You’re about to give it all up, call it quits, and leave behind the dream you have been working so hard to bring to life. You can’t seem to find hope in your surroundings, and most importantly can’t find it within yourself. Financial stress, burnouts, team problems, loneliness, the uncertainty of what’s coming next. Sounds too familiar? Touché!
Entrepreneurs are on the frontline of the promises they have made to their communities, investors, and themselves. It is not uncommon to go through such episodes, especially if you are in a transition phase, from ideation to MVP, from MVP to launch, from launch to growth, etc. I went through this episode myself, not once nor twice, but several times, and I find it one of the topics that are least talked about in the entrepreneurship space, yet with the biggest spillovers.
So you feel like your cup went from being half-full (because, let’s face it, very few entrepreneurs actually admit when their cup is full; we always expect more from ourselves!) to a couple of drops, and you see it emptying. This is the moment, the infliction point, where you galvanize all your efforts to transform this potential setback into a grand opportunity. Here, I share with you what worked for other colleagues who have kindly shared their journeys across the years and me. It is up to you to experiment, pick, choose, and implement the steps that could work best for you.
First things first, remember your values and your why.
What brought you to craft this idea in the first place? What do people come to you for? Strategically, boil down your values and try to reflect them to take up only the meetings that match your uniquely valued perspective, commit to the habits that matter, and surround yourself with people who add value. When an opportunity comes up, reverse engineer it to see whether it brings you as much as it will take out of you. When you meet someone or listen to a story, try to notice the silver linings and their aha moments to avoid making the same mistakes. Most importantly, when you find YOUR aha moment, take steps, don’t sleep on it, or else you’ll be extending this transition period, paying the price of the time and the frustration you wasted maybe physically, intellectually, or mentally.
Unclutter the yard, and be radical about it.
Knowing when an opportunity starts to cost us more than benefit us is an art. Cutting down on it might be easier said than done, but it will always be worth it! Because it will leave room for growth and for fresh perspectives to flourish. Uncluttering is a master skill of entrepreneurs, constantly in practice. Personally, I experienced it in funding opportunities that cost one of my enterprises higher resources than ROI. I also got a flavor of it when my teammates and employees got too warm in their chairs.
Uncluttering also means spending time with people who add value to your being. They say you are the sum of the top five people you spend the most time with, so make sure you unclutter your circle and keep healthy habits that work for you. Your diet is not only what you eat or the people you hang around; it is what you watch, listen, and read. Burnouts usually present a unique opportunity in disguise to really come to terms with what needs to change radically, not for the next sprint, but for the next decade, as Ronan Harrington puts it.
Emotional resilience, your best friend.
Emotional resilience is the ability to cope with and bounce back from adversity and stressful situations. It’s an important skill to have because breakdowns are inevitable in life, and having emotional resilience can help you recover more quickly and effectively from them.
Developing coping mechanisms can be a key factor in building emotional resilience. Coping mechanisms are strategies that you use to manage stress and deal with challenging situations. Examples of coping mechanisms that have been effective for me include seeking social support, investing in both physical and mental wellness, and seeking professional help.
In my personal condition, building my emotional resilience was a product of people, travel, and experiences in my life. It is not an overnight procedure. If you landed here, then this blog post might as well provide insights for you.
What do I do to regulate my emotions?
1. I have expanded my mindfulness meditation from 15 minutes to 50 minutes, and on days when I wake up with more anxiety than usual, I go for 1h30 of meditation and prayer. This habit has considerably improved my emotional regulation and decreased my stress. Let me illustrate and give you some context. In March 2021, I was at my healthiest in terms of nutrition, diet, and sports activity, yet I was not losing weight as I intended. When I did blood tests, it struck me that my cortisol (the hormone responsible for chronic stress) levels were through the roof. I thought investing in my well-being was enough, totally ignoring the huge pile of stress and trauma within me. At this point in my life, I learned that I have what we clinically call high-functioning anxiety. And to cope with it, I had to defuse sources of stress and build my routine in a unique way that works for me (e.g., Let go of WhatsApp, up my organization game, etc.).
2. I have learned to surround myself with a healthy sense of community rather than entertain ideas or toxic friendships, investor-ships, or relationships. Social support from friends, family, or a partner provides an unmatched sense of comfort and connection. Embrace – an NGO working towards ensuring access to mental health care as a basic human right says, “الحكي بيطول العمر or Talking saves lives”. Seeking professional therapy support can be a game-changer. It is what personally helped me process some of my most difficult emotions.
Ultimately, don’t forget that before this breakdown, you were on the rise. Rely on previous success stories, draw energy from them, and benchmark them to measure the incremental impact you can make moving forward. On most days, the hope that results from this activity is enough to keep going.
Be strategic with your time.
When you are time-poor and out of resources, every minute counts. Every minute well spent is a minute gained. I recall a week when I was recovering from burnout, and all my teammates at The Volunteer Circle resigned from the organization (for good reasons)…I was left with three scenarios: continue on my own and basically set myself up for another burnout, invest in new team members, call it quits, and just shut down. In that situation, what I did was 1) reconnect with my why, am I finished yet? No. Is there still an impact to grow and witness? Definitely! So that helped me 2) eliminate an unnecessary option and keep the energy to think about the most important resource I have at the moment…you guessed it: my emotional and intellectual resilience. I ended up hiring an A team and finding teammates of amazing caliber who today carry The Volunteer Circle forward.
Breakdowns always have lessons that you could carry throughout all your episodes to come. At the end of the day, what is hardship if it doesn’t set you up for greatness?
Never forget that as an entrepreneur, you are your business’s most valuable asset. It’s easy to get caught up in the daily grind, but taking care of your well-being is essential for endurance and long-term success. If you feel like you’re carrying too much weight, don’t hesitate to ask for help. Whether it is talking to someone you trust or seeking the guidance of a mental health professional, taking the time to prioritize your emotional and physical health is key. A healthy entrepreneur is a successful entrepreneur.