How burnout helped me escape The Time for Dollars Trap

Let’s be honest: Burnout really sucks.

I crashed spectacularly as an entrepreneur in 2019, and I wrote candidly about my experience here .

Recovery took time. Lots of time. And, of course, many offered their advice. Some of the advice was helpful. Some wasn’t. (And some was downright patronising, if I’m honest.) Some suggested the answer to burnout was to take a nice, long rest. But, for me personally, a holiday (or similar) simply wouldn’t cut it. I needed a complete reset. An honest, raw appraisal of everything I did. Retain the good. Jettison the bad.

What was the real problem? Essentially this: I was the archetypal entrepreneur caught (like so many of my entrepreneurial peers) in The Time for Dollars Trap. So busy spinning plates in the business but having no time to work on the business. If ever there was a recipe for burnout, I had followed it - to a T.

I’d made my bed. And I had to lie in it.

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When I eventually began to emerge from burnout, I knew that, if I was to continue along the entrepreneurial path (as was my preference), I could no longer be 'the Main Cog in the Machine'. If I was to be a business owner going forward, both I - and the way I did business - had to change.

I don't know how or when, exactly, but I stumbled across David Jenyns ' book, SYSTEMology . David's work was an absolute game-changer for me. It gave me the vision, the tools and the impetus I needed to make that change.

If I wasn't to repeat the mistakes I'd made in the past, I wanted - nay, needed - a systemised business. A business that could ultimately grow without me, if necessary. I learned from David that many businesses are either stuck in survival mode or are little more than stationary. Few are scalable. Fewer still are sellable. I knew that if I was to build a business without me as the Main Cog, I would need to create a sellable business. (Whether or not I would want to sell it would be a nice problem to have later down the road.)

But how did I begin the process of systemising my business?

Having been stuck on the hard shoulder of business for a significant time, I decided to start with a blank canvas. I knew from six years as a LinkedIn coach that many businesses struggled to find clients. It had been a recurring theme. And since I’d predominantly worked in sales and business development roles since leaving school in 1983, I knew my stuff. I'd built whole departments and businesses from the ground up.

But how I did it was all in my head.

So began the process of unpacking the process. I call it, How to make a Big Mac*: Creating processes that others can easily follow.

I won't bore you with the process here, but it involved getting on to paper every step I took to plan, package, and prospect for a client (or past employer). Each step in the process was then broken down into SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures). Once systemised, each step was assigned to someone - or something i.e. software - to action the process.

Eventually, I had a fully-functioning new business development system. A 'car production line' for sales, if you like. A process that, at time of writing, has different moving parts and a growing team to help make it all coming together. And, yes, it's still a work in progress - but with emphasis on progress.

Now I have a business in which I'm becoming more and more replaceable. And that's just how I want it to be! It means I can look at other business ideas, or, as I hope to do, take more time away from business altogether to focus on other things that matter to me.

What's more, now business processes are increasingly well-systemised, I can begin to think about creating a coaching/membership version of the process, various online courses, and perhaps even a book (or two). And be available to help other companies (and individuals) systemise their sales processes as a consultant.

Thankfully, things are looking much brighter than they did a few years ago - and, ironically, I kinda have to thank burnout for that - even though it was horrible to navigate at the time.

Who'd have thought such a positive could come from such a negative, hey?

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In summary, here are a couple of takeaways that might be helpful:

Burnout is hard. There's no denying it. But it can also be the doorway to a necessary reboot for your life and business/career. Don’t be afraid to face everything head-on and do what I had to do: Retain the good. Jettison the bad.

Systemising is the way to go for any business owner wanting to escape the Time for Dollars Trap. I don’t need to tell you that without it, business can be a very tough gig.

Every success to you as you continue to navigate the exhilarating (and sometimes choppy) waters of business ownership - whichever way you decide to do it!

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*I have no idea whether I coined that term myself or whether I stole it from David Jenyns or someone else. Please enlighten me if you know and I'll be sure to give them the credit!