Mindset Shift 10

REBOOTING, REPEATING, AND AVOIDING BURNOUT ALONG THE WAY

In combination, all of the qualities and practices discussed throughout this book will help you develop an entrepreneurial mindset. You’ve made a great deal of progress, and your thought processes are morphing, so give yourself a pat on the back—you sure deserve it. Although you’ve done a lot of work, there’s still more terrain to cover. The Mindset Shifts described in previous chapters must be continuously revisited, rebooted, and repeated in order to keep driving business advancement and growth. Additionally, you must simultaneously develop coping strategies for avoiding burnout and preventing feelings of overwhelm while continuing to grow and stretch.

When you are a fempreneur, you have to get comfortable with this revision practice as you tweak processes and pivot toward success. By committing to making the necessary Mindset Shifts repeatedly, both you and your business will thrive by activating and launching your inner entrepreneur.

Preventing Burnout

As you continue to repeat and reboot, the intense focus and drive to steer the ship forward brings the potential for getting burned out early. Burnout often results from being inundated—when you feel like you are being pulled in too many directions or when you just have too much to do and deal with. You’ll recognize the feeling when it happens to you: you’ll be sitting at your desk, staring blankly at your computer screen and knowing that you have a lot to complete, but yet you just feel frozen and unable to figure out what to do next because there is so much to do. Has that ever happened to you before? I bet. I’ve been there more than once myself.

You are more at risk for burnout as a business owner than ever before because we have more fluidity today than we did in the past. This is particularly true if you are a solopreneur and growing your company all by yourself. Your work is also more demanding as you are making sales, building your brand, dealing with production, filling orders, and more. Multiple stakeholders—clients, employees, and partners—need your attention 24/7, and the environment is constantly evolving, and that doesn’t even include your other obligations to family, friends, and yourself. Did you hear the phrases “Mom, I can’t find my [insert anything here]” and “I’m going to need to triple my order, and I need it tomorrow” within five minutes of each other? Welcome to my world.

As noted in a Harvard Business Review study, 25 percent of entrepreneurs feel moderately burned out at some point during their business career.¹ Some of the most common side effects reported in the study were panic attacks, anxiety, outbursts, extreme exhaustion, and disruptions in their home life. Further, research from Montreal University suggests that women are more prone to work burnout than men, and female business owners are at greater risk for burnout because of the multiple roles women play and the higher burden that falls on them compared to men in relation to housework and childcare—particularly if they are performing all of the roles associated with running the startup by themselves.²

Signs and Strategies

Some signs that burnout has already occurred include a general lack of energy or desire for accomplishment, as well as fatigue. Did you fall asleep on the couch with your laptop again last night? Yawn on a Zoom call in the face of an important prospect? Yikes! Additional symptoms can manifest in terms of reduced productivity and a lack of motivation. Burnout and overwhelm can lead to miscommunication, accidents, or trouble in our personal relationships due to our irritability and fatigue. Have you been responding too critically to emails or clients’ demands? Find yourself saying things like “I’ve already told you that five times,” or sighing audibly upon receiving hard-to-fulfill requests? Do you not feel like embarking on a juicy new project that’s right up your alley? Oh my. These could be red flags.

Other warning signals associated with burnout include making mistakes, forgetting things, and lacking desire for what you used to love. Reversing and preventing burnout is an important part of this final fempreneurial Mindset Shift.

One way to deal with feeling burned out or inundated at your startup is to try to identify your major stressors and come up with a plan to address them. (Whether they’re administrative tasks, order fulfillment, or your killjoy competitor, I hear you.) Catalog them on a sheet of paper and rank them from most stressful to least stressful. Then brainstorm about how you can eliminate or reduce each.

It can also help to simplify: declutter, ask for assistance, delegate, and do what you can to make your processes more streamlined. Have you thought about hiring a virtual assistant? Doing so can be life changing! Why not outsource some of your household chores? Who wants to spend time folding towels when they could be at the park enjoying a picnic with their family?

Also be sure to strive to lessen your anxiety. Get outdoors, take breaks, incorporate a fitness routine, and meditate, as we’ve talked about before. Being burned out is a signal that you need to rest more and find moderation in your life. It’s important to get up from behind your desk and move around throughout the workday. As the leader of the company you need to know when more is less and when you should stop for the day and regroup.

