Bootstrap, Burnout, and Beyond: The 3 Phases of Your Service Based Business
Episode 625: Show Notes
The things we hear all the time are either, “I’m doing all the right things but I don’t necessarily know what to focus on next. I don’t know which lever to pull next and I don’t know why I’m feeling so overwhelmed.” Or, “This is so fun and easy! How do I set up myself for success in the future? How do I maintain this and keep growing?” We find that everyone’s always trying to look ahead, yet what’s truly beneficial is understanding the phase that you’re currently in order to clock why things are going well, where they’re going wrong, and what you need to do to move into the next phase. What we forget is that pitfalls are inevitable and that, as things grow, there are going to be roadblocks, hesitations, and frustrations. We are all bound to feel stuck at some point or another. We want to assure you that this feeling is normal (and necessary) and that we can help you to get out of it! In this episode, we tackle the three phases we see every service-based business owner move through, fill you in on how we really feel about burnout, and share our greatest wish for every single service-based business owner out there.
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Breaking Out of Your Bubble and Expanding Your Network
It’s so easy to stay in our comfort zone and keep our circle small, either out of insecurity or habit, but we are consciously making new friends, meeting new people, and setting up coffee dates with people we look up to! There are far fewer opportunities to organically make connections in your adult life, so we really need to be intentional about it. If you want to recap how to make real friends as a business owner, simply revisit episode 579 with Danielle Jackson!
Fight, Flight, or Freeze
When we’re looking to intentionally work on and grow our businesses, we can so often get paralyzed by all the options of what we could do to make a change. When we hit a roadblock, our responses are instinctual fight, flight, or freeze reactions. Falling into a cycle of apathy is where things get dangerous, but what’s beneficial is realizing that this is a totally normal part of the process and it’s just a phase you’re moving through.
Bootstrap, Burnout, and Beyond
There are three phases every service-based business owner goes through, the first of which is the Bootstrap phase. This is where we all start and we might find ourselves at this point at various stages as our business grows. This is the blissful naivety phase of imperfect action. It’s exciting and experimental and is a necessary part of the process where rates are low and the client is generally in the driver’s seat. You may not yet have a clear niche, and that’s okay! Experience will help you niche down.
The next phase is the inescapable burnout phase. Burnout is not the end of the world and it is, in fact, a necessary step. It’s a sign that you’re willing to work hard and presents the opportunity for you to become intentional and create clear boundaries. This is when you start to identify what’s not working and reevaluate pricing, packaging, and processes. You are more focused on growth aspects like marketing, lead acquisition, brand awareness, and client delivery.
Finally, we move beyond burnout, and you get to decide what “beyond” means to you! Everyone’s version is different and this is where you start getting back to some of the reasons you even started your business in the first place. It’s at this point you’re able to intentionally build a schedule back in that supports your life and your hobbies. It’s time to cut out the unnecessary that leads to burnout and the villainization of work.
The #1 Thing We Wish All Service-Based Business Owners Had Right Now
What we wish for you is simply the opportunity to evolve and the freedom of choice. We want for you to be able to move from “I have to” to “I want to”. Changing your mind is not giving up, it’s evolving, and we want you to have the freedom to decide what you want the future of your business to look like. The world of work has changed! All you need are clear boundaries and clear processes. If you want to learn more about how to get to this beyond phase and move past the burnout, feel free to reach out to us. We have all the resources you need!
Quote This
Burnout is not the end of the world. Everyone goes through it and you can’t avoid it.
Highlights
Breaking Out of Your Bubble and Expanding Your Network. [0:04:28]
Fight, Flight, or Freeze. [0:15:44]
Bootstrap, Burnout, and Beyond. [0:18:43]
The #1 Thing We Wish All Service-Based Business Owners Had Right Now. [0:42:40]
ON TODAY’S SHOW
Abagail & Emylee
The Strategy Hour Podcast
We help overwhelmed and creative entrepreneurs break down their Oprah-sized dreams to create a functioning command center to tame the chaos of their business. Basically, we think you’re totally bomb diggity, we’re about to uplevel the shiz out of your business.
KEY TOPICS
Burnout, Bootstrap, Freedom of Choice, Networking, Phases of Business
