Self-care for entrepreneurs: Prioritise your wellbeing for business success

Self-care is a term that’s been thrown around a lot, but what does self-care as an entrepreneur actually look like?

Being a small business owner is a rollercoaster, filled with opportunities and challenges. As founders, we pour our hearts and souls into our businesses, but this can take a toll on our wellbeing after a while. 

When you neglect your physical and mental health, it can lead to stress, burnout and overwhelm and it can feel pretty lonely too. But with the right tools and support, you can prioritise your wellbeing as an entrepreneur and ensure you’re set up for success.

Read on to find out what practical self-care rituals you can put in place as an entrepreneur.

Set Boundaries

• Setting clear boundaries in your business is essential for maintaining your wellbeing as an entrepreneur. It’s all too easy to become consumed by the demands of your business, leading to burnout and stress.
• To create a healthier business-life balance, start by establishing working hours and sticking to them. Remember this is your business, so the traditional 9-5 doesn’t have to apply! Decide on what hours work for you and ensure you stick to them as much as possible.
• A key to maintaining this boundary is communicating them to your customers and your team. For example, if you outsource some of your work to a virtual assistant, make sure that they know that you’ll only be available 10am-3pm as those are your working hours. Communicating your boundaries to your audience can also be really helpful as a solopreneur as it better sets expectations! For example, if you’re closed over the Holidays to spend some time resting and recharging with family, a simple post on social media letting your audience know that your customer service will be closed during this time can create a better experience and allow you to maintain your boundaries!
• Make the most of new technologies to automate and streamline processes so that you can switch off whilst your business runs in the background! Use email and social media scheduling tools and meeting booking programmes like Calendly to run your business outside of your hours. Need help with this? Request a technology mentoring session here.

By setting these boundaries, you’ll create the space needed for self-care, quality time with loved ones, and the mental clarity needed to make great decisions for your business.  Remember, having boundaries isn’t selfish! It’s an important part of protecting your wellbeing and ensuring you can show up as the amazing founder that you are!

Create a healthy workspace

As tempting as it can be to work from your sofa in a snuggly pair of pyjamas, one of the best things you can do to support your wellbeing is to create a healthy workspace. 

• If you work from home, try designating one space in the house that will be your workspace.  Creating a designated space means that when you finish you’re working day, you’re not then also spending your free time in your “office”.  Don’t forget, the space doesn’t have to be big! Even if it’s creating a cosy corner of your living room, just having that dedicated space will help your brain switch off. 
• When creating your workspace, try to keep it as clutter-free as possible! As the saying goes, a tidy space is a tidy mind. 
• Fill your space with things that light you up.  Whether that’s a picture of your pooch, lovely candles, matching stationery or just making sure you’ve got your favourite mug to hand, all these things will create a healthy and happy working space for you. 

Creating a workspace that you love that’s also functional will mean that you’re more productive and happy when working – which will lead to a better business! 

Manage your stress

We know how stressful it is to be an entrepreneur, but there are some tried and tested techniques that you can use to manage your stress. 

• Make sure you’re realistic with your time.  We all think we’ll be able to get 100s of tasks done in a day, but in reality, we all know we might only get 3 of them done in a day – and that’s okay! By being realistic with your time, you’ll be able to set deadlines that are actually achievable.  You’ll also put yourself under less pressure as you won’t be beating yourself up for not getting everything done that you set out to do! 
• Despite our best intentions, sometimes stress is unavoidable.  When you do start to feel stressed, try to take a step back if you can.  Get outside for a walk, cuddle a loved one, try a quick meditation to reset your mindset, or if you can, take a full break and come back to the task or stress at hand with a fresh mindset the next day!  Stepping back from your business will give you a chance to reset your mindset and approach the stress with a positive and solution-focused mind!
• Don’t suffer alone – there’s nothing worse than feeling stressed and not having anyone to talk through your problems with.  Talk to a trusted friend, family member, or even a mentor and try and find a solution to your problem together.  If you’ve not got a mentor yet and you want to give it a try, request a wellbeing session with one of our mentors.  They’ll be able to chat through the stress and challenges you’re facing and offer support and guidance to help you through 

Find your small business circle

Similarly to not suffering alone, it’s important to surround yourself with people who can support you.  Having emotional support from people who just *get it* can make all the difference to your wellbeing

• Join business communities – there are hundreds of communities out there who support and champion small businesses.  In these groups you can network, offer services, and meet friends for life! Being part of a community of like-minded people helps make your business journey a little less lonely!
• Check out virtual networking opportunities – amazing services like FSB run regular virtual networking events for small businesses.  These sessions allow you to meet founders from around the UK who you may never have bumped into! Meeting founders in different areas and industries to you will expand your business knowledge and better connect you with the small business community. 
• Find local friends – many areas will offer net-walking groups (Google them if you’ve not heard of them before, they’re so fun!), local business meetups and opportunities to get to know your local community.  Having connections with your local community will help you to feel more connected and stay in the loop about any nearby opportunities that might benefit your business! 
• Join online Masterclasses and events and get chatting in the comment section! Here at Digital Boost, we run virtual Masterclasses, networking sessions, and Planning Power Hours to help you connect and collaborate as you grow your business 💪 Check out all our upcoming sessions here.

Celebrate your wins

And finally, no matter how big or small, remember to celebrate all the wins you’re having!

• Try ending your day by reviewing your tick list and finding one win. At first, you might find it tough to see the wins! But once you get into the habit this can be a really fun and easy way to celebrate the little wins you’re seeing every day 🥳
• Taking the time to reflect on the progress and wins you’re seeing daily, weekly and even monthly can be hugely motivating. And by finding those moments of positivity and celebration in your business, you create a more motivating and exciting environment for yourself!

As entrepreneurs, it’s easy to get bogged down by what’s gone wrong, but reflecting on what’s going right is going to be game-changing for your mindset 🧠

Conclusion

Self-care is anything but a luxury for entrepreneurs.  Wellbeing should be a priority for every entrepreneur, as better wellbeing leads to happier founders and better businesses! 

If you give any of these practical tips a try, let us know so that we can celebrate with you 🎉

If you’re on your wellbeing journey and want support, why not meet with one of our mentors?  All our mentoring is free and unlimited! In a wellbeing session, you’ll be able to work through your challenges and stresses with the support of a mentor.  Our mentors are amazing listeners and always give the kindest support as they know how hard it is to be a founder!