How to fall back in love with your business
Venturing into business can feel a lot like the start of a new relationship; you can’t wait to spend all your time together, your heart races at the novelty of every new experience, and days and nights are consumed by thoughts of the future. In the beginning, everything feels new and exciting; however, just like a marriage, long-term relationship or close friendship, keeping the spark alive takes work.
When the love we once felt for our business starts to dwindle, it’s tempting to hang up our business hat or head in a new direction; however, often, all we need is a conscious effort to reignite the spark we felt so vividly at the start.
If you’re trying desperately to remember why you started your business, feeling close to burnout, and thinking, “I don’t know if I can keep doing this?”, you’re not alone. As a Dietitian Business coach, I’ve worked with many Dietitians prepared to give up on their business dreams; however, I’ve seen that sometimes all it can take is a holiday, asking for help or creating better boundaries to fall back in love with your business.
Rekindling the flame: 10 ideas to help you fall back in love with your business
1. Take time away from your business
I know it can feel scary to take a break away from your business. However, nothing will make you feel more resentful than if it’s sucking up 90% of your time and energy. One of the most helpful things we can do as business owners is to step away, even if it’s just an afternoon or weekend, to recharge. Space to zoom out and gain a broader perspective, tend to your needs, not just the business’s needs and spark some much-needed creativity to feel excited about working on your business again.
2. Do more of what you love – delegate the rest
It can be helpful to audit your business and ask yourself, “Am I really the best person to do this task?” Depending on your budget and stage of business, it might be time to do more of the tasks you love and delegate the tasks you don’t. Need help writing? Hire a copywriter. Admin all over the place? Hire a virtual assistant to schedule appointments, respond to enquiries and manage emails. Start small and gradually outsource more and more from your plate to free up time and creative energy to invest in other areas of your business.
3. Remember to celebrate the wins
While working with dietitian entrepreneurs, I’ve noticed that we’re quick to skip over the wins, eager to reach the next milestone. However, this lack of pause to recognise our achievements can cause us to skip over our success and appreciate our progress, making us feel like we’re constantly chasing our tails, or as I’ve heard countless times, “I’m not doing enough”.
It doesn’t have to be anything lavish (although it could be if you want it to be), something as simple as stopping to reflect on how it felt to experience a win, journaling what worked well and how far you have come, or perhaps purchasing some aesthetically pleasing stationery or celebrating with a glass of sparkling wine (my favourite).
4. Reduce overwhelm – are your goals realistic
To be ambitious as a business owner is fantastic; however, it’s important to balance this ambition with reality. While we can see other dietitians doing amazing things in business and naturally want to do the same, we often need to remember it’s taken them years, if not decades, to reach that level of success.
I’ve noticed a strong sense of urgency or dietitians saying, “I need to do everything right now,” leading to unrealistic timelines and overwhelm. While we can have a long-term vision for our business, remember we’re running a marathon, not a sprint; you need sustainable endurance to keep going. Break your goals into smaller manageable tasks (just like stepping stones) that gradually lead you towards your desired destination while protecting your lifestyle, budget, and mental capacity.
5. Reflect on why you started
Running a business can feel like walking in a maze; we can lose our way quickly, following the work, chasing leads and taking whatever work we can get just to pay the bills, quickly losing sight of why we started the business in the first place.
Lost sight of your why? Take yourself to the beach, a park, or a quiet place you love, pop a bottle of bubbles, or grab a coffee and use the following journal prompts to discover your business purpose – your why.
Journal prompts
- What was your business vision when you first started?
- What was the one thing you were most excited about starting your own business?
- What would your business look like in 1, 3 and 5 years if money and time were no object?
6. Work ‘on’ the business, not just ‘in’ the business
If we are always head down ‘in’ the work, we’re unlikely to see the opportunities that lie ahead, often missing what’s waiting there right in front of us. Allocate (and prioritise) time to work on the business by delegating some of the day-to-day operations. Shift your focus towards a more strategic mindset, looking up and out to the future.
7. Stop saying yes to every opportunity
When we say yes to something, we’re naturally saying no to something else. When we say yes to one thing, we must dedicate our time and resources to it, which may prevent us from other more aligned opportunities.
Before you say yes or no, consider asking these three questions:
- Is this opportunity aligned with my business and personal values?
- Is this a transformational opportunity? Does it have the potential to lead to other benefits?
- Write down the impact your decision will have one year from now
8. Seek inspiration outside your industry
It’s easy to get stuck in the comparison trap if we constantly look within our industry for inspiration. Change up your routine and explore other industries for ideas. Attend conferences and events or read books unrelated to your field for a fresh perspective to stimulate your creativity.
9. Connect with like-minded business owners
Entrepreneurship can be an isolating journey. Without a supportive network of fellow dietitian entrepreneurs who understand your struggles, it’s easy to give up when things don’t go according to plan. While our Elevate Your Practice program teaches you the business skills to run a thriving private practice, it’s the additional community and connection with other dietitians that continues to surprise and delight our clients.
10. Prioritise time for yourself
In a schedule dominated by work, making time for personal well-being becomes a non-negotiable for business longevity. It’s time to prioritise ‘you’ amidst this hustle culture we live in. Treat yourself. Take a planned day off every now and then. Pick up a new hobby outside of your business. Read a book. Pick up the paintbrush again, or take yourself for a swim.
Signs you’re falling out of love with your business
Falling out of love with your business is a sentiment dietitians know all too well, a group of professionals prone to overworking, people-pleasing and burnout. Here are some signs it’s time to take you and your business out for a date to get your heart racing again.
- Everything feels hard and laborious
- Procrastination is your new best friend
- Motivation has become a daily struggle
- You’re lacking creative ideas to drive the business forward
- Resentment towards your business is palpable
- You start to think the stability and staleness of hospital work as appealing (eek!)
Ready to fall back in love with your business?
Book a compatibility call with Jodie, and take a weight off your shoulders as you talk through the mixed feelings of running a business with a fellow dietitian who ‘gets it’. Establish a resilient foundation for a business that serves you through all stages of life.
Join the Elevate Your Practice program
Don’t let your business dreams fade. Reignite your passion for private practice. Connect with like-minded dietitians who share your vision to create a successful, community-focused, impactful dietetics practice in our Elevate Your Practice program. Join the waitlist today!
