by Sheri Heiney, President & CEO, Prescott Chamber of Commerce
It’s believed that recruiting and keeping the best employees is the biggest challenge for a small business. However, the issue of owner burnout and leader retention is far riskier to a business than employee burnout.
When you don’t take care of yourself, your business is at risk of becoming less profitable or worse. One in two small businesses fail within five years of opening, and research shows that burnout and exhaustion are contributing factors.
Personal wellness is becoming a priority for small-business owners. Our members say balancing their own needs with those of their business is one of their biggest challenges.
One of our members expressed to me that they believed their health and the health of their business are not separate. Even if your business remains profitable in the midst of feeling like you’re running on empty, a constant level of stress and anxiety can have long-term health consequences. While threats to our health are inevitable, practicing self-care can help limit the risks to our business. Plus, practicing wellness actually promotes productivity.
When you don’t have time to do everything you want to grow your business, how can you make time to care for yourself? Turns out it isn’t as hard as you might think.
Self-care doesn’t have to mean adding more to your list. Simply swap out existing habits with new habits.
Tips to consider:
- Connect.
Connect with other small-business owners and entrepreneurs to create a support team. - Take a class.
Invest in yourself with something that in the long run will help your day-to-day activity and will make you feel accomplished. - Get active.
Exercise improves your mental health and can prevent the symptoms of burnout. - Rest.
Proper rest can help with productivity and prevent burnout as well, along with its many other health benefits. - Laugh!
As a small-business owner, there will be moments when you’re unsure whether you should be laughing or crying. Laughter is a great form of stress relief.
It can feel strange at first to think about self-care as a business goal, especially if it means allocating time away from tasks you normally associate with productivity. In the long term, you will find your business thrives when you do.
For more information about the Prescott Chamber of Commerce, please visit www.prescott.org or call us at 928-445-2000 or 800-266-7534, or stop by the Visitor Information Center at 117 W. Goodwin St., Prescott, AZ 86303.