Business Owner Overwhelm: My 3 Strategies to Overcome It
- Heather Rhoda
- Nov 26, 2023
- 3 min read
Have you ever experienced being, literally, on the floor, and feeling extremely overwhelmed to the point of feeling paralyzed? I have.
Being a new business owner comes with more tasks than I ever imagined. You’re responsible for everything including (here’s your friendly “to do” list!):
choosing your business name
getting your logo design
getting your LLC (if that applies)
purchasing business cards and/or creating a vCard, getting a business phone number and email (then enduring spam!)
getting on the Google My Business map, a Facebook page, an Instagram page, a YouTube page
joining and posting to multiple Facebook groups (and do they ever read our stuff???)
conceiving and creating a website, copy writing, blogging
figuring out a marketing strategy and a sales strategy
networking and getting mentorship or a coach
putting together your “tech stack” (that means what apps and technology you will be using in your business)
getting professional insurance (if that applies)
honing your skills and getting further training to expand your expertise
and… and… and (you know it’s coming… drumroll…)
managing your financial books! (Here’s a link to schedule a free meeting with me)
How have I learned to handle overwhelm? Here are 3 strategies that have helped me:
1. Having a “one step in front of the other” mindset.
One of the greatest books on business growth (in my humble opinion - IMHO) ever written was “the Tortoise and the Hare.” Why? Because if you keep putting one foot in front of the other every day, tell yourself, “Just keep going. Don’t quit. One step at a time. You don't have to be the bunny," you will get there.
Someone wrote somewhere: if you learn just 1% every day, in three months you’ll be almost there. Keep going. Or, as the great Galaxy Quest taught us:
2. Surrounding yourself with other business owners.
If there’s one group who will understand you, it’s other business owners. If you are a solopreneur and have a to do list similar to the one I wrote above, you will soon find that you are not alone. I’ve found that other business owners understand each other’s struggles and are more than glad to share wisdom, because we all know it’s hard work to build a business. I encourage you to reach out to other business owners, even those not in your industry. If they have a snazzy business card or website, ask them who they used. Nearly all I have encountered are glad to help.
I’m also part of a roundtable group that is specifically for business owners in the accounting and bookkeeping industry. Several of these amazing people are seriously at the top of their game, have won numerous awards, and have oodles of wisdom. By being part of Roundtable Labs, I have grown faster than I could have on my own. I’m thinking of writing a book based off the insight they have imparted to me about starting a bookkeeping and accounting business. I’ll keep you updated!
I highly recommend getting a business coach in your industry. Yes, it might cost money upfront, but if a coach gets you from point A to point B faster than you would have on your own, the payback is huge. Plus, they will help you overcome overwhelm.
3. Reminding yourself: it is okay to outsource.
For frugally-minded people, this is a tough one. It’s tough to pay money when we aren’t bringing in much yet. We see a task and think, I can figure it out on my own and save myself $200. There’s YouTube after all, right? Yes. Indeed, there is YouTube. But, looking at all the tasks you have to do, sometimes it is more time-effective (and sanity-saving) and ultimately cost-effective to outsource. There are Virtual Assistants out there who can take on some of those tasks. Website designers. Graphic designers. Copy editors. Marketing specialists. And… (you knew this was coming) … Accounting professionals.
Bookkeepers (yes, we are accounting professionals) can help organize your books, get the accounts set up correctly, invoice your clients and customers, get business bills paid, automate certain processes, categorize your expenses, teach you how to integrate and use various apps, advise you on best practices, file sales tax, help you understand your various financial statements to make better business decisions, can pull a variety of reports for you, serve as “accounting lingo translators,” and much more. We’ll spend time getting to know you and your business goals, ask the necessary questions and answer any that you have, and can help you learn to use accounting software like QuickBooks.
How about you? Comment below!
What strategies have you found that help you overcome overwhelm? I’d love to hear more ideas, because owning a business means going through cycles of overwhelm multiple times.
Write something in the comments to share your wisdom!
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