By Evan Vitale
From time to time we hear about burnout either from a CEO, sports athlete, an actor, a musician, etc. But is it possible for a business owner – especially a solo entrepreneur – to suffer from burnout?
Yes, definitely. In fact, business burnout can be serious for those who work alone or for those who have a home business. Some even crash and burn to the point of shutting down their business and closing doors forever.
Many times, the last thing a business owner things about is their health and their sanity.
Burnout happens when we wear too many hats; try to do too many things (without asking or relinquishing responsibilities), work 12-to-18-hour days, work weekends and holidays! We never ever stop.
So how does burnout happen?
Burnout occurs after a prolonged period of stress, physical and/or mental fatigue. When that happens, the business owner begins to feel hopeless, powerless, cynical and resentful. Slowly but surely, burnout creates an atmosphere of failure; stagnation and a reduction in productivity. This will carry over into your professional relationships with clients and vendors and perhaps into your personal relationships with a spouse and family members. If you have employees, they will be on the receiving end of your burnout as well.
Some common signs of burnout include – but are not limited to:
– Feeling overworked.
– Feeling like no one understands what you’re going through.
– Feeling confused about priorities and direction.
– Feeling resentful about tasks that you don’t feel rewarded for performing.
– Feeling concerned about financial survival and security.
– Feeling as if you have more on your plate than you feel you can handle.
The end result of burnout is the feeling of being an unhappy and unfulfilled business owner who eventually decides to throw in the towel and go back to a more manageable 40-hour work week job.
In our next blog, we’ll explore burnout more.