7 ways to avoid getting ‘snowed in’ by your business

7 ways to avoid getting ‘snowed in’ by your business

AKA that overwhelmed feeling like you're having snowballs hiffed at you!

Throughout my networks, I regularly meet entrepreneurs and small business owners who are feeling overwhelmed by their business.

Often they’ve started their business from nothing because they’re really passionate about something, or really good at something, and built a really solid business in a short space of time.

However, all of a sudden they’ve found that their business feels like it’s getting away from them and taking over their lives. They’ve lost their balance. Their health or relationships might be starting to suffer...

This is what I like to refer to as the first peak. 

They’ve pushed themselves, climbed the mountain, and reached the first summit, only to find that the tools they bought with them aren’t suitable for climbing the next peak they see ahead of them.

The terrain has changed, and unless they get new tools, they’re not going to be able to go any further.

But, it’s not always a case that they can just stay where they are! 

Sometimes the weather is changing, clouds are rolling in, and the pressure is getting on them to take change before “something bad” happens.

Unlike being at the top of the mountain, in entrepreneur-land, the ‘something bad’ usually comes in forms such as:

• Burn out for the business owner or their team
• Team members getting fed up and leaving
• Clients losing faith and leaving
• The inability to finish work by when it’s promised
• Running out of money or other resources

Etc. Etc.

This makes me so sad to see because usually, it’s so avoidable!

I’m passionate about helping entrepreneurs find the right tools so that they can continue onwards with their climb.

Here are 7 ways to help you avoid getting stuck on the cliff face of overwhelm:

I know this might sound crazy, but because change can be seen as uncomfortable and overwhelming, especially if you are already feeling overwhelmed, sometimes all that’s stopping you from moving forward is yourself and a decision.

One of my favourite sayings is:

“you’re only one decision away from a totally different life”

~ unknown

So, if that’s you, think about it…

Ask yourself:

• What’s stopping you from making this decision?
• What innovative ways could you use to overcome these things so that you can make the decision to change?
• Who can you ask to support you with this?

I know, I know, you’re shaking your head and going “seriously, is this it?”

Yep, it’s is. And it’s quite simple; once you’ve made the decision you want things to be different, if you don’t put aside time in your diary to actually plan for them to be different, nothing is going to change.

That feeling of being stuck and overwhelmed is unlikely to go away by itself.

(it might – in which case I’d suggest that you pat yourself on the back you awesome thing).

But mostly, it won’t.

Most people find that the overwhelm actually grows.

Because you’re still good at what you do, and you still care about what you do, so you’re still growing what you do.

Where can you fit some time to take some time for you and make a plan for some action?

• Go diary it in before something else pops up and distracts you!

Before you go changing anything up you need a strategy. And before you can get a strategy, you need to know where you’re at.

Ask yourself:

• What are the weak links in your business that are contributing the most to this feeling of overwhelm?
• What is performing really well?

Boom.

You’ll have just got a solid measure of your business in around 30 minutes, and this will help you know what to prioritise (the basis for your strategy).

Now that you know what the weakest links are, as hopefully you’ve done In-Flight Profit Detector®, what are some key actions you can take to improve things? This is where your strategy comes into play.

Ask yourself:

• Who in your team is going to lead the change?
  (if that’s you, then how much time are you going to need and where is that going to fit in?)
• What are the desired outcomes you want/need?
  (or in our mountain example – what does the top of the next peak look like for you?)
• Who can you go to for advice to ensure that this is the best strategy for you?
• Who is going to keep you accountable?

Now that you’ve got your strategy, and you know what you’re aiming to achieve, HOW are you going to achieve this?

Your ‘how’ is your system for success.

If you're new to planning, I have a variety of ways that I can help:

I recommend reading this free article 7 things every useful action plan needs.

Just as we talked about at the beginning – change can be hard. Especially if you’re already feeling overwhelmed.

• You will need accountability.
• You will need to review things regularly.

Don’t skip this part or things won’t change.

If that feels too hard, or you start second guessing yourself at every turn, then it’s likely you need number 7…

If you’re already struggling, or spending more time second guessing yourself than taking action, chances are you can’t solve this without some help.

Who can you get to help you through this process?

Help can take many forms - 

• It could be a Biz Bestie
• Free support group
• Or business strategist

If the answer is, you don't know who to turn to - get in touch, I'd love to help.

Here's to feeling less overwhelmed, and like you have a plan to follow...

Kat