It started with that first lemonade stand. You killed it in the summer of ’95!
It started with that first lemonade stand. You killed it in the summer of ’95! The exhilaration of making your own way. The thrill of the sale is addictive and from early on you just knew you wanted to own your own company and carve out your piece of the American dream. Running a business is an all-consuming endeavor that requires passion, dedication, and hard work.
However, as entrepreneurs, we often find ourselves caught up in the pursuit of success and obsessing over the end results while maybe not enjoying the journey itself. Not unlike our spiritual lives, a single-minded, end-game focused approach can lead to burnout, affecting both our mental and physical well-being. In this article, we will explore a different perspective—one that encourages entrepreneurs to shift their mindset and embrace the journey of running a business while trusting the Lord for the outcome. By finding joy in the process, we can avoid burnout and simultaneously build a company that is more likely to succeed in the end anyways.
Below are some tips we like to recommend for anyone starting a company or someone already in the saddle that wants to ensure they don’t hate the thing they’ve built in 15 years.
Define Your Purpose:
To truly enjoy the journey of running a business, it is crucial to define your purpose beyond just financial success. Sure, big profits are exciting, but money isn’t a good long-term motivator. In fact, it’s doesn’t make the top 5. Studies show that money is low on the list of satisfying rewards in life because in the end, more zero’s in the bank account can’t create true, lasting peace and contentment. Reflect on your personal values, the impact you want to make, and the passion or mission that drives you. When your business aligns with those things, it becomes more than just a means to an end. It becomes a purpose-driven venture that inspires and motivates you on a deeper level…even an eternal level for the vertically minded businessperson. At Speiro, we believe doing business for the Kingdom can provide the ultimate motivation and one that provides not only rewards in this life, but for eternity. That’s pretty motivating.
Set Realistic Expectations:
This one is big so pay attention. Entrepreneurs are typically highly driven people. Most of my business friends are high-builder, high-output folks. Because of that, it’s easy to fall into the trap of setting unrealistic expectations for yourself and your business. While ambition is essential and good, it’s important to set achievable goals that can be realized every few weeks or months. Break down your long-term goals into smaller, manageable ones, and celebrate each accomplishment along the way.
Entrepreneurs are typically highly driven people. Most of my business friends are high-builder, high-output folks.
Science has shown that dopamine is tied very tightly to the reward centers in our brain. You will literally find yourself in a better mood, more motivated and enjoying the process if you are finding satisfaction in small wins and enjoying the process along the way. Waiting to feel fulfilled by some large, end-result oriented goal (say a large sale of your company) will leave you waiting a long time to feel any sense of achievement. That’s a direct path to burnout and very little satisfaction along the way. Business is awesome so try and enjoy the journey!
Delegate and Collaborate:
The journey of running a business doesn't have to be a lonely one. The adage that it’s “lonely at the top” is true but there are strategies to avoid the lonely grind into oblivion. As a CEO or business owner, its important that you find ways to interact with others. It’s easy to sit in your office obsessing over goals and data. You can run your business from your computer but that is a really unfulfilling way to operate. God wired us for community and sharing with others. As well, collaboration is a great way to enter into meaningful conversation with your teams which gives you a chance to practice some of your Kingdom Outpost culture goals. Surround yourself with a competent and trustworthy team that shares your vision. Delegate tasks that are not your strengths or are time-consuming, allowing you to focus on what you do best.
Collaboration not only lightens the workload but also fosters creativity and innovation. Embracing the power of teamwork will not only prevent burnout but also enhance the overall quality of your business while giving Jesus a chance to work through interactions and the culture you create.
