Entrepreneurs
4 Signs You Need Support in Your Business & How to Pinpoint Where You Need It
Being a business owner is no joke. It comes with an immense amount of pressure, and forces you to grow or to give up. If you want to focus on success, there are different types of support you need to keep growing both as a person and a business.
Below are the four signs you will see when you need support, as well as what kind of support you need:
1. Exhaustion
The hustle and grind calls from time to time, but if you’re in a constant state of working too many hours without time off, you’re running towards burnout. If you find yourself overtired, overwhelmed, and overextended, it’s time to get some support. The key here is understanding what exactly is causing the exhaustion so you know where to get help.
There are three main support systems for this particular symptom: a health coach, a mindset coach, or a team member. If you find that your exhaustion is stemming from not getting enough sleep, a diet of Doritos and pizza, or that you’re not exercising, then you likely need a health coach or nutritionist.
If you find that your exhaustion is coming from overwhelm, fear, and other negative emotions that keep you on a rollercoaster of emotions and doubting yourself, then you likely need a mindset coach.
If you find that you’ve got too much on your plate, there are more jobs than you can handle, or you don’t know how to do something extraordinarily well in your business and it’s eating up your time, then you likely need a team member to support you.
Whether you need one or more of these support systems, exhaustion is one of the most critical signs to pay attention to, because if ignored, it can lead to burnout—which means lost time, lost sales, and lost money in your business.
“I firmly believe that any man’s finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle – victorious.” – Vince Lombardi
2. Dropping Balls & Not Meeting Deadlines
How many times have you forgotten something in the past week? If you’re consistently forgetting things, like deliverables you promised to your clients, calls you had on the books, or marketing activities you swore you’d have done two weeks ago, then you are dropping balls.
This is one of the things that can turn your business upside down and make clients upset fast.
What this problem points to is: A lack of systems and not enough team members.
When you have a lack of systems, it means you’re often flying by the seat of your pants or putting out fires. When you’re only putting your attention towards fires in your business, you inevitably create more fires. Systems help you create and maintain priorities and structure, so that fires are few and far between, and your business runs well.
If systems is a word that makes you want to hide under a rock until the monsters go away, you’re not alone! Hiring a team member who’s a great project manager with excellent systems skills is vital if you’re experiencing ball dropping. This person will help you identify where you’re losing time and where you’re being ineffective, so you can get the right team members in place.
3. Weight Gain or Getting Sick
Have you let your exercise routine slip or fallen into the eating out/ordering trap? When you’re building a business, it’s easy to put all of your energy into your goals, and ignore your health. The problem is your body won’t let you ignore it for very long, and usually when you’re operating your business this way, it means the business can’t operate without you.
If your business doesn’t operate without you, it’s a poor business decision to let your health go by the wayside, which leads to getting sick. Lost time and momentum in your business can cost you opportunities, money, and peace of mind.
If you’re constantly in your business, it’s important to look at two things: Are you working extra hard, even though you don’t have to or does the business not run if you’re not working hard?
If you answered yes to the first question, it’s time to hire a mindset or high performance coach—someone who can help you prioritize and balance your life, so you can hustle when necessary and rest when necessary. Your business can’t afford for you to go down. So if there’s something compelling you to work long hours and ignore your health, especially if you don’t have to, it’s time to get mindset or high performance support.
If the second question got you, then it’s time to hire a team member. If you don’t know where to start with hiring someone, look at these questions first to help you figure it out:
- Where do you spend most of your time, outside of your genius?
- What activities are you doing that are NOT making you money?
- What activities are you losing time to?
The answers to these questions will pinpoint exactly what specialties your team members need to have to start taking things off of your plate, so that you can take care of your business and yourself.
“Money doesn’t mean anything to me. I’ve made a lot of money, but I want to enjoy life and not stress myself building my bank account. I give lots away and live simply, mostly out of a suitcase in hotels. We all know that good health is much more important.” – Keanu Reeves
4. You Haven’t Spent Time With Your Loved Ones In A While
When you started your business, what called to you? Did you have visions of vacations, working on beaches, or taking your loved ones out for extravagant experiences? Were you intrigued by being able to take off whenever you wanted? The tell tale signs of freedom often call to business owners, luring them in, but there’s more to the story than that.
When you own a business, there’s a responsibility to your clients and your audience to show up. When you start working overtime in your business, you start missing out on things with the people you love. You miss the dance recitals, the picnics, even the family dinners, and you can start to question why you’re doing this in the first place.
If this is where you find yourself, you’re probably taking on more duties in the business than necessary (or you’re focusing on the wrong ones). The way to fix this is to hire a team member who can take care of at least some of the daily, weekly, and monthly activities that can bog you down and eat away your time. This will allow you to focus on the high level activities that take your business to the next level. This will help you generate a larger return on your energy, while giving you your time back.