July - Aug Mag 2015.pdf

Ways to Overcome EntrepreneurshipBurnoutBIZFEM MAGAZINEEntrepreneurship is a rich and rewarding experience that leads many business owners to realcareer satisfaction for the first time in their lives.You get to set your own schedule, make your own rules andbecome a master of your own destiny -- but those perks arenot without an associated cost.Entrepreneurship demands sacrifice and commitment, andeven if you go into it with a sparkling optimistic attitudeand a great support system, the daily rigors and stressesof business ownership will begin to take their toll on you.Burnout is unfortunately common among entrepreneurs. Aftermonths or years of constant effort, it’s only natural thatyou’d start feeling exhausted or frustrated with your business.But if you want to avoid or mitigate that burnout, andremain interested in your work, try these long-term strategies:Set realistic expectations.Burnout is a product of fatigue and/or disappointment. Fatiguetends to happen when working for too long withoutsatisfactory results, and disappointment tends to happenwhen reality falls short of your hopes. Both are productsof setting lofty or unrealistic expectations for yourself.For example, if you tell yourself your product must launchby the end of the month (when three months is more reasonable),you could burn yourself out rushing to get things done.If you tell yourself you’ll be wildly successful within thefirst year (when three years is more reasonable), you’ll feelburned out when your goal isn’t met despite your hard work.The solution is to set more conservative expectationsfor yourself and your business, in terms of yourgoals, hopes, daily tasks and everything in between.Establish boundaries.Being an entrepreneur is a lifestyle choice as much as it is aprofessional one. For most entrepreneurs, your professionalresponsibilities will regularly bleed into your personal life,and your emotions and situations will bleed into how youhandle yourself at the office. There’s nothing inherentlywrong with this, and some people actually work better inthis setup, but if you want to avoid burnout over the longterm, you’ll need to establish real boundaries for yourself.The specifics of those boundaries are up to you -- itmight be not taking any work-related calls after 7p.m. on weekdays, or only doing work for a set numberof hours during the weekend. Whatever boundariesyou set, make them firm and make them known.Change up your routine.Like with any job, burnout can set in as a product of apredictable routine. Generally, entrepreneurs wear somany hats and handle portions of so many responsibilitiesthat a repetitive, predictable routine is not a problem-- still, facing the same runaround or dealing with thesame people on a regular basis can take its toll on you.Fortunately, you have lots of freedom as an entrepreneur.If you find yourself hating a certain type of task, try delegatingit to someone else. If you need a change of scenery,try working in a public place or working from homeinstead of the office. Include variety in your daily workwherever you can find it, and don’t be afraid to recruityour partners and employees to help you split up the work.Remind yourself why you got started.It’s easy to lose sight of your original motivations whenburnout begins to set in, but remembering those reasonscan be just what you need to push through the moredifficult times you’ll face throughout your journey.For example, if you became an entrepreneur for the flexibleschedule, take a few days to experiment with your hoursand experience the luxury of an open schedule. If you becamean entrepreneur because you wanted to make yourown decisions, make small, yet significant decisions youwouldn’t be able to make elsewhere -- such as redecoratingyour office or letting everyone go home early for the day.Take real time off.This is the most powerful way to avoid burnout, and it’s theone that most entrepreneurs miss. Because you’re so passionateabout your work, or so committed to your goals,you get sucked into a culture that forces you to work fartoo many hours a day and too many days a week. Takereal weekends away from work. Take full vacations.“You have no excuse -- if you don’t takereal breaks, your burnout is inevitable”If you can employ these strategies consistently throughout yourcourse as an entrepreneur, you should be able to stave off burnout-- or at least the worst effects of burnout. All entrepreneurswill face near-constant trials and challenges, but successfulentrepreneurs will weather the storm and emerge victorious.Stay strong in the face of adversity, be flexible enoughto adapt to new circumstances and there’s nothingthat will stop you from becoming successful.10 July/Aug 2015 www.bizfem.co.za