How to Stay Sane as a Small Business Owner
You may not have noticed, but last month I missed the Wednesday drop of the TPP: Professional Edition, twice, by two days each time.
I had been getting really stressed out, and it was affecting my focus, my drive, and my performance. Steaming both from my life and my business, I was really feeling the grip overwhelming stress can have and I realized I'd really slacked off on the things I'd put in place as guardrails to help keep that at bay.
In reviewing, and recommitting to, the practices below, I thought I'd offer a bonus issue and share them with you, my fellow business explorers, in case any of it resonates with you.
Success is a journey. And when you are building a business, it can seem like a particularly long one.
As small business owners, what we are doing is quite hard: creating something from scratch, from nothing but an idea, a dream. The act of creation is a remarkable thing, and when it’s attached to your livelihood, it can at times be overwhelmingly stressful.
As a solopreneur running a small business, (well, 2 actually, but who’s counting?!), I have found that I tend to face unique stressors that can be sometimes more challenging to manage than when I was a corporate or government employee.
Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t trade the path I am on now. …Working to make someone else’s dream come true: NOT for me. 👈💯
❓ Have you found, being a small business owner, that you can be sometimes overwhelmed by the many hats you have to wear and the different tasks that require your attention in any given week?
Meee, too! 🤚
Here are some effective strategies I’ve been using to keep the stress at bay and maintain my wellbeing in the process:
🎯 Identify what triggers the stress: Take time to pinpoint the specific aspects of your business that are causing you stress.
For me this looks like taking time on Saturday mornings to review what worked, what I learned, what fell through the cracks, what I just kept putting off- and being honest with myself about why, and looking at what I could reasonably take off my plate for the following week to reduce overall stress.
The time I take here helps what’s causing me to feel stress to bubble-up to the surface in actual words, so that I can begin to address it, practically, instead of simply continuing to feel the frustration or anger being generated by it.
🧸 Make self-care more a priority often: Make yourself a priority by exercising regularly, getting outside for fresh air, decluttering your workspace, taking breaks from technology, and engaging in activities you enjoy [See Make time for fun below].
I have been implementing this more and more often throughout the year. Right now, training for an event (so my time exercising has a goal attached to it), playing with furry kids as often as possible, and taking time each midday to do what Brendon Burchard calls a short “Release”meditation help me keep this promise to care for myself.
😻 Set firmer boundaries between work and personal life: As a solopreneur, you know how easy it is to let work bleed into your personal time. Personally, I have the hardest time with this one.
To combat my natural inclination to just keep on keepin’ on when I get to working on a project or a list to complete, I set several alarms on my phone. These go off throughout the day, reminding me to get up and move, to drink water, to eat (I miss this one a lot), and in the afternoon to start to wrap things up, and also that I can leave things for tomorrow and it will be okay.
🤡 Make time to make fun a habit: This one is directly related to both setting boundaries and making self-care a priority. Whether it’s crafts or a hobby you really enjoy, or to be out in nature for a hike or sport, doing puzzles or playing a round of golf (video games count here, too), actively making time for fun helps us regulate stress levels and, when we come back to working on our business, keep our head in the game.
My pursuits of fun vary widely, and shift throughout the seasons of life, but I was an artist in another life, and my hands (and heart) are always happiest when they are creating something. So, crafting is a big one for me. I also find so much joy from being out in natural settings, particularly the woods and the mountains. Parks do wonders for a substitution when a road trip isn’t an option. And one should never underestimate the power of breaking bread- or even just sharing a coffee in the same space- with people you enjoy. 🧡
One way I inject a bit of fun into my everyday life is by listening to music that makes me want to move, and then moving. I do this a lot when I am cooking or cleaning up in the kitchen. It feels good, makes me smile and feel more light-hearted, and has the added bonus of making the chores I don’t necessarily enjoy more fun. …And then, of course, when one of my housemates walks in unexpectedly and finds me grooving and singing (with headphones on, mind you, so they can’t hear the music), we always get a good laugh out of it. =Fun. 😁
😎 Make the focus working "on" the business, not just "in" it: Set aside time to work on optimizing your business systems [See Streamline your processes below], automating tasks where possible, and evaluating what's working and what isn't.
