Keeping BOB at Bay
What is Business Owner Burnout (BOB)?
If you are a business owner, you might feel it coming…you feel stressed out. All. The. Time. Work piles up, deadlines are missed, emails are left unopened, and phone calls are not returned. Maybe it starts to creep over into your family life. The lawn isn’t getting mowed, dishes pile up in the sink, and the kids are scrounging around for clean pants to wear. There’s just too much to do.
Suddenly, you realize things have gotten out of hand and there’s no way to stop the downward spiral. The stress leads to burnout – that crossover into the land of I Don’t Care. When did you stop giving a shit? Think back to when that feeling started –
- Were you slashing prices to close deals?
- Did you realize sales revenue slipped or that profit margins were shrinking?
- Did you sense that the work was never going to end despite the good you were doing for your clients?
- Are you spending all your time filling out spreadsheets or Googling “How do I … “
- Did you decide that with only six months left to retirement, it was easier to go to Happy Hour than knuckle down and make 10 more cold calls?
Maybe you have tons of cash in the bank, and you’re not worried about BOB. You can hang out with your family on Sunday afternoon and respond to those emails tomorrow.
No? I didn’t think so.
Find Your Zone of Excellence
When you are spending most of your time working IN your business instead of ON your business, you can spend 60 hours a week chasing details and wearing yourself out. BOB has won.
How Do You Avoid Burnout?
Did you feel it coming? Hopefully, you did. If you sat down to think about what was wrong, you’ll probably realize that the burnout was happening because you were working outside the zone. We call it the Zone of Excellence – that space where you’re in control and everything you do seems easy – because that’s where your talents live.
Smart business leaders know that they don’t know everything. Smarter ones know that using their resources wisely is critical to business success.
Here are two strategies we suggest to avoid burnout:
- Think about everything you do every day. Ask yourself these questions –
a. Are my goals defined and aligned with my values?
b. Do my activities move me closer to my goals?
c. Is this work important to the long-term success of my organization?
d. Am I using my resources effectively to solve short-term problems?
e. How can I spend less time on day-to-day tasks and more time thinking strategically to increase profits and build customer satisfaction?
2. Seek advice and feedback from people outside your organization.
a. Find out what questions you should be asking yourself.
b. Ask successful business owners how they avoid BOB.
c. Work with a business coach to identify your goals and refine your mission.
d. Determine what activities are mission-critical and learn how to increase your focus.
e. Identify tasks that can be assigned to others. Take on the challenge of letting go!
Better questions serve to interrogate your beliefs about what you “should” be doing and what will increase cash flow. When you offload activities to people with expertise in those areas, it allows both of you to function in your Zone of Excellence.
Kick BOB Out of Your Life
If you recognize these self-imposed barriers in your personal and professional life:
- “I can’t take on any more clients.”
- “I don’t have anyone to do the work.”
- “I don’t have time to learn how to use social media.”
Take heed – they do not equate to “I can’t grow my business!” A great business coach will help you break down these barriers and find ways to increase your cash flow. Ask better questions, get outside feedback, kick BOB to the curb and enjoy life again!
Want help to find your Zone of Excellence? Reach out today: Contact Us – Growth Simplified (gsimplified.com)
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