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Business Success Coach and Entrepreneurial Expert: Caterina Rando
Dealing with burnout
Q: I have been in my business for over ten years now. I enjoy helping my clients, but I am not as passionate now as when I started. I do not seem to have much vitality for my business and, though a die–hard entrepreneur, I am even thinking about throwing in the towel and going out and getting a job for the first time in my life. What should I do?
A: It sounds like you are burnt out. When was the last time you got away and did not think about your business for a week? That's your step one—rejuvenate yourself. Step two is to take another couple days (maybe over a weekend) and think about what is true for you today. Not why you started the business and what it has done for you in the past. Ask yourself what are you passionate about around your business today and in the next five to ten years. If the passion is gone, why do you think it's left? Maybe your industry has changed or your lifestyle has changed or your priorities have changed and what was important to you when you started does not matter so much anymore.
If you own a carpet–cleaning business, for example, maybe when you started you liked driving all over your area and seeing people's beautiful homes. Now, though, traffic has gotten a lot worse, you have started a family and driving around and visiting beautiful homes has lost its allure. It might be time to do something else. Never make these decisions from a place of burnout. Get rejuvenated first.
Also, you do not necessarily need to get rid of your business. You may need to change the way you do business. In the aforementioned example, you might now switch to working on sales over the phone, which you can do from home, and send someone else out to clean the carpets.
Sometimes pumping new energy into your business can help. Possibilities include hiring a business coach or consultant to add a new perspective, or adding a new product or service to create a freshness and excitement for you and your clients. Evaluate your business and see where there is a drain of energy. Maybe there is a product or service that is more trouble than it's worth. Letting go of dead wood can also give your business a boost.
If you own a carpet–cleaning business, for example, maybe when you started you liked driving all over your area and seeing people's beautiful homes. Now, though, traffic has gotten a lot worse, you have started a family and driving around and visiting beautiful homes has lost its allure. It might be time to do something else. Never make these decisions from a place of burnout. Get rejuvenated first.
Also, you do not necessarily need to get rid of your business. You may need to change the way you do business. In the aforementioned example, you might now switch to working on sales over the phone, which you can do from home, and send someone else out to clean the carpets.
Sometimes pumping new energy into your business can help. Possibilities include hiring a business coach or consultant to add a new perspective, or adding a new product or service to create a freshness and excitement for you and your clients. Evaluate your business and see where there is a drain of energy. Maybe there is a product or service that is more trouble than it's worth. Letting go of dead wood can also give your business a boost.
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