This year I have leaned hard into this one - setting up systems, and scheduling regular “review and wreck it” sessions on my calendar. These have helped to keep me from droning on things that might just keep me stuck, and put my focus and energy back on what’s actually bringing me progress.
🤓 Build a support network: Connect with fellow entrepreneurs or join professional groups to share experiences and get advice. This can help combat feelings of isolation that naturally come from working on your own thing.
It also helps in building a list of complimentary providers - people who help the people you help, but in a different way. So not people you would sell to, but people you can collaborate with. This part of your network is a great source for collaboration, masterminding, and connection.
Being a part of online groups in my industry, and interests, has helped me connect with wonderful people all over the world, and create and be a part of smaller groups of like-minded and like-hearted people that I lean on for advice, brainstorming and sound-boarding, and friendship in an otherwise somewhat isolating profession.
☮️ Practice mindfulness and stress-reduction techniques: Incorporate activities like meditation, deep breathing exercises, or yoga into your routine to manage stress levels.
This year I’ve been practicing meditation - albeit, slowly - through small moments, often in the morning before the day gets underway, and midday, with the “Release” meditation I mentioned earlier. …I wouldn’t call it a habit quite yet… I’ve noticed I tend to abandon it for days at a time during stretches of crappy sleep or extra stress– right when science says it would actually help me more. I guess that’s why they call it “practice.” 😉
🥳 Celebrate small wins: Regularly acknowledge your achievements, no matter how small, to maintain a positive perspective on your progress. The small wins are what get you to the big ones, and I would argue,give you more satisfaction, when you actually take time to acknowledge their existence.
SO: celebrate them. All of them. It’s amazing how integration of progress into your daily perception of the journey can help maintain both your drive and your hope.
For me, this looks like celebratory meals (hello sushi dinner!) when I meet set milestones, a nice glass of wine when I get my content done, fun afternoons out when I meet consistency goals, and on Sundays I have an actual integration exercise that helps me see the amazing progress I’ve already accomplished and remember the badass I am becoming —when I get out of my own way! 😁
👉 I'll share one with you now: This is my 12th issue of The Pawsitive Pathfinder!! 12! Yay! ...What do you think so far? 😺
🤖 Streamline your processes: Using tools and software to automate repetitive tasks frees up your time for more deep work sessions, and can also reduce stress associated with day-to-day operations.
I learned this framework from Dean Graziosi. He teaches it in regards to your whole life, but I also look at it as a good frame of reference for smoother operations in my business (and my brain):
- Automate whatever you can, freeing up precious brain power
- Delegate what doesn’t serve your energy but still needs doing
- Eliminate what no longer serves the business
- Focus on the Non-negotiables- the things that drive your business forward
My biggest focus this quarter is getting my business systems dialed in. I know doing so will not only get things rolling more productively- and ultimately bring more success to my venture- but also keep my sanity as my business grows.
🧐Seek professional help if needed: If stress becomes overwhelming, consulting with a mental health professional or business coach for additional support can be a good, often untapped, solution.
I have been looking into bringing a coach into the mix. I think this could have three very beneficial effects:
- It would definitely up my game through accountability
- Having someone help me stretch my vision could be an impetus for accelerated growth
- My output, because of the systems in place coupled with the accountability piece, could get laser focused moving into the new year
This list of strategies and tactics is something I'm using to fetch more consistent progress this year in my business, while keeping my heart happy and my head from melting down.
What do you do to stay sane in the mad, mad, mad world of being a small business owner? Hit REPLY and let me know your strategies- I'd love to hear!
Remember, while stress is a common part of entrepreneurship, it doesn't have to overwhelm you. It's so important to find ways to manage it effectively for both your personal wellbeing and the success of your business.
By implementing these strategies, or strategies like them, you can create a more balanced and sustainable approach to running your small business as a solopreneur.
Thanks for reading this bonus issue of The Pawsitive Pathfinder: Professional Edition. If there are other topics you'd like to talk about, or have thoughts you'd like to share, please hit REPLY on this email and let me know.
In the coming issues, we’ll keep talking about what's working in marketing today, marketing best practices, and how a successful marketing strategy can start as simply— and powerfully— as publishing a compelling, fun, value-driven newsletter consistently.
In the next issue, we'll get back to The Pawsitive Press Formula, and elaborate on Step #2 of the Framework for Newsletter Development: Audience, and discuss constructing a powerful Persona.
Until then...