Practice Self-Care and Stress reduction:
Entrepreneurship can be demanding, making self-care essential for maintaining physical and mental well-being. There is no lack of stress in running your business. Even success itself can create a lot of stress in your life. The physical, mental and spiritual are a flywheel that has to be synchronized. If one breaks it all breaks, therefore they all need to be maintained. Prioritize activities that promote relaxation, such as exercise, meditation, prayer or spending quality time with loved ones and definitely spending time with the Lord. I do some of my best thinking on a mountain bike. Take breaks throughout the day to rejuvenate and recharge. Remember, taking care of yourself is not a luxury but a necessity for long-term success. Remember, how you treat your body when you’re 30 affects how your body feels when its 50. Your body really does have a built-in scoreboard. Don’t think you can run your body into the ground and not pay for it at some point. You have to manage stress, or it will manage you. If your body suffers, there’s a good chance your mental and spiritual life will suffer which means you’re now queued up for burnout. Take care of yourself. You’ll last a lot longer and perform better along the way if you do.
Embrace Continuous Learning:
Running a business is a dynamic journey that requires adaptability and a willingness to adapt and learn. We live in a complex world and our brains are wired to learn. Learning is stimulating and rewarding. Embrace the mindset of a lifelong learner by seeking out new knowledge and skills relevant to your industry. The old adage says…”leaders are readers” and its true. Find some podcasts or influencers to follow. Read a good business book like “Shoe Dog”. Engage in networking events, attend conferences, or enroll in online courses.
Cultivating a growth mindset will not only keep you motivated but also allow you to navigate challenges with new creativity and knowledge.
Cultivating a growth mindset will not only keep you motivated but also allow you to navigate challenges with new creativity and knowledge. So if you feel like you’ve “done it all” in your business then challenge yourself to truly look for new ways to be better, to up your game, to add a new offering or whatever causes you to change it up and find that fire you had when you first opened the doors. Just like with our faith, we can go through seasons for dryness. But persistence coupled with consistent reminders of why we do what we do can pull you out of those seasons and get you back to a place of passion and energy.
Celebrate Milestones:
Just like with goal setting, milestones can create fun and rewarding moments in your business journey and those should be celebrated. Celebrating milestones, no matter how small, is crucial for maintaining motivation and finding joy in the journey. Recognize and appreciate the progress you've made, and take time to acknowledge and celebrate your accomplishments or the accomplishments of your team. Find reasons to throw a party or celebrate wins. You can even consider gamification in certain areas of the business for you personally and your team. This practice will fuel your passion and remind you of the joy in running your business.
Work Hard – Trust the Lord
As entrepreneurs it’s not typically a challenge to want to work on our businesses. We usually don’t lack motivation. In fact, as we’ve mentioned, we can obsess over our business and that can lead to stress and ultimately burnout. So how do we counter-balance working hard with staying invested? There’s no doubt hard work is required so we can’t remove that element from the equation. Hard work, in and of itself, is good and healthy. Where we go wrong and where burnout stems from is the mindset we carry while working hard. It’s the emotional stress we place on ourselves that actually causes the burnout. If you think about it, if you knew the outcome and knew you were going to win in the end you’d work all day and probably never burn out. You’d be thrilled because you aren’t packing around the doubt and emotional baggage of wondering if everything is going to turn out ok. This is where faith comes in. When we place the outcome solely on our back it creates a level of stress that is unhealthy and quite possibly even sinful. The key is to reduce stress and increasing enjoyment is to trust in the Lord for the outcome of your business. Trust God that he knows you. He knows what your P&L says. He knows your cash position. If you can trust Him, you are free to work hard, do your best and trust God for the outcome. And if he doesn’t, no amount of hard work will keep your doors open. God is in control. So work hard unto the Lord and find joy and peace in knowing he has the absolute best for you in mind.
If you stop and appreciate it, running a business is a blessing. It’s a gift from the Lord if you have a business that is providing for your family and allowing you to be generous. It should be a gratifying and fulfilling experience, not one that leads to burnout and exhaustion.
By shifting our focus from solely obsessing about the end result to enjoying the journey, we can create something that can give you lifelong satisfaction. Embrace your purpose, create a Kingdom Outpost, set realistic expectations, delegate when necessary, prioritize self-care, continue learning, celebrate milestones and give the outcome to God. By following these guidelines, you will foster a healthy and enjoyable entrepreneurial journey, ensuring long-term success along with personal and spiritual fulfillment. Remember, the joy is in the process, not just the destination.
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