To move away from feeling burned out, get into personal management, or the management of everything you do. Take control of both your commitments and actions and learn to organize. Put self-care at the top of your list by getting enough sleep, nutrition, and exercise. Doesn’t a long bike ride followed by a healthy salad sound like heaven right about now? Go back to the time-management plans I talked about in Mindset Shift 4. Committing to taking steps to increase your work-life balance will reduce feelings of burnout and help you lead a more productive and happier life. You can have everything you want in your life and more, fempreneur! Be smart and manage it.

Ditch Being Overwhelmed

When we are constantly juggling (which is common for female business owners), our equilibrium can get knocked out of alignment. If there is a lack of stability, we can feel intensely overwhelmed, and if we are overwhelmed, we won’t be able to move our startups forward.

The best method to reduce this sort of overwhelm is by setting clear goals and boundaries. Start by asking yourself some simple questions:

•   Where do you want to spend your time?

•   What are your priorities?

•   What is unnecessarily sucking up your hours without providing a lot of value in return?

•   How can your time be better allocated?

•   Do you need to hire more people or outsource some tasks?

Based on your answers, make a few adjustments and communicate with the key people in your life to get their support (clients, friends, coworkers, and family members). Talk to your partner and family about what parts of the day you’re dedicating to spend with them and what hours you’re earmarking for the success of your startup (and yourself). Your needs matter, and you want to make this business thrive! Then, commit to your new schedule and you’ll quickly see the positive effects of these changes. Go, girl!

You’ll be revisiting the basics discussed earlier in this book and finding time for YOU: your health, fitness, and well-being. Watch a video, listen to a book, sit quietly and think, or hit the rowing machine . . . and always find happiness within your day—it’s there if you look, so record and celebrate it. As I’ve mentioned, I have a journal that outlines the good things that are happening, and I love writing in it! It somehow makes them more real, or substantial, when you put them to paper, and there are always plenty of joyful moments when you seek them.

Celebrate the little wins and flashes of cheerfulness, and you’ll feel your balance shift, a critical aspect of your overall mindset adjustment. Why not put on that new red dress and high heels and throw yourself a party? You deserve it because you are amazing! What’s more, throw your hands up in the air in the direction of burnout. As author Thomas E. Rojo Aubrey said, “Dear Stress, I would like a divorce. Please understand it is not you, it is me.”³ Divorce your stress and anything else that is not serving you, fempreneur.

Engaging in Continuous Learning

Something else that will continue to be a part of your entrepreneurial journey is the adoption of a mindset reflective of constant learning and expansion. You must grow with your business. As your startup builds in success, your knowledge and presence must buoy with it as well. Rise to the occasion and grow your network, personal brand, and expertise to match. You are an even bigger deal now!

The higher profile you are, the more you will be out there showcasing your growth and abilities, so start participating in panels and contributing more to your field. Don’t be afraid of these new opportunities or doubt yourself. You have worked hard for and deserve all that is coming your way. Also, endeavor to always acquire new skills: keep taking courses, attending conferences and webinars, and reading as if your life depends on it—because your continued business traction does.

You should be continuously updating your knowledge in several key areas, including industry trends, global developments, technological advances, and innovations, as well as your core area of expertise. It will also pay to get some certifications under your belt. There are many related to digital marketing and social media and others related to business basics; workshops also work well here. Some suggested courses and certifications include the following, many of which are free:

•   YouTube’s Certification

•   Facebook’s BluePrint Certification

•   HubSpot Academy’s Certification

•   Google IT Support Professional

•   Hootesuite’s Social Marketing Certification

•   Google Ads Certification

•   Google Analytics IQ Certification

•   Twitter Flight School Certification

•   Google Digital Garage Certification

•   HubSpot’s Social Media Analytics Certification

•   Bing Ads Certification

•   Digital Marketing Institute’s certifications

Also, look into getting more information related to standard business subjects, such as marketing, economics, accounting, finance, organizational behavior, business law, and more. Other topics that you can find some interesting courses on are crowdfunding, SEO, email marketing, leadership, and communication, among many others.

