The importance of stepping back

Welcome back!

Today we are going to be talking about the importance of stepping back in your business. If anybody hasn't heard, we are towards the tail end of 2021. I had a baby in September of this year. And for me, being able to step back from my business during that time after I had my child was amazing.

It was such a great feeling to really know that I built a business that allowed me to be able to do that. A business that was able to continue to run, continue to pay me, continue to be successful, while I was able to step back. It was something that I have worked towards over the past couple of years. I knew that I wanted to have kids soon. So I really redesigned my business to make sure it was going to be ready for that time of being out on the maternity leave, and now that I'm a mom I'm juggling friends, family, my business, and my child.

I really want to talk about the importance of stepping away from your business, whether that is because you have a life event, like having a child, having a death in the family, or maybe you just need a break. Maybe you're not burnt out, but you just kind of want to have a little break right or maybe you are feeling really stressed you're feeling really burnt out and you need a break there. There is no specific reason why you would want to be able to step back from your business. It doesn’t need to be, oh I need to feel burnt out in order to step back from my business, I need to have had a life event in order to step back from my business, in order to justify it to yourself, to society, or to your clients.

You should feel supported and have the freedom to step back from your business whenever you want. I know it can feel really difficult sometimes, and doesn't always feel like it, but stepping back from your business 90% of the time makes you a better business owner, a better person, a better friend, a better partner, and a better parent. Our business is not us. Your business is not a reflection of you as a person. It can feel like that sometimes because we put so much of ourselves in our business and we want our businesses to succeed and oftentimes our businesses succeeding directly impacts the life that we want to live: monetarily, flexibility, freedom, support, all of those things.

But the reality is, you need to make stepping back and taking a break from your business, a real priority in your life especially around this time of year right around the holidays. I really wanted to talk about this because giving yourself that permission is so powerful and it is so, so important. It is so important for you to make yourself feel that it is okay for you to take a break. It is okay for you to take a vacation, it's okay for you not to be hustling and grinding. Every single day. Right, seven days a week, because as humans, we need a fucking break sometimes. Right. We need time to be able to go and do other things. And if you haven't done this in a while. Do it, make a plan. Take the week between Christmas and New Year's off, whatever you need to do. Take a long weekend, just take whatever you need to do, plan to do it because often times when you take a step back from your business, we have these really great and powerful ideas. We are able to look at problems from a new perspective, because we might not be in our normal day to day schedule, any of those things, right. Taking a break, results in you being able to fix problems or fix issues, or come up with solutions that you wouldn't have been able to do otherwise.

This episode today is just about giving yourself that permission, it's okay and a lot of times, it's actually going to positively impact you and positively impact your business for you to take a break, even if it doesn't feel like that right now. And one thing is is I know a lot of you are solopreneurs, you're the only person in your business and so you're thinking, how can I do that. It's totally doable. I was a solopreneur in my business when I got married when I went on my two week honeymoon, vacations, all of these other things, I was a solopreneur that entire time. So if you're thinking there's no way I can step away from my business, that right there should be a red flag for you because you've created a job, a kind of crappy job that doesn't have vacation days, not a business that makes you feel supported.

You need to look and think: Is there anything here I can automate? Is there anything here I can systematize to make it easier on me? Can I temporarily outsource to someone else to cover some of these things that have to happen so that I can fully step away? Okay. If you're a solopreneur, prepare ahead of time. What work can I do ahead of time to be able to fully step away? Okay. Are there any things that are still going to have to happen during that time and is there anyone else who can do those things? Prepare clients, clients understand, we all need a break. If you have clients that are not accepting of you taking a break, giving them plenty of notice, planning ahead, doing all those things, but those are not the clients you are going to want to hang on to long term because again, that's not supporting you. It’s owning your own business that doesn't give you any time off.

So, let your clients know with plenty of notice, come up with a plan of things that you can work ahead on of things that can happen when you come back of maybe things that somebody else can take off your plate while you're out. Set up SOPs. And if there's still a couple of things that must be done, then take a break and plan in the morning or in the afternoon, I'm going to do one hour per day. And in that one hour per day while I'm taking this break, I will only do those things that must get done, that does not mean okay I'm just gonna hop on and check some emails, answer some emails, oh I'll just do this real quick. That's not what we're talking about we're talking about. If you have gone through and looked at everything that can be systematized, automated, or outsourced, whether that's temporarily or ongoing things that can happen before you go on a break things that can wait until you're after a break if there's still a couple things that have to happen.

Set a time and just accomplish those, whether that's every day or just once while you're out and have the discipline to only do that thing. If you are popping in and answer this question really quick for them. Oh, let me answer this email, that's not taking a break. That is not stepping away. I guarantee you will still feel like you are getting 99% of that break if you only do those things that you must must must do as a solopreneur or as someone nobody else can do them right while you're taking that break if you only do those things, you will still get all the benefits of stepping away all the benefits of taking a break and now you're seeing, Oh, it feels like I could never step away, but I actually can, because I've gone through that list of everything that can be automated systematize outsource, what can happen before, what can wait until after and the things that I actually have to do during that time might only be 30 minutes worth of stuff for an entire week so now all of a sudden, oh, taking a break and stepping away seems a lot more doable seems a lot more achievable. Right. So, make a commitment to yourself to take a break sometime during this holiday season. Doesn't matter if you've taken a break already this year, make a commitment to yourself, go through each of those steps that we went over and commit to yourself to take a break and I guarantee you it will feel amazing, you will come back refreshed feeling good and maybe with a new perspective on some things that's going to make you a better business owner.

So I hope this was really really helpful, and I will see you next time. And if you've been enjoying No fluff, Small Business Simplified, make sure you go and leave a review every single month, we choose one reviewer to win a free coaching call with me, so if you haven't done this already and you've been listening to this podcast. I don't know what you're waiting for. But go and do it go and leave that review, it is the easiest most cost effective way to get my eyes on your business, and we can talk through anything that you have questions around anything that you're struggling with, it is your time to have me look into your business so make sure you go and leave a review for No fluff, Small Business Simplified, and I will see you next time, after you've taken a break. See ya.