How can I make money without reaching burn out?
January 16th, 2008 by Alexander KohlThat is a big question. Here are some thoughts:
Do you know what factors stress you the most to bring you close to burn out?
If you do not, find them first. Really take some time to look at your life and identify what is hard and what is good.
Once you know them, think of ways to change those factors.
Here is an example:
If you are working 8 hours a day to make enough money to pay your bills, then either your expenses are too high (decide what you can do to reduce your living expenses) or you do not earn enough.
If you work 8 hours a day, you are great at attracting clients (assuming that you are self employed). That means you charge too little. Increase your prices to reflect the value your clients are getting from you.
If you are exhausted from the repetitiveness, think of other ways to use your skills and expertise to vary what you do.
Another stress factor might be that you are not attracting enough clients. One solution might be searching for employment where you do not have to worry about marketing or administration. Or you need to get some professional help with the marketing.
And possibly the most important factor is whether we enjoy what we do. Even though it might have been your dream once, it might not be any more. Maybe it is time to switch direction…
January 17th, 2008 at 7:07 am
This is a very important fact to consider.
One of the things that I have done is diversified into Spray Tan as it is fairly simple to learn but pays a good return.
Regards Tracy
January 17th, 2008 at 10:16 am
Great suggestions Tracy, thank you.
Adding any products are services that are complementary to what you do brings more income from each client.
That means your marketing Dollars go further and not your whole income is dependent on your own time.
Alexander
February 22nd, 2008 at 3:28 am
Making enough money to support yourself and keep your business is really the ultimate in self care. So often massage therapists don’t charge enough, don’t enforce cancellation policies or don’t do the marketing they need to get the clients that they need. It really is a reflection of your beliefs about yourself and your work.
The way out of it is to just start taking a little bit more responsibility each day and set clear practice boundaries for you to be able to make clear decisions around making money. Make sure you are only working on nurturing clients.
It will most likely lead to burnout if you don’t do the things you need to do to make the amount of money that you need -that is true in any job or career.
Julie
February 22nd, 2008 at 7:25 pm
You have hit on such an important truth, Julie. From what I have seen burnout does not stem from working too much. It comes from working a lot and not receiving adequate compensation and recognition for the effort.
March 4th, 2008 at 9:30 am
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