How To Overcome Burnout As A Bookkeeping Firm Owner And Rediscover Joy In Running Your Business
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Want to know how to run a business and avoid burnout in the process? Because, same.
But the truth is, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll be able to avoid burnout completely. It’s just part of the wild ride you sign up for when you buy your ticket to self-employment! The good news is that I’ve been through plenty of highs AND lows of this lovely business rollercoaster ride, and I’m going to share some of those with you here in this blog.
So if you’re a bookkeeper, accountant, tax wizard, CPA, or all of the above…
This blog’s going to dive into the unfiltered side of running TWO successful businesses, including things like:
What burnout looks like for me (like, for real)
How to overcome burnout in your own business
The best way to set up your firm to survive burnout
Ready for my honest take on handling burnout as a business owner, firm owner, and human person? Let’s dive in!
Here’s What Burnout Looks Like For Me (A True Story)
I originally told this story on my biz bestie’s podcast, but I’m PUMPED to tell it to you here, too!
If you don’t already know, my biz bestie is Serena Shoup, CPA and you should totally listen to her podcast that supports bookkeepers and accountants who want to live their best lives and build wildly successful firms! You can also follow her on Instagram here, and follow me here to keep the fun going wayyy beyond this blog!
So basically, in early 2022 I decided to co-found a new bookkeeping firm with my Client Success Manager here at Workflow Queen (shoutout to Alyssa Truelove!). If you know anything about me, you probably know that I’m obsessed with bookkeeping, creating systems, and my dog Harley. Plus I made a lot of other changes in my personal life - all at the same time. And it was all super exciting!
I quickly learned that just because I was excited to do all these things, didn’t mean I’d have the motivation and energy to show up 100% every single day. And that’s truly just too much to ask of anyone, right?
Our bookkeeping and consulting firm gained momentum faster than expected, Workflow Queen was (and still is) supporting thousands of bookkeepers and accountants through our incredible programs. Both businesses were running and making money! And sometimes doing my best simply looked like showing up for a team meeting and logging off for the rest of the day.
My passion for helping firm owners create systems and build a badass firm didn’t go away, but something was off. I think this is where my burnout really started to show itself and I knew I didn’t want it to get any worse. Because I still LOVE what I do, who I serve, and the possibilities for future me!
I decided to take a trip to visit Serena in Arizona for a week to clear my head and get some quality time with her. I knew I’d want to do some camping along the way, too. So I packed up all my camping equipment, loaded Harley into my truck and hit the road. Well, that week quickly turned into almost a MONTH…and I bought a travel trailer to keep the fun going!
The only time I decided to stop at an AirBnB was when I needed suuuuper reliable internet so I could host our world famous 5 Day Free Challenge: Workflows Made Simple.
I ended up taking a few more weeks to travel and visit a few of my fave bookkeepers along the way. If I’ve learned anything in the last several years of being a business owner, it’s that community will save you in times of burnout!
The best part of this open-ended trip? I never needed to worry about my businesses making money. My firm was still serving clients, my students were still getting support, and they were still gaining momentum.
Trust me - I KNOW that my ability to pack up and stay in Wherever, USA for an extended period is a luxury. But I didn’t stumble upon this luxury! I put in soooo much freaking work creating systems, training team members, and serving clients SO THAT I could do things like this down the road. This journey was really healing in many ways, but mostly it helped me realize how blessed I truly am to have the chance to enjoy all the benefits of putting in so much hard work up front.
You don’t have to have two businesses in order to feel burnt out. You don’t even have to be making six-figures to have days where it takes everything you have to get out of bed. If you’ve ever felt that way at ANY level of business - you’re totally not alone!
3 Ways To Survive A Season Of Burnout Without Compromising Your Firm
Community: Find a community to support you when you’re going through a season of burnout. Or at least one person that you trust that can act as your sounding board for anything you need to talk through. It can be sooo helpful to learn from someone else’s experience! Even just working through an idea out loud can actually guide you through a tough spot.
Pause: Sometimes the best thing you can do for your business is to step away from it for a while. I know it seems counterintuitive but the MOST important part of owning your own firm is the joy you get from it. So when you find yourself feeling tired and uninspired, plan a break and take a step back.
Be intentional: Use what energy you have (after making sure your clients are taken care of) to do more of the things that light you up! If you’re a fan of hiking, but never make time to hit the trails…this is a perfect time to lace up your boots and get some fresh air. As much as I’m a HUGE advocate for creating repeatable systems and automating your life - sometimes you need to switch up your life! Sometimes that looks like completing your daily checklist from a lakefront AirBnB.
Take these as inspiration for your own soul-searching adventure, even if it’s in your own backyard!
The Easiest Way To Set Up Your Systems And Take Extended Breaks As A Firm Owner
When life gets in the way of running a business, it’s a life-saver to have solid systems in place! I’ve gone through periods of feeling overwhelmed and exhausted during all stages of life as a business owner. And I’m pretty sure that’s not going away any time soon. Growing and scaling any type of business comes with discomfort, and often, amazing benefits as well! So being prepared for those moments when you just need to take a minute is a MUST.
We’ve helped SO many firm owners implement proven, repeatable systems through our signature program, Kickoff with Asana for Bookkeepers & Accountants.
We’ve helped dozens of firm owners feel confident in hiring, training, and delegating to their own personal dream teams so the day-to-day of their business no longer relies on them in Breakthrough for Bookkeepers & Accountants.
We’ve supported THOUSANDS of firm owners (and aspiring firm owners) use the knowledge they already have to get everything out of their brains, documented, and built into solid systems.
All because we know the power of using systems in your firm and how it can eventually lead to a better work/life balance. So check out our programs if you want to soak up a ton of tried and tested knowledge and resources for creating a more efficient firm! But if you just want to talk through something that’s weighing on you in your business or your journey with burnout, just slide into my DMs and share!
