we’ve always been told.
Set boundaries | Learn to say no
This tip is probably the quickest way to avoid business owner burnout. If you answer emails at 11 PM and take client calls during dinner with your kids. You’re training your brain to believe your business will suck you dry if you let your guard down. Set office hours and hold yourself to them. Let your clients know you will only be responding to emails during this time. If you allow this behavior to continue, you’re inviting burnout into your life. Your clients will respect you for it, and the clients who don’t are probably the “messy” clients who cause you stress.
Ask for Help | Find a trusted partner
It’s not crazy to ask for help. Every successful founder in the world has a support system. Whether it’s a mastermind group in your area or a licensed business consultant. Find someone to vent to who will understand your situation. Sometimes all you need is a sounding board to understand your situation with fresh eyes. If hiring a consultant isn’t in your budget, look for a mentor. Chances are, there is an industry expert in your area who would love to help you succeed. If you need help finding that expert, give us a call. We have years of experience helping solopreneurs across DFW, and we’d love to help you, too.
Quick Burnout Quiz
- I have at least one “tech-free” day per week.
- I have delegated tasks that I assign to others.
- I know what activities in my business profit me the most.
- I have an objective person I can consult for business advice.
If you answered no to the majority of these questions, you may be at risk for entrepreneur burnout.
Don’t Sweat Business Burnout | Call Havins Business Services
Here at Havins Business Services we get it. You didn’t start your business to do CRUD (create, run, update, and discharge) every day until you can retire.
We look for holes in your business operations that are stealing your joy and causing you excess stress. From messy bookkeeping to confusing workflows. We bridge the gap between your high-level goals and the day-to-day operations of your business.
We are a professional business consulting firm that goes the extra mile to help you build internal capacity to run your business on your own terms (AND PROFITABLY). Whether you need a business consultant to help grow your business without going crazy, or you need a trusted partner to handle your payroll and taxes. We are here to help you check those boxes off your list.
Stop feeling like an imposter or worrying about your cash flow. Let us take care of the backend while you focus on the things you love to do. You aren’t meant to shoulder the burden of growing your business by yourself. Reach out to Havins Business Services today and take the first step towards professionalizing your business.