Beating burnout: Tips & Tactics for small business owners.

As rewarding as it is, running your own business can be a challenge. Unlike some jobs where people clock in and out at set hours, small business owners often find they have to be “on” 24/7. Whether managing employees and inventory or scrambling to generate cash flow, it can all be a bit challenging at times. Week by week, responsibilities stack up and burnout can set in. When it’s your own responsibility to keep the business running, the need to develop the resilience to overcome challenges is crucial.

One way to manage the stresses of owning your own business is by taking care of yourself — making sure you’re personally feeling up to the task at hand. To help you get there, consider these six ideas for avoiding burnout and keeping things moving forward.

When we prioritize taking care of our bodies, our minds follow. That’s why, no matter how busy you are, it pays to make exercise a priority. As a rule of thumb, spend a minimum of 30 minutes each day doing some sort of moderate movement¹ (Lifeworks.Com, 2020).

If you work from a home office, try to incorporate daily walks into your schedule. Maybe take a call while on a neighbourhood stroll, rather than while seated at a desk. Or try searching for meditation apps with built-in tools and programs that may help you relax.

Stressful events may lead to opportunities for growth. According to George Bonanno, a psychologist at Columbia University, “a key element of resilience is your perception of an event.” The idea here is to change the way we think about the challenges we face. For example, are potential eCommerce sales dropping off before they make it through the funnel? Look at it as an opportunity to accept other forms of payment with TD OnlineMart. Facing a crunch with your cash flow? Speak to a Small Business Account Manager about short-term financing options, or check out Fundica, a site that can help you find government grants or loans for small businesses. In every challenge, there is a potential solution waiting to be found.

Reaching out to your network can go a long way to boosting confidence. Think about people you admire from your community, or other business owners you know. Are there any strategies you’ve seen them use to work through challenges? If so, ask them about it and then put what you learn into practice. According to Scientific American, resilience to future stressors can be built up through the process of overcoming adversity⁵.