Business Tips: What preventing workplace burnout has to do with marketing

When you’re a business owner, it’s normal to want to do it all. Besides, your business is your vision, and no one knows it better than you.

The truth is your business isn’t the only thing on your plate.

You’re trying to fit in time with your friends and family, personal time, self-care, community service - and let’s not forget - running every part of your business, including marketing.

There’s no wonder why job burnout is so common. With all that’s on your plate, high stress levels are inevitable.

So, what does all of this have to do with digital marketing?

While we teach digital marketing strategy in the Reach Marketing Academy, we begin with taking a fresh look at your capacity. Imagine a full plate of dinner, and you’re wondering if you’re going to have to come back for a second plate or if you can fit a scoop of Sweet Potato Casserole on there. You absolutely can run out of space!! Before you start sharing your business with the world, it’s essential to understand where your business has capacity, room to grow and how much time you have to grow it in those areas.

As a team of one - every effective marketing plan considers the value of your time and the value of your products and services.

This is how you avoid work stress and burnout. Here’s how we do it. 

Know your capacity before you start growing.

Write out each and every item you want to make time for. Be sure to include things you want for yourself, not just items you want or need for your business.

This is a common mistake people make when they venture into entrepreneurship.

Yes, you have a lot you need to check off for professional success, but you also need to make time for personal success.

Maybe that means volunteering or having dinner with your family and friends. To have time to do what’s important to you, first decide how much time you’ll dedicate to your business. 

Set healthy boundaries, AKA non-negotiables

I remember how it felt to work on projects that didn’t align with my passion or business mission. As a business owner, you’ve been through this exact scenario:

Your friends want to support you. That’s what good friends do! After all, a support system that will shout your name in rooms of opportunity is absolutely necessary no matter what stage you are in your business. 

Sometimes this means you may lower your price because you want to do your friends a favor, or you might always say yes. After all, they’re your friends, and you don’t want to disappoint them.

Before you know it, your plate is full of projects that don’t bring you profit. You’re working harder, but somehow you’re not getting to the next level. You’re busy and not growing. Cue: Confusion, burnout, stress, and disappointment.

This is why I teach setting non-negotiables. Here are two examples of mine:

1. Don’t work for free. Work for charity. It’s important for me to help businesses and organizations making a real impact in the community. Suppose they need help using social media marketing, email marketing, and digital advertising to share their organization or get more donors. In that case, I’m happy to give some flexibility on my price or capacity because I know it’s helping people find housing, get school supplies for their kids, or getting help for domestic violence. These are just some of the initiatives that are important to me. If they’re profiting because they’re selling products or services using our marketing tactics, then it’s totally okay for me to want to see profit in my business too.
2. I have a product price I won’t go below because that’s what it takes for my employees and me to fully show up. As the CEO of my company, managing workplace stress, employee burnout, and mental health is my responsibility. My marketing team is full of a-players that give it their all for our clients, and I wouldn’t trade that for the world. Since they don’t know how to do things halfway, I have a responsibility to say, “This is how much it takes for my team to show up and do amazing work.” So, find out what that is for you and your business. Then keep it in mind the next time you pitch a sale and sit at the negotiating table.
   

Do yourself a favor, write out your non-negotiables, then put them somewhere you can reference easily. Any time you have to do a gut-check and ask yourself, “Is this a project I want to take on?” go to your non-negotiables. They will steer you in the right direction.

What does this have to do with online marketing?

Knowing your capacity and setting your non-negotiables is all about building the life you want to live. Setting a foundation of non-negotiables you can refer back to will set your business up for success while not spreading you thin. If you don’t have a ton of one-on-one time then don’t spend your time building a campaign that promotes your one on one time. If you can’t possibly take on another table at dinner time then don’t promote a dine in promotion for dinner. 

We do our best work when we are feeling our best and we want this for you too!