Self-care + Happy Stockholders!
I wrote this for a wonderful networking group I am privileged to belong to—if you’re an entrepreneur looking for a facilitated referral team, check out Caerusnet (and if there isn’t one in your area, you can be trained as a facilitator and start your own)! Although the post is written for entrepreneurs, it’s just as relevant for those of us who are overscheduled professionals, parents, employees…in short, everyone!
As a solopreneur or small business owner, you’ve probably spent a lot of time thinking about your target market, your niche—whom you serve and how you serve them. But have you ever considered your stockholders? You don’t have to be a publicly traded company to have them!
In addition to you clients, your stockholders are yourself, your family, your friends, your employees, and your colleagues. While they may not all benefit from financial returns, they do all depend on you to run a successful business and all for different reasons: your clients rely on your goods and services; in addition to making a living, you might get enormous satisfaction from your work; your family depends on your income and on you being present for them; your friends enjoy your company; your employees benefit from your wisdom and mentorship; your colleagues appreciate your mutual support.
That’s a lot of pressure! How can you do and be all that? You’re probably familiar with the oxygen mask metaphor: you have to take care of yourself before you can take care of others.
