Running a business is often described as freeing, flexible, exciting, all of that, and in some ways it is, mainly because you get to build something from nothing, you get to make the rules, and you get to shape your work around what matters most to you. But what people don’t always say – or not loud enough – is that it can also be a bit relentless, especially when it’s just you, or when you’re trying to grow without falling apart in the process.
You might just think that means trying to avoid something like burnout, but a lot of the time it’s more subtle than that – for many people, it’s actually the constant background feeling that they’re really behind, and the late night working that gets more and more frequent. It could even be the way you start your morning already thinking of everything you didn’t do yesterday. And then there’s the guilt because you feel like you should be doing everything better.
That’s the kind of stress this blog is about. The kind that builds slowly and sticks around. So if you’ve been feeling it like that or want to avoid it keep reading to find out more about how to run a business without feeling stressed.
Don’t Try To Be Everywhere
It’s really easy to fall into the trap of thinking you need to be everywhere, including being on every platform, trying every trend, creating every new offer, or appealing to every kind of customer. And in theory, that sounds like a good idea because it means more exposure, but in practice, it’s usually just more and more stress and pressure.
The truth is that not everything needs your attention, and not everything will work for your business, so it’s worth taking a moment to ask what actually helps. What’s bringing in customers? What do you enjoy doing? What’s just there because you felt like you had to?
There’s nothing wrong with stepping back from the rest and saying no to something that doesn’t work for you isn’t lazy or careless, it’s actually sensible because the more focused you are, the easier it is to do your work in the way you want to and in a way that works for you.
Don’t Do What You Don’t Like
You probably know exactly which part of your business this is – the task that makes you sigh before you start or the one that takes three times longer than it should, and definitely the one you keep putting off, then feel bad about. The fact is, it’s okay to not love every part of running a business, and it’s okay to stop doing certain things if they’re draining you. You don’t have to do it all yourself to prove you care.
That’s why more people are now turning to tools, support, or services that ease the load, and that could means using scheduling software, hiring a virtual assistant, or working with outsourced SEO providers, but whatever it is, the goal isn’t to give up control, and instead it’s to stop wasting energy where you don’t need to.
Your Business Has To Fit Your Life
One of the oddest things about being self-employed is that people assume you have loads of free time with long lunches, midweek holidays, afternoon walks. But most business owners will tell you the opposite happens – you end up working longer hours, replying to messages at night, and using your weekends to catch up.
It’s worth reminding yourself – often – that you’re allowed to design your business around your life, not the other way around. You don’t need to be online at all hours, you don’t have to chase every client, you can build systems that work without you, you can say no to things, and you can take a full day off and not justify it.
This doesn’t mean everything will be perfect and smooth, but if your business always comes first, something else always comes second, and that adds up over time.
You Don’t Always Need A New Idea
There’s a strange pressure in the business world to keep launching something. A new course, a new discount, a new look… It can be fun, but it’s also tiring, and sometimes it’s just a distraction from the real work.
That’s why it’s a good idea to look at what you already have. Can you explain it more clearly? Can you make the process easier? Can you improve the way people find you or buy from you? It might be that you don’t always need to expand, and you might just need to refine things, which is generally easier, quicker, and less expensive.
Take Breaks Even When You’re Busy
It sounds simple, and everyone says it, but it’s surprisingly hard to do – especially when you feel behind. We’re talking about taking breaks, no matter how busy you are or what you’ve got left to do on your to-do list.
The idea that we need to earn rest is incredibly unhelpful, and yet most of us have it in our minds anyway. The biggest issue with it is that there’s always more to do. Always. If you wait for a clear day to take a break, you’ll wait forever, and that means no breaks, which is a bad thing. After all, the reality is that rest doesn’t make you fall behind, but exhaustion does. And your best ideas and your clearest decisions don’t come when you’re stressed, they come when you’ve given yourself some time to rest.
Stop Comparing Yourself
A big part of what makes business stressful is comparison – even if you don’t realise it. You see what other people are doing and feel like you should be doing it too. You watch trends take off and wonder if you’ve been left behind. You hear someone’s numbers and immediately start doubting your own progress.
But the point of your business was never to keep up with everyone else, and just because something works for someone else doesn’t mean it’ll work for you – or make you feel good. So take a second to come back to your own version of success. What do you actually want? What pace works for you? What does a good week feel like? The reality is that you need to do things for you and only for you, otherwise it’s not going to feel like success at all, if it happens in the first place.
Set Things Up For Future You
If you’re doing everything manually, it’s going to feel harder than it needs to, and a lot of stress can be reduced by doing something once that helps you every time after. That might mean writing email templates, setting up automated replies, using better software, creating systems for common tasks, and, crucially, it will very probably mean asking for help.
Whatever it is you do, it really doesn’t have to be complicated and over the top, but if something’s stressful for you and it’s draining you, it’s clearly not good, and the more you can make it easier, the better it’ll be all round.
What’s Actually Working?
When you’re stressed, it’s easy to focus on what’s going wrong, what didn’t get done, what still needs to be fixed, and what’s not growing fast enough, as well as a million other things that you ‘should’ be doing. But what if you try looking at what is working instead? Where are people finding you? What do they say they love? What’s selling without much effort? What task are you proud of handling?
In the end, you’re probably doing a lot better than you think, and noticing that is important because it keeps you positive and it reminds you of the fact that you’re capable and moving forward, which is ideal and highly motivating.
Let Things Be Imperfect
There’s a point in most small businesses where you realise you can’t do it all, and you definitely can’t do it all perfectly and all at once. And the thing to remember is that that’s not failure – it’s really growth, as strange as that might seem.
So how about this: you can send the email even if it’s not perfect, and you can launch the product before every detail is done, and you can take the booking even if your website isn’t fully updated… Can you imagine how different things would be if you had that kind of thinking and you weren’t so focused on perfection?
Final Thoughts
Running a business will probably always come with a bit of pressure, but it doesn’t need to come with constant stress because in the end, you don’t have to be all things to all people, you don’t have to follow every trend, and you don’t have to work until you’re too tired to enjoy the thing you’ve built.
What matters is building something that works for you because that’s the whole point, after all, and it’s what’s going to keep you motivated to keep moving forwards.
