Self-care for Entrepreneurs: Dead Entrepreneurs Are Of No Value Says Peter Shankman
When you first think of entrepreneurs, what do you think of? Are your thoughts about them realistic? What is the life of an entrepreneur really like?
People tend to think of entrepreneurs as successful people who are living life to the fullest. While this may be true of some entrepreneurs, it certainly does not capture the essence of them all. In fact, being an entrepreneur can be incredibly stressful and lonely.
Time is not an excuse
Entrepreneurs are so busy taking care of their businesses, employees, and families that they tend to neglect themselves. Self-care is a word that entrepreneurs need to add to their vocabularies, because a dead entrepreneur doesn’t help anyone.
It’s like being on an airplane in an emergency situation, if the entrepreneur doesn’t put on her own oxygen mask first, she won’t have the ability to help anyone else.
Since “self-care for entrepreneurs” is not taught in colleges or even in the online world, it is important for entrepreneurs to find out what works for them through trial and error. Unfortunately, entrepreneurs are not usually aware that self-care is important and most will say they don’t have time to do it.
Small and effective ways to care for yourself
Fortunately, there are several things that entrepreneurs can do to take care of themselves in small, but effective ways. One is to recognize that greatness does not require actual greatness. It just means that you are doing a bit better than everyone else. At the Brand You Conference, Peter Shankman called it “suck less” – rather than being better.
It is very important for business owners to take care of themselves. Even though they might believe that the hustle can happen all day and all night, it can’t. No one can hustle all day. So you have to take care of yourself before you consider how to take care of the world. Think of the adage about mama being happy: If mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.
Take care of yourself while caring for your customers
Entrepreneurs also need to be true to themselves and no more so when offering customer service. Customers can tell when people are overwhelmed, unsatisfied, and in need of self care. To help customers
- Be transparent
- Be relevant
- Be a communicator and be laconic with your words
- Be the first person that your customers think of
- Be trustworthy
When you are true to yourself and to your customers, the customers know it. They value your business and their loyalty will reduce your stress. Practice self-care for entrepreneurs to help yourself and your business.