Tips to Overcome Entrepreneur Burnout

I spent a decade sacrificing everything for my first company (health, family, even my honeymoon). Now, as a dad of three, I'm building my 2nd company completely differently. Here's how: == I used to work 16-hour days, weekends, and holidays. Now? • I work 8-5. • I don’t work weekends. • I take a month-long family trip every summer. Here’s how I made it happen: == 1. Redefine success. During my first startup, success meant hustle and hyper-growth at any cost. Now, success is about building a business that: • Lasts 50+ years. • Stays profitable from day one. • Protects my health and relationships. == 2. Set non-negotiable boundaries. I made a rule when I started @useonward: I work 8-5, Monday through Friday. That’s it. Busyness is no longer a badge of honor. Setting boundaries make you sharper, more creative, and more present as a leader. == 3. Choose a business model that aligns with your life. I picked B2B SaaS because it’s: • High-margin, low-cost, scalable. • Free from the relentless pace of retail or DTC. • Purely remote—no office, no commute. == 4. Go all-in on remote work. Tools like @loom, @NotionHQ, and @asana allow us to: • Document processes async. • Communicate clearly & concisely. • Build process & systems that run without me. The goal? A business that doesn’t depend on me 24/7. == 5. Optimize for longevity, not burnout. During my first company, there were no days off. Now, it’s about properly integrating family & work. Take the long family trip - empower your team but stay on top things. Burnout isn’t proof of dedication. It’s a leadership failure. == 6. Give yourself permission to build differently. The old me would’ve called these boundaries lazy. But here’s the truth: boundaries make you better. The goal isn’t to grind endlessly. It’s to create a company that works for you—not the other way around. == Building a startup doesn’t have to mean sacrificing your health, family, or happiness. Follow Josh Payne for lessons on scaling profitably, creating balance, and building a business you love.

I was laying on my bed and I couldn’t move. I felt paralyzed, like my brain and body were malfunctioning. It was the third day of horrible sleep, apathy, a low mood, and complete disinterest in work. At first, I thought I was getting depressed again. I could feel the shock of fear spread throughout my body. Then I paused and took a deep breaths. I realized I had been working 15-hour days for the past two weeks without giving my brain a chance to recover. I was burnt out. The hardest part? I did it to myself. I run my own business. I choose my hours. And I still pushed myself too far. Now imagine those who don’t have that choice. Many companies create toxic cultures that demand more without offering recovery. In fact, 82% of employees in tech experience burnout. (CharlieHR) So I made a change: – Took two days off to reset – Got a therapist to help with the mental load – Capped my work hours Peak performance is an endurance race, not a sprint. If you’re burned out, here are a few things that helped me: 1️⃣ Speak up early. Talk to someone you trust before it spirals. 2️⃣ Schedule micro-recovery. Even 10 to 15 minutes of real breaks between deep work helps. 3️⃣ Track your energy. Not just your hours. Know what drains you and what fuels you. 4️⃣ Prioritize sleep. Like your next promotion depends on it. Because it does. 5️⃣ Set boundaries. A hard stop time is non-negotiable. 6️⃣ Ask for help. You don’t have to carry it alone. To sum it up… You wouldn’t expect your phone to run on 1%, so why expect that from yourself? Rest isn’t a reward. It’s a requirement. For more tips on #burnout, overcoming a #toxicworkplace, and achieving #PeakPerformance, follow Alex Wisch.

