Are you feeling burnt out? Not tired, but literally suffering from long-term exhaustion and experiencing very little interest in your work? If so, you may be burnt out. This can happen to anyone: an owner, technician, small business, big business, field service industries and beyond.
Getting burnt out is bad for a number of reasons. One, it is not great for your health. High stress can lead to many different physical and mental issues if not dealt with properly. Two, your business will suffer. This may not make sense seeing as how you are probably putting everything into your business, hence the burn out. But think about it, if you are over worked and exhausted there is no way you are giving 100% to every part of your business that you are attempting to manage. And thirdly, it can have a serious effect on your personal life. When someone gets burnt out from their business, there is no work life balance, which is key to a successful business owner, in my opinion.
There are steps that can be taken however to counteract the burn out process:
Delegate – We have discussed delegating in the past as being a great thing for field service business owners to do, and you can check out a blog dedicated to it here. By delegating you are doing two things. The first is relieving yourself of some of your stress. As an owner, you have hired a group of individuals you trust to make your business the best it can be (and if you do not have a strong team, you may want to reevaluate what is best for the company). You trust them and believe in the work they do, so why not give them more responsibility? Most employees see this as a compliment that you trust them to take on more work or projects.
Secondly, you are able to put more of yourself into fewer projects. This ensures they have a better chance of getting 100% out of you instead of being split between ten to twenty different projects. When projects are givien 100%, your company have a much better shot at growth and success, therefore your business becomes better when you delegate.
Take Time Off – I know, I know. You can’t leave your business. It will crumble without you. Everything will go to Hell. Plus even if you did take a vacation, you would still be dealing with work 24/7 so you might as well just skip the vacation.
This is a completely wrong mindset to live by. If your business cannot stand alone without you for a few days or a week, you have bigger issues than burning out. Take a vacation. Turn your phone off. Enjoy your kids and your family. Enjoy a beach or your recliner and a cold beer. I don’t care what it is, but step away from your business every once in a while. The break will clear your head so you can look at your business with fresh eyes. It will also lower your blood pressure and allow you that work-life balance we discussed earlier.
Invest in Lawn Care Software – Implementing lawn care software is probably the last thing you want to do when you are reaching the burned out phase. But trust me, it is one of the best things you can ever do for your business. Why, you ask?
Lawn care software streamlines your processes. Everything from scheduling and routing, to work order and time record management and on to invoicing can be done through one system. Investing in a software program allows you to eliminate the paperwork your office and field struggle with every day. Can you imagine how much time you will save by not searching through stacks of paper?
Another great benefit is the ability to set goals and keep records. By tracking the progress of your techs and knowing who is meeting their quote for the week and who isn’t you can determine what is helping your business, and what is hurting.
With a seamless integration to your finance software, invoices can be completed and sent out the same day of the service. No more late nights deciphering tech’s handwriting or working to find answers to errors on invoices.
Burning out is not only hazardous to your health, it can also be detrimental to your company’s wellbeing. It is not easy to let go of work or to take vacation, and change is certainly one of the hardest things to do. However, by adapting your company to software and delegating the work, you truly are helping your business, not hurting it. Plus, I can bet your family will love seeing you more often and in a better state of mind.
Curious what else you, as an owner, can do to better your business? Check out the 10 Things I Wish I Knew When I started My Business. It’s filled with the “whoops” and “oh craps” I wish I hadn’t gone through, but appreciate for helping me to learn the best practices to take on as an owner.