As a sole proprietor, life can get pretty chaotic sometimes. It can be tough to find a work/life balance and I want to make sure you know this is a common struggle amongst all entrepreneurs especially when you first start out. It requires an insane amount of attention to make sure you don’t burn out. But, there are ways to find aid in this sort of situation. Before I go into the details of this, I want you to keep an open mind because everything coming up has to do with shifting your perspective. I believe there are 3 key elements to surviving the years ahead as you work independently and explore this new exciting world of running your own business.

First Up, Find Yourself a Mentor or Coach

This is one thing that has helped my colleagues and I work through the toughest times in business. You may be thinking “Coaches are just another gimmick. They give out advice in situations where common sense would likely help you answer the questions.” I have definitely heard that before and once upon a time, believed it myself. I have worked with consultants, advisers, coaches, mentors, whatever term they decided to go by, it was always the same goal. “a professional who provides professional or expert advice in a particular specialized field”. When you find the right one to work with it can be magical, inspiring, and full of newfound knowledge.

I had one consultant I liked to refer to as “the most expensive tea I ever purchased”. That statement wasn’t false either, it was very accurate for what I got out of the experience. But, the optimist in me believed that there was still value in paying for advice and guidance in business. So I tried again… and damn I am glad I did! I have worked with probably a dozen different people in this field to help grow my business in good times and in bad. When I found the right people, it did exactly what I needed to do at the time. SHIFT MY PERSPECTIVE!

When we are immersed in our business, we can become stuck in our own ways and blinded by the reality of what is happening around us. This is one of the biggest downfalls of working by yourself and for yourself. We are human and in order to see things differently, we need to be around people who see things differently from us. You may get lucky and have a great core group of successful entrepreneur friends who help lift each other up naturally. But, for the rest of us, that isn’t always the case.

These professionals are also not as connected to your life or career so they can look at everything with a unique perspective. You can select those that specialize in certain areas to help during unique growing periods. I’ve worked with various specialists for, grant proposals, marketing, photography, social media, and the list goes on. Not every moment in your career is the same and it takes different experts to help you along the way.

I personally call these professionals “Business therapists” because that to me is the true definition of what they do and it is just as eye-opening as going to therapy to work through anything in your personal life. This leads me to my next key treatment…

Go To Therapy

I know many people refuse to believe that therapy or counseling is helpful. I feel it is often an excuse out of fear of opening up to a complete stranger. Which can definitely be odd at first but, that is actually the best part of it. They know nothing except for what you tell them and a good one knows how to question you in a way that naturally causes you to SHIFT YOUR PERSPECTIVE. Don’t think of it as you’ve seen in Hollywood films. It’s really not as uncomfortable as they make it. You eventually begin to establish a more personal relationship if you stick with the same person over time. I had to try out a few before I found one that I connected with and felt like they actually understood me. But, as I always say about photography clients, not everyone will be for you either.
 
The key to success in this is to not be afraid to share your whole story and be honest with yourself about how you are feeling. You’ll have a lot to reflect on after each session and it’s critical for you to follow through on the personal work they provide you. You spent so much time learning your craft, it’s time to dedicate some attention to learning more about yourself. You are an artist and therefore your personal side will always find a way to come out, if you haven’t taken the time to work on yourself, you may find things come out in business that you wish never did.
 
Don’t only do this personal work when you are going through a tough time mentally. Therapy is extremely beneficial in those times but, working on yourself is a constant part of the process of life. There is a lot to be said for continuing your sessions in the good times as well. It can help you maintain a healthy perspective on life and the work you do. It forces you to stop and reflect on your whole situation. Similar to cleaning your house, if you do it as you go, it’s a few minutes here and there. If you let it build up over time, it’s going to be way harder to clean. Take constant care of yourself, you’ll thank yourself later.

Lastly, Do the F*cking work!

None of this will be helpful if you don’t hold yourself accountable in following through. No one is going to force you to do better. Pay close attention to how you feel rather than stuffing it under the rug. Realize you and your business require a lot of time and attention. That’s really why entrepreneurs talk about how it’s a 24/7 job and how little free time they have. Entrepreneurship can bring a lot of freedom in life, you are the designer, design it so you live the best life you possibly can.