Don’t let anyone (including yourself) bully you into burnout. Hustle culture is real, and while I can admit that a good amount of my success came from hustling. I can also honestly say so did my burnout, fractured relationships with others, and most importantly a fractured relationship with myself. Early in my entrepreneur journey, I obsessively listened to motivational content and a lot of it served me well. But as I’ve grown personally and professionally, I can also recognize that some of the messaging caused me more harm than good. I’ll spare you the details and share some things that have served me much better and ultimately allowed me to “hustle healthier”… ✨Know your Capacity I have infinite ideas but limited time. I can do it all, but not at the same time. So, learning to understand what my capacity actually looks like in any given season has been helpful. It’s allowed me to prioritize what I work on and curb some of the overwhelm that comes with trying to do it all. I started looking at my capacity twice a week to realistically map out what I could get done the following week and what needed to be prioritized. Game changed. ✨Know your Warning Signs Most of the time I was powering through on auto-pilot but I had to know what it looked like when I was good to go, needed to slow down, and needed to take a full stop. When you know what those signs are, you can be more intentional about coping and recovering. Energy levels and needs are always changing, so check in with yourself. We work through this in our Signature Cost of Care Training. ✨Respect your own Boundaries Oftentimes we talk about how we need to have boundaries and how others have crossed them. But ultimately, we can’t control what other people do. Our boundaries are for US to uphold and honor. So when I don’t want my client messaging me after 9pm because that’s my personal time, and they happen to send me a message, that’s on me to articulate and respond at a time that’s fitting. But if I leave the alerts open, answer the message, call my biz bestie to complain about it, and carry an attitude with the client - that’s just holding onto frustration and stress unnecessarily. So, long story short, do what you have to do AND take care of yourself in the process. Get to know yourself so that you can understand what that looks like for your own unique journey. This is how you can actually position yourself to be more sustainable as you pursue your wildest dreams. Let’s create a great week. #MakoMindfulness #StressManagement #PsychologicalSafety #ProfessionalDevelopment #MindfulnessTraining #EmployeeWellbeing #StaffDevelopment

The hardest thing I’ve had to do as a founder is admit I needed to slow down, while everything is moving so quickly. But it might be one of the smartest decision I’ve made for the business. Here’s where to start if you’re experiencing burnout as a founder: 1. Share your experience. It’s taboo to talk about burnout as a founder, but admitting that I’ve been feeling depleted was the first step in cultivating my energy and creativity. Start with chatting to someone you feel safe and expand to your cofounders, team and investors. 2. Turn burnout into a business challenge. Once your emotional cards are on the table, accept that burnout is just another thing that will have to be solved. Building a business is a marathon, and burnout is going to be just one of the many challenges you’ll need to address head on. 3. Make a plan with your team. Once you’ve shared how you’re feeling, and you’ve accepted that burnout is just another challenge, figure out how to redesign your days and weeks over a few months to get back to your flow, passion and excitement for what you are building. Don’t forget to keep your partners, investors, etc updated... they might be worrying about you (and the business). Admitting to experiencing burnout is hard, but it’s just another opportunity to rethink and reimagine how you’re approaching your business. With support, I’m feeling optimistic that this will be a positive turning point for me and Groove. DMs are always open if you want to start a conversation 🧡

Building a business is exciting... until it’s exhausting. Let’s talk about something most entrepreneurs don’t: The emotional toll of building your business. The late nights. The uncertainty. The moments of doubt when you wonder, “Did I make the right choice?” Entrepreneurship is exhilarating, but it’s also overwhelming. And too often, we push through, telling ourselves, “This is just temporary.” A client of mine said this recently... “It’s really easy to get overloaded or burned out… telling yourself, ‘This is just short term,’ until you realize you’ve been saying it for 18 months.” Here’s the reality: • 72% of entrepreneurs experience mental health challenges, including burnout and anxiety (Source: Gallup). • Among business owners, 50% work more than 50 hours per week, despite wanting more work-life balance (Source: Small Business Trends). The risk if this problem goes unaddressed: 𝗕𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗼𝘂𝘁: Overwork leads to decreased creativity and diminished results. 𝗗𝗮𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀: Your health and connections suffer when work takes over. 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲: If you’re not at your best, neither is your business. Here’s how to avoid burnout and prioritize balance as an entrepreneur: 𝗥𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀. Success isn’t about working 24/7. It’s about creating impact while honoring your well-being. 𝗦𝗲𝘁 𝗕𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀. Block off time for rest, family, and hobbies. Treat these commitments as sacred as client deadlines. 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲. Identify tasks you can hand off or streamline. Free your time for high-value work and self-care. 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺. Surround yourself with mentors, peers, or coaches who understand the entrepreneurial journey. Entrepreneurship isn’t about sacrificing your life for your work. It’s about building something meaningful—without losing yourself in the process. Struggling to find balance? Download our 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿’𝘀 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝗸𝗶𝘁 to create boundaries, avoid burnout, and thrive in your business. How do you get it? Post "Wellness" below -or- DM me and I'll send it to you.