One of the first things new business owners realise is how overwhelming it feels.
We start our businesses because we are good at something we know will be valuable to others, but it doesn’t take long to realise that building a successful business takes WAY more courage, persistence, consistency, strategies, and skills than we could have ever imagined.
The scary fact is, most business owners are somewhere on the Burn-Out Spectrum.
By this I mean that they are generally feeling a combination of…
- exhausted
- overwhelmed
- distracted
- confused
- fed-up
- anxious
- isolated
- irritated
- unproductive
I’m going to share with you some of my top tips for going from BURN-OUT to SOLD-OUT but before I do, I just want to clarify one thing:
‘Sold-Out’ is a state of mind, and it’s different for everyone!
Some people get that Sold-Out Feeling when they max out on clients, sell-out their courses, or earn X figures a month.
Some people get that Sold-Out Feeling when they do great work for people they like, and earn enough money to pay the bills and afford a few little treats.
Success isn’t the same for all of us, and nor should it be.
So, here are some of my top tips to get you from burn-out to sold-out:
DON’T:
COMPARE
Comparison is the root of a huge amount of issues for business owner’s today and the struggle is most definitely real.
We are constantly bombarded by updates, offers, and wins from other people in our industries, and it’s incredibly easy to compare what they are doing to what we are, or in most cases, are not doing.
We all ‘know’ that we shouldn’t compare ourselves to them, but it’s easier said than done.
My advice?
Stop following them. Unfollow, unfriend, unsubscribe.
Running a business is challenging enough without constantly making yourself feel ‘less than’ by comparing yourself to others.
Have faith in your offering, messaging, audience and – most importantly – yourself.
If every you fancy popping over to see what other’s are doing it’s mega easy to find them, just don’t do it all day every day – trust me – no good can come of this!
COMPETE
This happens when comparison has gripped you in it’s evil claws and made you believe that, in order to succeed, you MUST compete.
Rubbish.
There is no competition.
You’re either Nike or Adidas. Coke or Pepsi.
Look around you – there are hundreds of thousands of options for EVERYTHING these days, but that doesn’t mean that one will fail or one will succeed.
If you copy what other’s are doing you’ll only ever be a poor imitation.
If you compete with someone else you’ll always be one step behind them.
Once again – have faith in your offering, messaging, audience and – most importantly – yourself.
CHANGE
Don’t go changing, to try to please me… I love you just the way you are
Sing this to yourself whenever you feel compelled to change something about yourself to please someone else.
Again, this dovetails into Compare and Compete – when you get sucked down those dark holes you feel compelled to change things about yourself, your offering, your messaging, your pricing…
Don’t do it.
Let me drop a TRUTH BOMB here – the ONLY thing that separates you from them, is YOU.
What do you think will happen if you change to become just like them?
You guessed it – you lose THE ONLY THING that separates you from the rest!
Here’s another little fact for you to chew over – your audience, your clients, your community, your friends, your family, your partner, your cats… (get my drift!?)… they all LOVE YOU JUST THE WAY YOU ARE.
NEVER hide yourself away, in fact do the exact opposite – be 1,000,000% you AT ALL TIMES.
Scary? Yes it can feel that way.
But PLEASE HAVE FAITH that the unique and wonderful creature that is YOU will attract your ideal audience, clients, community, friends, family, partner and cats (or dogs, guinea pigs…whatever!).
DO:
CREATE
It’s my experience that if you spend time being creative and creating things, you gain tremendous peace of mind.
When the world feels like it’s crowding down around you, turn off your phone and all notifications and spend some time creating.
There are all types of different ways to Create…
Business Creation (social media posts, designs, blogs, videos, freebies, offerings, packages, courses, plans, strategies)
Connection Creation (relationships, collaborations)
Life Creation (health, wellness, nutrition)
Creative Outlet Creation (art, music, gardening, nature).
Whatever it is you are in the mood for, whatever floats your boat, I guarantee that if you take time EVERY DAY to create, you’ll feel happier and more confident, and less stressed and overwhelmed.
When you feel that way, you’ll actually be able to do better work, attract more ideal clients, and get that Sold-Out Feeling.
Seriously guys – become a creator, it’s like magic unicorn sprinkles for you and your business.
CONNECT
Yay, I LOVE this bit.
Whenever I’m feeling fatigued by stuff, I take time to connect.
I reach out to people, let them know how much I love the work they are doing, the stuff they are creating, the impact they are having.
I reach out to help people who seem to be struggling or feeling a little lost.
I go out with a friend. Go for a walk round the park with my husband. Cuddle my cats.
Connection is critical for your mental health.
Of course, the added benefit to connection is that it’s the foundation of business success – so if you spend time connecting every day, you AND your business will feel better! It’s WIN WIN!
COMMIT
Here’s the nitty gritty guys: running a business ain’t easy – if it was – everyone would be doing it.
It takes a HUGE amount of commitment.
And commitment is a choice we have to make every moment of every day.
Get this though, when we COMMIT we feel:
- Motivated
- Positive
- Unstoppable
- Successful
- In control
When we don’t commit, the opposite is true.
If you are running a business, I’d go so far as to say that your commitment is the single biggest factor between success and failure.
You can’t fake commitment.
No-one can do it for you.
It has to come from an unbreakable faith in your offering, messaging, audience and – most importantly – yourself (recognise a pattern here!?).
This FAITH is what will truly see you through the good times and the bad. It will wobble, it will crack, it will get dirty and sometimes we may even lose sight of it for a short while, but it will ALWAYS come back to you.
Keep the faith guys, you are doing BRILLIANTLY.