Entrepreneurial women: Tips for avoiding burnout

Too many women who run small or home-based businesses get caught doing double duty. They're continually balancing work and family, weekdays and weekends, while the borders between the two keep shifting.

"Working from home has many perks, but with those perks come the reality that you're never away from your business," says Missy Cohen-Fyffe, who runs a baby products company in Pelham, N.H.

The upshot: Tasks and responsibilities spin round the clock and women business owners don't allow themselves any true breaks or vacation. "A lunch break to many of these wonderful women is … folding laundry," says Eli Davidson, a Los Angeles business coach who often counsels women who work from home.

In this time-pressed equation, technology is both a blessing and a bane. Anywhere-anytime technology helps companies of all sizes stay on top of rapidly-shifting priorities and needs. Yet, always-on access also means women never quite shut down. And taking phone calls during dinner or checking e-mail while out with the kids usually means someone gets short shrift, whether it's the family or the client.

Without taking time to recharge, both business and owner are bound to suffer.

Why taking five boosts business

"Ultimately, if the business owner is burned out, tired, and overworked, it will impact the company’s bottom line," says Pauline Lewis, who designs and sells handbags from her home in Alexandria, Va.

Lewis, whose handbags have been showcased in Time magazine and The Washington Post, says she worked constantly after launching her business and didn’t take any breaks for the first three years. By then, she recalls, "I was so tired and frazzled that I was ready to give away my business and go back to the corporate world."

Instead, she took a few weeks off. "And everything changed."

Lewis returned energized and ready to tackle major business problems. She outsourced some of the overwhelming workload, including part of the design process, giving herself time to become more focused and productive. Business got better, from every perspective.

"The primary reason women business owners, particularly home-based ones, don't take vacations is fear of losing control," Lewis says. But getting over that fear is usually a necessary step for growth.

"Now," Lewis says, "I take three two-week vacations a year. It's wonderful for me, my business, and the family."

Others echo that experience. "Every time I have gone on vacation, I have been inspired by something I’ve seen or done while away," Cohen-Fyffe says. "I turn that inspiration into a new product or marketing effort upon my return."

Tips that will give you a breather

If you're ready to unplug, here's advice from women owners who have carved out R&R while also building successful businesses (and still nurturing the home front). Pick and choose the ideas that will work for you.

1. Create backup before it's critical.   Build support structures and safety nets before you actually need any, whether that means childcare or having a virtual assistant on tap who can handle some of your more routine tasks. (You can find a reliable virtual assistant at the International Virtual Assistants Association.)

   Or, partner with other businesses or moms who can "watch the store" while you're away. "You can then return the favor for them some day," says Julie Lenzer Kirk, who runs a consultancy for small businesses and teaches entrepreneurship at the University of Maryland.

   With support systems in place, you'll be prepared for time off and emergencies.

2. Learn to say no.   "Practice in the mirror. Shout it in the woods," says Christine Louise Hohlbaum, a mom who works at home as a publicist in Paunzhausen, Germany. Don't sacrifice your personal calendar for work tasks.
3. Announce your plans.   When you do take time off, let clients know exactly when you'll be away and when you'll return, including when you expect to respond to e-mail and phone calls. That way, no one's blindsided and you've let everyone know you'll be unavailable (except for mission-critical needs, of course).
4. Set boundaries.   Schedule regular free time that you can maintain and that everyone will understand. Sydney Weisman works with her husband at a home-based PR firm in Los Angeles. "Business hours are from nine to five, Monday through Friday," she says. "After that, we close the office doors and don’t answer the office phone."
5. Stay focused and efficient during work hours.   Rather than being driven by the day's crop of e-mail and phone calls, check your messages two or three times a day, such as first thing in the morning, at noon, and in the late afternoon. That will give you greater freedom to focus on the bigger picture of growing your business.
6. Take short breaks.   "When I don’t have time for a three- or five-day getaway, I'll break up my week with an afternoon walk, lunch with a friend, or attend a local event," says Kathy Peterson, a home designer and organizational consultant at Mom Central Consulting in Chestnut Hill, Mass. Peterson also occasionally takes a day off to accomplish something creative for her home, such as sewing curtains or painting furniture.
7. Request help when you need it.   Partners, significant others, relatives, and everyone else may have become accustomed to the fact that you simply do everything all the time. Stop. Ask for support. You might ask your significant other to take care of the kids and the chores for a morning so you can sleep in.
8. Give yourself small rewards.   Go to the gym, a movie, dinner with a friend or book a half-day at the spa (OK: a one-hour manicure) before you're worn out. The idea is to remember why you work so hard.

Of course, all such advice is only worthwhile if you buy into the premise: Taking a break will truly benefit you and your business (and likely the family, too). But women business owners tend to think that talk about burnout and losing perspective applies to other women, not to them.

In the end, it's up to you to decide to take some time to recharge.

About the author   Joanna L. Krotz is the founder of Muse2Muse Productions, a custom content company for business and consumer magazines, newsletters and digital imprints. Krotz has launched marketing Web sites and e-news portals, as well as created magazines and online marketing for a variety of companies. She is co-author of The Microsoft Small Business Kit, a 500-page guide to launching and running a small business.