Dealing with overwhelm in your business

Dealing With Overwhelm In Your Business
By: Karen Pattock

Chances are you have either felt overwhelmed in trying to create a successful business or you’re feeling it right now. It’s a common problem that often occurs with new entrepreneurs that have gathered the courage to start a business of their own. At times, the feeling of excitement that was felt in the beginning can unfortunately turn to overwhelm once everything gets rolling. When overwhelm begins to take over it often causes a business owner to become paralyzed because they don’t know what to do first. Let’s avoid paralysis by facing this problem head on together.

As I say so often, you’re not alone. Starting a business is hard work. No doubt about it. Having birthed seven very different companies over the last 20 years I can tell you unequivocally it is HARD WORK! There is always a learning curve to master and a new sense of normal that has to be melded into your life.

If you are feeling overwhelmed, it is most likely because of one of these four reasons:

You aren’t up to speed on the online technological tools you need to run your business
You aren’t sure how you are going to find clients or how you set yourself apart from others
You have too many clients and you don’t know how to balance the workload
Your family and ‘me’ time have been turned upside down and your business has taken over your life

Let’s address each of these situations individually to sort out how to handle the one that may be holding you back. Building your own business will have a unique set of issues as well as rewards. It’s my goal to help you minimize the issues and maximize the rewards based on my past experience, (what I like to call the ‘Good, Bad & Ugly’).

1) You aren’t up to speed on the online technological tools you need to run your business – The way we do business today is much different than it was just ten years ago, let alone 25 or 50 years ago. Social media is a key player in how business is getting done and connections are being made and if you’re not part of it you are starting with a severe disadvantage. The number one tool I use in my business every single day to make my life easier is Hootsuite.

It is a magical tool that allows me to post in multiple locations, such as Facebook, Twitter & LinkedIn, all at one time. I write my post one time, check the locations I want it to be delivered to and hit send. Voila! It’s that easy. Can you imagine if I had to type the same post five separate times to share my thoughts? My productivity for the day would be severely diminished.

Hootsuite also allows you to program your posts in advance and schedule when you would like them to be delivered. It will make your online presence much more predictable and reliable for your clients.

Bottom line you should find the technological tools that can make your life easier and take advantage of them. However, don’t stress yourself out by trying to learn too many all at once. Slow and steady…. one at a time is your best approach.

2) You aren’t sure how you are going to find clients or how you set yourself apart from others – Depending upon what your specific area of expertise is within the health and wellness industry you may go about finding clients in different ways. If you’re a personal trainer your clients may come to you funneled through the gym where you’re contracted. If you are a health coach your clients may come to you through referral partners. No matter where your clients are coming from you can increase the chances of them working with you by growing an online presence and setting yourself apart as an expert.

If a potential client is thinking about working with you and you don’t have a professional looking website AND Facebook business page, (not your personal page), you may lose some of your credibility. On the other hand, if you have a professional website that offers helpful articles, recipes and resources specific to your target market you’re going to become the all-in-one expert they’ve been searching to find.

Additionally, when they check you out on Facebook & Twitter to find that you are interacting regularly with your followers, talking about the things that are important to them, you will again substantially increase the chances of them working with you.

3) You have too many clients and you don’t know how to balance the workload – If you’re rolling your eyes right now thinking that this would be a nice problem to have I can tell you that it isn’t, unless you know how to handle the situation. For a moment let’s just say you have more clients than you know what to do with. What happens next? Eventually, those people will stop waiting to work with you because it is taking so long. If you try to fit them in but don’t give them the amount of attention they deserve you risk having them asking for a refund and spreading the word that you are unprofessional.

The first way to overcome this situation is to know ahead of time how many clients you are capable of handling. If you’re in an industry where you must work in a one-on-one model then there are only so many clients you can work with in a day and still have time for yourself and your family. Knowing the number of people you CAN work with, give the highest quality service to and allow time for your family, will alleviate the pressure to continue to take on new clients that you couldn’t possibly serve without sacrificing quality.

Here’s a tip. If you’re in a position where you could place some of those people in a group program at a discounted price then you’ve just created a win-win situation. They will be thrilled that they are getting your time and attention and you will be thrilled that you can service more than one client at a time.

4) Your family and ‘me’ time has been turned upside down and your business has taken over your life – I saved this one for last because it is the problem I most clearly identify with from my past experience. When I am in the throes of a business that I love and customers that mean the world to me I can easily work morning, noon & night. Yes, it’s great for the productivity ratio but it is the fast track to burnout. This situation calls for your calendar to become your very best friend.

Scheduling time to do something other than work on your business is important for a healthy life balance. Whether you’re reading a book, watching a movie, playing a game with your kids or just taking a much-needed nap it is imperative that you make time for yourself. Marking off specific chunks of time to disconnect and rejuvenate must be part of your business plan to become successful. You will be no good to anyone if you are stressed out, sleep-deprived and burned out within 18-24 months. Get your calendar out right now and fill in the ‘me time’ you deserve.

Building a successful business takes time. It won’t happen overnight. You will continue to master your skill and find a balance within your new life as an entrepreneur. There is a way to balance growing your client base with a healthy lifestyle for yourself. We are so lucky to be in this time in history where we can connect with others all over the world. It allows us to learn, teach and grow by being exposed to others that have an expertise different from our own.

I believe in you and your dreams – please come to my Facebook Page right now and tell me the one area of your business that has caused you to feel overwhelmed. I can’t wait to hear from you. I promise to read every post!

I truly care about your success,
Karen Pattock