Make Sure you Look after your Wellbeing
The importance of looking after our wellbeing in our everyday lives is becoming more and more important. As a social entrepreneur, there will be lots of demands for you to meet concerning both sides of your business. Creating profit and serving your social cause. Because of the variety of demands involved in juggling both sides of your business, we highly suggest creating a wellbeing plan to ensure that you look after your mental health and avoid burnout. It is only really in looking after yourself, that you can keep on looking after others. Here are some areas we think you should focus on to ensure that you look after yourself.
Family Time and Personal Time
When you are your own boss, the lines between work time and home time or holiday time can become a little blurred. It is important that when you are planning your work week, you are also planning the rest of your life. You should plan time for family, time for yourself, time for exercise, time for meals and any other parts of your day that contribute to your personal wellbeing.
As social entrepreneurs, we tend to be extremely passionate about our cause and thus are prone to working way too many hours and neglecting ourselves. Some sort of plan prevents this from happening and is better for your business in the long run.
Imposter syndrome
Imposter syndrome can contribute to a significant amount of anxiety and this phenomenon is very common among new entrepreneurs. Just know that everyone feels like they are an imposter sometimes. In fact, if you feel that way, it can be a good thing. It proves that you are pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and doing work that is challenging and worthwhile. Of course, any sustained feelings of being an imposter aren’t good for you or your business. Confident business owners innovate, change things up and keep growing. Anxious business owners tend to play things safe, stick to the same models and products, and remain stagnant.
One great way to beat imposter syndrome is to keep learning. The more you learn the less you feel like an imposter and the more you realise that every successful business person once knew nothing about entrepreneurship just like you. It is empowering to solve your own problems and answer your own questions through the art of learning. We have access to so much information on almost any topic these days. There are lots of free resources and some really good paid courses too. Not to mention a whole network of social entrepreneurs who have had the same problems you are trying to solve and who would be willing to help you out.
Money and wellbeing
Our financial position is often a huge contributing factor in our general wellbeing. For this reason, it is important that you start paying yourself as soon as possible and follow a plan to make that happen. Don’t be a martyr. Pay yourself as soon as your business can afford to do so, even if it’s just modest amounts. It is important to think of the long term success of your business. For it to be successful, you need to put yourself first so that you can give everything back to the business and to others.
Agency For Good are an ethical marketing agency.
We provide completely free marketing consultancy, coaching and training to 3rd sector organisations to help you focus and improve your income and in turn your social impact.
In 2019 we delivered 419 hours to 111 charities and social enterprise and we want to increase this to 500 hours this year so please get in touch.
We also provide high quality but subsidised web design, graphic design, video, social media, SEO, PR and copywriting services.