Taking care of business is synonymous with hustle, right? When you think about taking care of business you think about getting shit done and working long hours. The dictionary says that "taking care" also means treating something carefully so that it stays in good condition, or doing what's necessary to protect something. Looking at it that way is a welcome shift in perspective in my book. Yes, you need some hustle and drive to succeed in business {and a plan; a plan is always a must} - but you also need to take care of yourself and of your business in order to keep going.
I have been working towards and with sustainable business and self-care practises for years, and I'm sharing what I know and what I learned along the way in a digital workshop called Simply Good Business Care. Consider it your guide to crisis-proofing your business.
Simply Good Business care is a deep dive into self-care mindset, boundaries, and mindfulness - and each chapter has a primer if you're a newb to taking care of yourself and your business. It's a 79-page {fillable} pdf to guide you to taking simply good care of yourself and your business, and it also includes a template to create your business emergency plan - because crisis-proofing always includes an emergency plan.
self-care mindset
Adopt the mindset that it’s perfectly ok to not have it all together. It’s perfectly ok to have days you doubt the very existence of your business. It’s perfectly ok to spend a day binging on Netflix. Yes, self-care is important for you and your business, but you don’t have to be perfect at it. You just have to be you.
boundaries
Always find the benefit for your client. You have to set boundaries to stay sane and keep your ability to perform at a high level of customer service - but there has to be a benefit for your client. Setting a boundary because a client is difficult, or you just don’t feel like dealing with them, is just bad customer service. Check your own commitment and expectations, and clearly define how your clients will benefit from the boundaries you establish.
mindfulness
Don’t put pressure on yourself to be mindful, just because everyone else is doing it. There is no right or wrong way to practise mindfulness. It has to feel natural and fit into your life and business. It’s perfectly fine to adapt all the suggestions in the workbook to your unique situation. Don’t think that anyone else knows what’s best for you and your business, only you do. Pay attention to the parts of your business that make you feel like you’re making a difference in the lives of your clients, that’s your starting point. Trust the process.
crisis-proof your business
Self-care, boundaries, and mindfulness help with crisis-proofing your business, so you can be grounded and sure in your abilities to handle everything that comes your way. Another piece of your crisis-proofing puzzle is to have an emergency plan in place. Those are the mechanical part of crisis-proofing, if you will. You might forget who’s on top of your list for outsourcing, or which payments you can’t miss, when it's crunch time. No, you're not jinxing yourself if you have an emergency plan - you are taking care of business.
The Simply Good Business Care workshop is available for $37 {Canadian Dollars, baby!} - download it and dig in!