Tip: If someone tells you that starting a business is easy, odds are they’re probably trying to sell you something.
If you’re an entrepreneur, you know about the malaise. It creeps up on you the way a sore throat does and, before you know it, you have a serious case of the entrepreneurial burnout flu. It can hit you when your coffers are flush or when you’re struggling to redefine your business objectives. It’s reckless, ruthless and it plagues us all. I know because I am an entrepreneur and as part of my business strategy, I make it a point to surround myself with fellow entrepreneurs to share the pain. One uber-successful serial entrepreneur told me, “If you don’t wake up every day a little bit afraid, you’re not going to see success.”
A little bit afraid? How about a lot? It’s exhausting. And add to that the daily boring duties that come with starting companies. All those things you have to do to keep a business running before it gets big enough to hire people to fill out the rest of the C-Suites. I just spent an hour and a half trying to find a notary because my business license needed renewal. And yes, I was the ONLY one who could sign it.
While I can’t guarantee you can completely cure the entrepreneurial blues, here are some tips to help strengthen your entrepreneurial immune system.
- Seek mentorship. When I say mentorship, I mean meet up with other people just like you. Yes, even in similar industries. I work in social media and PR and I actively seek out colleagues with similar business structures. I don’t view them as my competitors but my compadres. Hearing how they deal with the everyday challenges, sharing best practices heartens me. If you aren’t comfortable meeting with folks in your line of work, find parallel business entrepreneurs and talk to them.
- Take out a new page in your notebook. Whether your to-do list is in Evernote or on post-it notes, start a new page. Sometimes the very act of reordering priorities and abandoning to-do’s that never seem to get done can make all the difference in the world.
- Go outside, get wet, get dirty, get sweaty. Spending time in nature or exercising really does invigorate people in business. Ecotherapy, the very act of being in nature can cure all sorts of depressive symptoms.http://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/383642/nature-deficit-disorder/.
- Go back to your roots. Ask yourself: why did I started this business in the first place? Chances are there was some passion that drove you to launch the business. Look at your day and see how much time of the day is devoted to that passion. If it’s not enough, really drill down and see how you can rearrange your time to make sure you are doing what you love.
- Look at the low hanging fruit. Entrepreneurs are by and large big-picture thinkers. Who else would be foolish enough to throw away the security of a paycheck and benefits for the unknown of launching a new business. We can get overwhelmed by the grand thinking we ourselves so adore. Find one small thing that will move your business forward. Get it done. The satisfaction of completing that one task may propel you to greater achievements.
And last but not least. You are not alone. I carefully define my entrepreneurial malaise, whether it be staff challenges, business development conundrums or something in the organizational arena. More often then not, my Google search brings me back to my home base or all things business. Cox Blue!
Danica Kombol is the CEO of the Everywhere Agency, a leading social media-marketing firm that works with major Fortune 500 companies crafting and executing successful campaigns. While Everywhere has been in business six years, Danica considers her agency a perennial start-up and is devoted to keeping the entrepreneurial spirit alive at her agency.She believes that a certain eagerness and optimism exist at young firms which keeps her well established, conservative clients delighted with their constant campaign wins.
As a marketer and entrepreneur, Danica draws on her extensive background as a television producer and public relations exec working for big firms and she even launched and sold a media training business. She began her career at Sesame Workshop where she was involved in the international versions of Sesame Street. She went on to become a successful television producer working on such legendary shows as Saturday Night Live, Kids in the Hall and VH1. Danica is a frequent speaker on social media at conferences and global forums
You can follow her on twitter @danicakombol.
As a marketer and entrepreneur, Danica draws on her extensive background as a television producer and public relations exec working for big firms and she even launched and sold a media training business. She began her career at Sesame Workshop where she was involved in the international versions of Sesame Street. She went on to become a successful television producer working on such legendary shows as Saturday Night Live, Kids in the Hall and VH1. Danica is a frequent speaker on social media at conferences and global forums
You can follow her on twitter @danicakombol.
Latest posts by Danica Kombol (see all)
- 5 Tips For Curing Entrepreneurial Burnout - April 28, 2015
