If you are in the beginning stage of building your business I am willing to bet you are experiencing all of the things. The excitement, the creativity, the high energy, and maybe even the exhaustion and the overwhelm. 

Speaking from experience, I am here to tell you that after the honeymoon phase is over, it’s easy to lose all of the positive energy and be left with nothing but the fatigue of running a business. But it truly doesn’t have to be that way. 

Starting a business is much like a new relationship. Things are new and exciting and you can’t seem to stop smiling from ear to ear. You are planning for the future and dreaming big dreams and every single day is filled with more promise than the next. And then you have your first argument and the frustration sets in and you forget all about those first few weeks of sunshine and moonbeams. Please tell me you know the feeling. 

But like any new relationship, you quickly put out the fire, and get right back into the honeymoon stage. And you do this dance over and over. Until sometimes it gets really hard to bring yourself back to the excitement. And this is where I find a lot of new business owners.

Burnt out, overwhelmed, and not sure how to move forward. 

But just like any new beginning, you weren’t meant to do it alone. You weren’t meant to sit with your frustrations and have no one to turn to for help. You weren’t meant to live each day without finding pockets of joy. And building your business is no different. 

Don’t listen to the lies that tell you business is meant to feel overwhelming. That you’re always going to feel frustrated and that you’ll never find true joy in the work you do. I hate hearing people say, “It’s called work for a reason; it’s not supposed to be fun.” That’s simply not true. If it was so horrible, people wouldn’t do it. 

I am here to tell you that the honeymoon stage of business building can stick around forever if you discover two simple truths. 

• Change your mindset. 

Feel the exhaustion and the overwhelm of running a business, because it does exist, but don’t live there. Don’t let it control how you see your business and don’t let those moments of frustration steal your joy and make you lose sight of the excitement you felt in the beginning. 

• Take off some of the hats. 

You don’t have to do it all. You may have worn all of the hats in the beginning because it was new and fun and you had the energy to do it all. But as your business grows, give yourself the permission to pass some hats off to other people who want to help you. Delegate roles and stick to the ones you are passionate about. There is absolutely no shame in saying it’s too much. Find people who have the talents and skillsets to carry the workload with you. Hiring work out was the best thing I could have ever done for my business and my well-being. Besides, no one ever looked good in multiple hats. You have to stick to that one trendy hat that gets you all the compliments. 

Relationships aren’t always going to feel like they did in the beginning and neither is running a business. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun or that it can’t be worth it. Some days are just going to be flat out tough. You’re going to want to throw in the towel. But I want to encourage you to change your mindset, bring yourself back to those first moments of joy and excitement, and ask for help along the way! 

Let the passion you felt in the beginning carry you through the hard days, and remember that you simply aren’t meant to do it all alone.

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