How Kate Beats Business Burnout With Self-Coaching

Can you describe a moment in your business journey where you felt most overwhelmed?

I felt incredibly overwhelmed in the weeks running up to the first lockdown in 2020.

I was worried about having to close my shop for a couple of weeks, (as I initially, naively thought) and was worried about getting sick. It was an incredibly anxious time.

I am a big fan of analog planning, and I got all my worries down on paper. I worked out several different strategies that I would use in different eventualities.

When the lockdown happened, I was ready to work on my marketing, my PR, my photography, and my website, and I had some record-breaking online sales over the next few months.

How do you prioritize tasks when everything seems equally important?

I use bullet journaling – an analog planning technique that covers every part of the user’s life. It’s a diary, planner, and journal in one, helping me stay organized and plan for the future whilst also being a brilliant record of my business journey from side hustle to full-time job!

There are lots of different ways to use a bullet journal, but mine heavily focuses on color. Seeing the entire week laid out with color coding means that it’s easy to spot areas of my life and business that may need more attention in the following weeks. It’s invaluable.

What strategies do you use to manage stress and prevent burnout?

I have a business coach, Leona Baker, with whom I have weekly group coaching sessions and an ‘ask the coach’ email facility. Leona has taught the Self Coaching Model which is an incredibly helpful way of breaking down any challenges into sensible, achievable steps.

She encourages her clients to avoid a scattergun approach to business, and instead focus on no more than three aspects at a time. Working on them until they become habits, it creates solid growth, rather than attempting to do everything at once, burning out and taking a long time to recover.

Can you share a significant learning experience that came from a period of overwhelm?

I moved both house and shop in October 2022. It wasn’t supposed to all happen in the same month, but sometimes life likes to hand you a challenge! I was dealing with renovating the new shop, packing up the old shop and house, mountains of rental paperwork, my first mortgage application, and keeping the website going.

It was incredibly hard and stressful, and I was making decisions, taking risks, and very much real-time learning! It was only when I had completed both moves that I was able to reflect on how much I had achieved, how capable I am, and how adaptable I can be.

How do you maintain a work-life balance while managing a demanding business?

I utilise time-blocking which I have found to be invaluable. I find relaxing to be quite a challenge, so scheduling time to myself is incredibly helpful.

I am also not much of a holiday person, so I try and book lots of mini adventures throughout the year which replenishes my energy. Theatre, live music, dancing, long stomps in nature, and nights out with friends are a really important part of my life. I’m incredibly lucky to enjoy my work enormously, so it feels like part of my identity, rather than a chore.

What role does your support network play when you’re feeling overwhelmed?

I buy products from over 50 independent businesses from around the UK, many of whom are one-person bands or tiny cottage industries.

The process of running businesses through some fairly turbulent times has brought us together, and I consider quite a few of them to have become friends over the years, even those that I have never met in person!

I can often be found chatting to one of my suppliers over email or Instagram in the evenings, discussing footfall, margins, turnover, and VAT advice; giving each other tips and tricks and support unlike anything I have experienced in everyday life. It’s incredibly beautiful and powerful.

I am also lucky enough to have a loving, supportive family and a partner that is willing to talk through all of my challenges, both internal and external, and offer advice without judgment. He works as a business analyst, so having every scrap of data available to me at a moment’s notice is also incredibly helpful! Emotions tell us all kinds of stories, but numbers don’t lie.

How do you recognize the signs of overwhelm, and what are your first steps in addressing it?

Oddly, one of the first signs of overwhelm for me is to have a very short to-do list! The days where I have planned out my time fully are the days where I feel most capable, empowered, and excited to go to work.

I think one of the most important things is to recognise overwhelm as a temporary state; one in my case, that often comes just before a moment of clarity or an incredibly productive planning session.

As humans, there is an ebb and flow to our lives, physically, emotionally, and hormonally, and what we can cope with perfectly well one day, may feel spirit-crushing the next.

In my case, it can be helpful to let the tide of overwhelm wash in, so that it can then wash back out again. 

In what ways has dealing with overwhelm changed your approach to business?

I think I have learned to take it as a natural part of business ownership, as well as human existence! It often comes before a big change, a moment of clarity, or can be your brain’s way of telling you that you need to do things in a new way.

I am much more self-aware than when I set up the business 12 years ago, and overcoming overwhelm has taught me to trust myself in a way that I didn’t think possible.

What advice would you give to new entrepreneurs about managing overwhelm?

It’s an old adage, but it’s a classic for a reason: Knowledge is Power. Things change all the time, so keeping as informed as possible in your field is a great way to feel on top of things.

There are masses of free webinars and training opportunities online, and even if you take away only one useful nugget of information from each one it’s been successful.

I also believe in delegation as soon as it is financially viable, particularly if there is something in your business that you find especially challenging. You can’t do everything, so stick to those tasks that are within your area of expertise, and pass the harder things over to someone that finds them simple. They’ll get it done in half the time that it would take you and it frees you up to keep being your excellent self!

Friends and family may express worries that come from a place of love and kindness, but a coach or mentor will be entirely judgment free. Having someone that will listen to you talk about your business without reflecting their own fears or concerns is essential to keep overwhelm under control.

If you are making informed choices and researching your plans fully, there’s no reason why your side hustle won’t develop into something truly wonderful.

Looking back, is there anything you would have done differently to manage overwhelm?

I think I had to go through everything I have gone through, to reach the point where I can understand overwhelm and the effect that it has on my mind and body. I could say that I would write more lists, practice journaling, employ a coach sooner, not take on too much, or not work such long hours, but that was something that I needed to find out for myself in my own way.

Experiencing overwhelm and coming out unscathed on the other side has been a vital element of my growth as a business owner and as a person. It’s been a baptism of fire, but I have loved the journey so far, and can’t wait to see what happens next!