As mentioned in Mindset Shift 5, part of this continuous learning involves networking and joining in on the conversation in terms of what’s going on in your field and what’s to come. In addition to industry-specific groups (which you should most definitely join), there are some wonderful organizations out there specifically for women entrepreneurs, including these:

•   National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO)

•   American Business Women’s Association

•   Ladies Who Launch

•   National Association for Female Executives

•   Female Entrepreneur Association

•   Ladies America

There are others aimed specifically at entrepreneurs (both women and men), including these:

•   Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC)

•   Small Giants Virtual Peer Groups

•   Startup Nation

Some LinkedIn groups that you may find interesting (again, in addition to those related to your industry) include:

•   Entrepreneurs Meet Investors

•   Leadership Think Tank

•   Future Trends

•   Entrepreneurs Network

•   A Startup Specialists Group

•   On Startups

•   Band of Entrepreneurs

•   Bright Ideas and Entrepreneurs

•   Digital Marketing

There are also some wonderful Facebook groups for fempreneurs, including the following two:

•   Boss Babes Networking

•   Women Helping Women Entrepreneurs

Stay up-to-date with what different experts are saying, and watch other companies in your industry as well. There will always be something to add, adjust to, absorb, copy, or otherwise embrace, so be sure to wrap your arms around this aspect of your entrepreneurial Mindset Shift. One thing about business and being a business owner is that it will never sit still. You have got to keep wiggling, hustling, and finding new and creative ways to reach customers and deal with competitors. In the words of Oprah Winfrey, “Don’t worry about being successful but work toward being significant and the success will naturally follow.”⁴

Knowing What to Avoid

As part of the repeat and reboot processes, being an effective female founder is not just about the things that you must do but also about the things you should avoid, and understanding this distinction is another vital aspect of your fempreneurial Mindset Shift. For starters, productive entrepreneurs avoid overscheduling. Although they make the most of their time by being focused and productive, they refrain from overcommitting to the point where they’re not able to get anything done.

One simple rule of thumb I use to decide whether or not I will participate in additional tasks or obligations is to analyze whether my participation does anything to further my end goals (like those related to my business or brand) or means something to me personally. If not, I decline politely; you should, too. Fempreneurs are smart with their daily routine and focus on accomplishments vs. hours, and you are a smart fempreneur!

Thriving startup leaders also avoid mediocrity. They go big or go home, looking at life as a challenge and giving their all to those things they commit to. High-achieving moguls treat each new project and opportunity as if they are auditioning for their next big gig. So many times people have said to me, “You are so lucky. You get to do such cool things for work.” I simply reply that these experiences weren’t part of my day-to-day but merely opportunities that I created for myself or my business.

You, too, must find your own chances to shine. No one is going to hand them to you on a silver platter. Then, once you get them, execute upon them by going into full glow mode. The most effective business owners strive for quality and excellence in everything they do—and girl, you are no exception.

Successful women also avoid beating themselves up. You can’t win ’em all. You have to embrace failure and learn from your mistakes, be open to feedback, and use each opportunity as a chance to improve. Masterful moguls understand that the more they fail, the more they’ll ultimately prevail—it’s part of the game. I’ve had plenty of setbacks, rejections, and points where I wondered if I was going in the right direction, but I didn’t set up camp in them. I packed up my tent and found a new spot. You must too. Grab your gear and move on.

Last, prosperous entrepreneurs avoid avoidance. Execution is their sport, and they tackle things head-on, including tough conversations and challenges. They don’t leave anything to chance. Thriving businesswomen are master communicators and are much more proactive than their less-profitable peers. Although it can be uncomfortable at times, being direct is the only way to obtain the information needed to get what they want. Their ability to anticipate and see opportunities and threats makes them action-oriented and highly valued leaders, and you are one of them.

What’s more is that you will have to continue to reboot and repeat as the last part of your Mindset Shift. Reboot those areas of your business that have stalled or slowed down—unplug them, fix them, and start again as necessary. Although you will always be moving forward, you will have to take a step backward from time to time, and that’s necessary and even to be expected. There will need to be upgrades in equipment, processes, software, and people, yourself included.

Then repeat. None of the steps that we have discussed in previous Mindset Shifts is “one and done.” You will have to go back to them and refresh, reprise, rebuild, and do them all over again. Developing the right mindset comes about with taking action and becoming a true fempreneur—by embracing your USP; identifying opportunities; and then making them happen through research, planning, goal setting, and execution. After that, you’ll embrace your entrepreneurial attitude, developing the grit, confidence, and tenacity to kick your hustle into overdrive.

You must also make adjustments to the way you budget and deal with money, and learn to get the most out of your time for maximum productivity, happiness, and effectiveness. The entire time, you’ll be working on building your presence, networking, and establishing yourself as a thought leader, while growing your brand on social as you increase awareness.

You’ll also be cultivating mad leadership skills and guiding your team to achieve greatness, all while overcoming obstacles with resilience, innovating and rebranding as necessary along the way. The path of an entrepreneur is not an easy one; however, if you are committed to making the necessary Mindset Shifts, both you and your business will thrive. You’ve got this, girl! Go make it happen.

FINAL THOUGHTS