That sizzling sound you're hearing may be a symptom of a major hidden cause of businesses closing their doors. It's called burnout. And you may be its next victim. Often the last thing a business owner considers is his or her health and sanity. The burnout that results from overwork and stress can deliver a death blow to the very enterprise you've been giving your all to create. Setting a course for your business that includes the proper care and feeding of the business owner is a critical success factor in every business.
Burnout occurs after prolonged periods of stress and physical and/or mental fatigue. It leaves business owners feeling hopeless, powerless, cynical, and resentful. It creates an atmosphere of failure, stagnation and reduced productivity. Burnout carries throughout your business showing up in your relationships with your clients and employees and ultimately impacts your bottom line and the growth pattern of your business.
Typically, burnout occurs in situations where you feel:
? overworked
? like no one understands what you're going through
? confused about priorities and direction
? resentful about tasks that you don't feel rewarded for performing
? concerned about financial survival and security
? you have more on your plate than you feel you can handle.
In short, self employment and burnout go together like salt and pepper, peanut butter and jelly, and Donald Trump and real estate. The result is often a very unhappy, unfulfilled business owner who finally decides to throw in the towel and get a nice simple 40 hour a week job.
Recognizing that burnout is a serious threat to the survival of your business is a critical step in preventing or bouncing back from burnout. Burnout steals your passion, the very passion that caused you to start your business. Without that passion, your ability and willingness to do whatever it takes to make your business a success quickly diminishes. You find yourself resenting your customers instead of wanting to help them. You dislike your employees because of their constant demands. You snap at your spouse when asked how your day went. And you constantly feel pressured and unable to relax.
Understand that you have two roles in your business. You need to play both the role of employer and the role of employee. If you worked for an employer who expected you to work non-stop, never allowing time off, paying you far less than you're worth with no benefits, you'd soon have your resume updated and be out the door. And yet, that is the daily reality for many small business owners.
Remember, you are your employer. Are you creating a work environment of tyranny and maltreatment? Treat your help like you would want to be treated-incorporate benefits like flex time, comp time, and regular time off. Review a list of job duties to see if it's a fair and logical distribution of work. You need to take care of the talent just as you would if you had actual employees. Your business depends on your health and sanity.
Preventing burnout is a critical piece of your business plan. How will you keep yourself fresh and engaged with your business? What do you need to do to keep yourself from becoming overwhelmed? What tasks are overwhelming you? Develop a plan to outsource those tasks or find easier ways to do them. What adjustments do you need to make in your business so you can take regular time off?
Often business owners insist they can't take time off and can't afford to hire help. Regardless of where your business is today, as the owner of the business you have the power to chart the course of your business. If you feel you can't step away as things stand right now, begin to plan a direction for your business that will allow you to do so in the future.
Caroline Jordan, MBA is adept at helping self employed professionals create successful businesses without losing their minds. She provides advice, training, coaching, and services to help her clients Get Knowledge?Get Focus?and Get Results. If you are a self employed professional who is really serious about wanting to end the stress, frustration, and confusion you feel trying to run your business, visit http://www.thejordanresult.com for more tips, articles, and services designed just for you.
disinfecting cleaning services Arlington Heights ..Why do you need an account plan?When you first decide... Read More
If you have ever had your antique shop or mall... Read More
Every home business has the same problem of how to... Read More
I'll be the first to admit that I went a... Read More
You only have so much time in a day right?So... Read More
You are probably hard at work promoting your business (and... Read More
We all know that a building has to have a... Read More
A Mattress Cleaning Business might be just for you if... Read More
Is it right for you?If you decide to advertise your... Read More
SBIR Corner: FFP vs. CPFF contracts:In the SBIR/STTR world, the... Read More
When someone owes your small business money, you certainly feel... Read More
There are many potential niches for pressure washing companies that... Read More
When do annoyances in a relationship become too much to... Read More
One of the most common issues that comes up for... Read More
Most small businesses simply go about their daily business and... Read More
On Monday the Department of Corporations in California revoked franchise... Read More
One of the biggest fears people have about starting a... Read More
If you own a small business, then you know the... Read More
When you awoke this morning, you found yourself buzzing with... Read More
By outsourcing to skilled professionals you'll be able to grow... Read More
With all the cabinet refacing business opportunities out there, you... Read More
Most business owners do not think of selling their companies... Read More
You can't imagine how many people ask me how I... Read More
Writing a business plan for your Solo Entrepreneur business doesn't... Read More
Cash flow. To stay in business, you've got to keep... Read More
bathroom cleaning service Mundelein ..There are only a handful of car wash franchises in... Read More
You bet it's worth it. Publicity via news releases, along... Read More
Last summer the FTC put forth a report and then... Read More
Researching information for a recent business plan, I came across... Read More
In today's fast paced marketplace it is easy to neglect... Read More
Time. As a small business owner, it's the commodity you... Read More
Last week we discussed the importance of performing an autopsy... Read More
A successful joint venture marketing effort is the goal of... Read More
Debt collection letters--an overview"Debt collection letter" in the singular may... Read More
KEEPING INTEREST HIGH: Supervision is key to the success of... Read More
As a small business owner, outsourcing work to Virtual Assistants... Read More
To have one of the popular in home daycare businesses.... Read More
Franchisor expansion policies are not as simple as one might... Read More
Franchising is the fastest way to build small businesses, provide... Read More
While I was hard at work last week, an everyday... Read More
"So what?" is a lovely question.It can lead to a... Read More
The following tips have come from a wide variety of... Read More
It's Monday morning and Connie the Consultant sits in her... Read More
A suggestion box is a really good idea for your... Read More
It's a strange anomaly.Most people who set out to start... Read More
Many pressure washing companies will be glad to take on... Read More
If you really want to earn more money with your... Read More
Increase your profit potential by identifying ? and avoiding ?... Read More
Providing high quality customer service is a must for any... Read More
Grow your Professional Organizer business by branching out into related... Read More
Small Business |