When we hear about entrepreneur burnout, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?
Hustling, the grind, putting in 80 hour work weeks…
And it’s easy to think the solution to entrepreneur burnout is simply productivity tips, and learning how to “work smarter not harder.”
But, the solution isn’t so simple. And the typical generic advice only puts a bandaid on the problem.
In today’s episode, I want to dive DEEPER. There are more reasons your business might be burning you out.
And if you’re not addressing them? All the productivity tips in the world will never make a difference.
3:00 Why we are kicking off a new series all about Making Your Business Work For You for September and October (it’s time to stop should-ing all over yourself when the cookie-cutter one-size-fits-all formulas just don’t work for you or your business)
4:47 With over 80% of new businesses closing their doors in just a few short years, we have to look at the deeper reasons why their businesses aren’t working for them – and it’s not because they aren’t capable or smart or talented!
6:45 The 1st reason your business might be burning you out? Your business model isn’t designed to fit YOU – your strengths, your personality, your zone of genius aka Your Business Sweet Spot.
9:51 If you aren’t sure what your Sweet Spot is, take a few minutes to take the Business Sweet Spot Quiz that will help you get instant clarity on what type of business model is right for you.
12:30 The 2nd reason your business might be burning you out? You’re in the wrong business model for your current stage of business
12:52 If you haven’t checked out the training I’ve shared on Stages of Business and downloaded the Business Growth Checklist, you might want to check out this series.
16:27 The biggest thing most people don’t anticipate when they are excited about an online course business or online membership site business – models that require a large volume of HUNDREDS or THOUSANDS of paying clients – is the large volume of marketing and large audience size required to make that profitable.
19:15 The 3rd reason for business burnout? You are working with clients who just aren’t a perfect fit – so you DREAD every minute of your work with them.
20:32 If you’ve attracted PITA clients, you’ve got to look at what you need to clean up in your marketing and sales process to filter those people out before they ever reach your programs or services.
23:30 Once I realized I was saying YES to wrong fit clients, I re-evaluated my entire marketing and sales process to ensure they were familiar with my work (through my podcast), knew what the offers looked like, and completed an application + interview to ensure 100% perfect fit.
27:15 Reason number 4 your business is burning you out – you don’t have a clear container for your clients aka you haven’t clearly laid out expectations and boundaries.
29:44 The first part of establishing a clear container is clarity around the content and resources (or deliverables for other service providers) so you have a clear scope of what is being delivered.
31:44 The next part of establishing a clear container is around the community – what does that community look like? How is it being managed? Who is moderating the community? What is your role in the community?
32:50 Remember – it’s one thing to overdeliver and go the extra mile… but it’s another to go an extra 100 miles! You’ll start to feel resentment and exhaustion. Have clarity on when your clients need to pay for the next level of services.
34:13 And probably the hardest lesson for me to learn – just because someone has paid you for a program or service, doesn’t mean you need to be available 24/7. It’s up to YOU to determine how and when they get access to you.
35:30 The final reason your business may be burning you out? You’re not priced for profits – so you’re hustling hard and not getting paid!
36:44 Even if your primary motivation isn’t money, there comes a point where if you aren’t being paid enough to support yourself, you will start to feel resentful and burned by your business.
37:19 If your pricing strategy is just looking around at what everyone else is doing – you aren’t considering what the actual cost of delivering that program or service is!
38:52 When I first launched The CEO Retreat, I wasn’t clear on my costs to host an event like that and ended up basically breaking even (and not paying myself) because I had underpriced tickets for the event.
42:32 The simplest thing you can do to start generating more revenue is to simply increase your rates 20-25%! Even if you lose a few clients, you’ll end up ahead.
So there you have it, friends!
I’d love to hear your insights and ahas from this episode – take a moment to screenshot the show and share with me on Instagram @racheal.cook or leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
Listener Shout Out and Giveaway Winner!
First, I want to give a GREAT BIG shout-out to everyone who participated in last month’s giveaway! We had dozens of new reviews on Apple Podcasts and people sharing the show on Instagram, and it means so much to me.Thank you thank you thank you!
I’m so excited to announce that Paloma won the random drawing for a free ticket to the Virtual CEO Retreat!
Thank you so much Paloma for your review and participation in the community! It’s your reviews that help me to spread the word about the show and get this message in front of more amazing entrepreneurs just like you.
CEO Retreat Seats Filling Soon!!
Thanks again to everyone who participated in last month’s giveaway. I want to let you know we still have tickets available for The CEO Retreat – a 1-day strategic planning event focused on perfectly planning the next 90-days for your business.
There are a few seats left for BOTH the in-person retreat happening in Richmond, Virginia on September 20th and the Virtual retreat happening on September 27th. If you’re interested in attending, I would love love LOVE to have you join us. you’ll want to check out
If you know that you need to get your plan on paper, if you know that you need to surround yourself with other amazing supportive and intuitive women entrepreneurs, if you know that you need to turn your big picture into check-off-able action steps, then you will want to join us! Find all the details at RachealCook.com/CEO-Retreat.
Show Links
The Ultimate Business Growth Checklist
The CEO Retreat with Racheal Cook MBA
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