When you run your own company, it’s easy to find yourself in a space of burnout.
Maybe you’ve gone into overdrive trying to put money in the bank. You’re busting your tail trying to bring in customers…
Maybe you’ve got the opposite problem and you’ve taken on so many clients that you’re working around the clock…
Or, maybe you’re finding yourself with a long list of unanswered phone calls, emails, Facebook messages, and texts… and the list of people who need your attention just keeps growing…
Starting a blog is a tremendous way to resolve entrepreneur burnout.
First, a blog will help you get more exposure in your market.
So, if you’re finding yourself burnt out trying to chase down clients, a blog will help you promote your business to a large audience (without all the legwork). A blog provides a platform for you to speak to many people at once and share your ideas and solutions, rather than one-on-one. It will give your communication leverage.
Publishing a high-quality, consistent blog will allow you to spread the word about your business and your expertise in a big way, saving you time, grief, and burnout.
As in most areas of life, there’s a feeling in the business space that if it is too easy, you are doing something wrong. Many of us hold a belief that we have to do things the hard way if we want lasting success. But technology has flipped that script. Technology has removed barriers to communication, and we now have a platform to speak to a huge audience at little to no cost.
Business has moved beyond elevator pitches and business cards, and onto blogs and Twitter handles. We don’t have to set up an endless stream 1-on-1 conversations with people who may not even be interested in what we do. Instead, we can spread our ideas to specific, targeted groups of people online, and say what we really want to say.
Second, a blog relieves you of that nasty feeling of guilt.
In my experience, burnout usually stems from feeling guilty…
If someone wants to work with you, but can’t afford to, you might feel guilty and give them a discount.
If a customer wants to see you right away, you might feel guilty saying no, and stay at the office late or come in on the weekend to help them out.
If someone asks you question after question via email, instead of asking them to purchase a product or service from you, you might feel guilty and continue to answer their questions for free.
When you have a blog, you’re able to serve your audience 24/7 for free. You are able to answer their questions, give them tips and advice, and provide assistance in the form of blog posts. It becomes your evergreen resource for your community, so you can take time away from your laptop (guilt-free).
This also allows you to charge premium prices for your products and services.
This is a BIG one. You no longer have to feel guilty when someone can’t afford to work with you. You can simply direct them to your blog for free assistance. You can take care of people around the clock, without running yourself into the ground.
I like to practice the mantra “pick yourself” in my business. And picking yourself involves charging premium prices, working 40 hours a week or less, and taking breaks, days off, and vacations. But, often that can bring up feelings of guilt, when you see people who desperately need your services, but are unable to afford them, or are stuck on a 6-week waiting list while you see other clients.
The solution is blogging.
When you blog, you build a 24/7 resource for everyone who comes into contact with you.
With a blog, you can truly serve your community without crashing and burning. Technology has given us the possibility of leadership AND freedom. We no longer have to choose between the two.
The people of the world have started to realize that 70-hour work weeks aren’t sustainable, and that if we are to be successful in the long run, we need to do things differently. A blog is that first step toward sanity, freedom, and lasting prosperity.
Instead of scrambling to have coffee with 10 new people per week, getting your business cards in the hands of influential people, and then chaining yourself to your desk to return a million phone calls, build a system that works for you. Build a blog that serves others, even when you’re on a beach in Bali. Set up a resource that inspires the world, so you can go take that well-deserved nap.
The dream isn’t to build a business that takes over your whole life… the dream is to build influence, wealth, and freedom. So often we, as business leaders, free ourselves from the grind of working for someone else, only to recreate it in our own businesses.
That stops today… it’s time to build your blog and lead the world on your own terms.
