Balancing Business Growth and Mental Wellbeing: A Female Entrepreneur's Guide
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The number of female founders has surged over recent years. From brick-and-mortar startups to remote freelancing, women around the world are going it alone and showing that business ownership is no longer just a man's game.
One study found that, over four years of research, 70% of female business owners frequently felt overwhelmed, with 22% wishing to “escape life”. In other words, the balance is off.
Prioritising wellbeing for business growth and your health is crucial. So, how can you prioritise yourself whilst still building a flourishing business? Let’s take a look at some of our favourite top tips.
Set Boundaries for Healthy Balance
Work-life balance is a popular buzzword amongst entrepreneurs, but how many of us can say we have it figured out?
If you find yourself answering emails when you should be relaxing, running errands between work calls, and never finding time to see friends or read that book that’s collecting dust on your bedside table, it’s time to sort out your work-life balance.
The best way to do this is by setting yourself specific hours for work and hours for everything else in your life.
This is especially important if you work from home, where distractions and other responsibilities can get in the way of your working day, making you quickly feel overwhelmed and pulling focus from your business.
If you struggle with work-life balance, set yourself dedicated working hours to begin with. As an entrepreneur, it’s easy to slowly find yourself working as soon as you wake up and logging off when it’s time for bed.
You can adjust the hours as you learn more about the sort of routine that works best for you or when you’re most productive, but the main idea is to gain some structure in your working day.
During these hours, work is your priority and everything else can wait. After you have time to prioritise your health and take the time to wind down.
Be Smart With Business Software
If you’ve ever thought that there aren’t enough hours in the day for your business, you’re not alone. One-third of SME business owners (both male and female) say they need more time to get their work done, with an additional four hours needed just for admin.
This inability to get on top of tasks is a huge cause of stress for female entrepreneurs, worsening your mental well-being and stifling business growth potential.
That’s where smart software comes in. By investing in the right business tools, you can automate certain tasks and make others easier, saving precious hours that could be better spent on big-picture goals.
Review management software, for example, automatically sends emails to online clients inviting them to leave a review. It provides branded templates so that you can respond quickly to feedback, too, and compiles all of your reviews across platforms into one system.
For entrepreneurs who struggle to find time to encourage and engage with customer reviews, it’s a game changer. Besides, a little bit of positive reinforcement from your customers goes a long way and can help with your motivation.
There are also social media scheduling tools, appointment organisers, and chatbots (and that’s just touching the surface), all of which take the tasks from your shoulders and give you more room to breathe.
Using smart software is a win-win, simultaneously helping business growth and your well-being. You aren’t bogged down in stressful admin, giving you more time to focus on yourself, while essential repetitive tasks are taken care of, maintaining stable progress within your brand building.
Get to Grips With Time Management
Time management isn’t something that comes naturally. It’s learnt, and if you haven’t taken the time to get to grips with it yet then both your business and your wellbeing are likely to suffer.
Everybody needs a break, which is why methods like the Pomodoro technique exist, helping you work better by encouraging time out.
Some key tips to improve your time management include:
Prioritising work-life balance
Creating prioritised to-do lists - one for the day and one for the week
Being conscious of procrastination
Removing distractions and stopping procrastination
Knowing when to delegate tasks
It’s important to organise your workspace, too. Cluttered surroundings can impact your ability to focus and increase stress levels, making it harder to be productive.
Take the time to create a peaceful, tidy environment and your business (and mind) will thank you for it.
Make a Change
The chances are that if you’re here, you’re looking to find solutions and techniques to help balance business growth and mental well-being. Whether you’re feeling stressed, unmotivated, or feel like you’re stuck in a rut, it’s time to make a change and focus more on well-being within your business.
Sit down and write notes on how you’re feeling and possible causes for your stress. Think of this as a journaling exercise, getting in touch with your emotions and clarifying your current mental state.
As you write, you might identify certain triggers for stress, like being interrupted during work hours or not getting outside enough, which you can then work to avoid.
Journaling has been proven to:
Reduce stress
Manage anxiety
Improve emotional control
Helps you track triggers and identify negative behaviour
It’s also a good idea to note down the circumstances that help you work, too, like getting dressed in the morning or sitting at your desk instead of on the sofa.
After some reflection, look at how you can reshape your working habits and think about how you can avoid your stress triggers and boost productivity.
Find Ways to Relax During the Day
Having a routine doesn’t mean that you can’t take time out during the day.
Set breaks throughout your day to have a bit of a breather. Some short, relaxing activities that can reduce stress include:
Getting outside and amongst nature
Relaxing breathing techniques
Reading
Journalling
Meditation
Listening to music
Seek Professional Guidance
Building a business is undeniably stressful. If you’re finding your mental health is taking a dive and you’re not sure what to do about it, remember that professional help is always available.
In the UK, you can access free mental health services on the NHS, including appointments with trained therapists. Through their guidance, you can create positive behaviour patterns and coping mechanisms to manage stress, anxiety, and other mental health problems associated with being a female entrepreneur.
Final Words
Balancing business growth alongside your well-being is tricky even for seasoned female entrepreneurs. If you feel like you’re struggling with your mental health, we hope that some of these tips work to get you back on track. Remember, too, that asking for help is always okay and could be exactly what you need to get back on track.
About this author:
Niamh O'Reilly provides expert insights on topics relating to business, technology and productivity. She’s passionate about supporting leaders and the next generation of entrepreneurs in their journey and finding the latest hacks and strategies to improve efficiencies along the way. Connect with Niamh: @NiamhOTweets