It used to bring a smile to my face when my phone went off and my colleagues at work shouted ‘SALE’ or ‘Another one!’. But when you get to a point where you dread hearing the ka-ching from another order instead of doing the small business happy dance, you know you’ve reached burnout. That is what happened to me.
In June 2022 I made the decision to close my business down temporarily. It was originally going to be a short period of time so I could recharge, the goal was to open back up in September ready for the Christmas rush but I just wasn't in the right mindset. The business ended up being closed for 7 months! I had long passed burnout, but I didn’t want to admit it to myself. The shop was so busy over Christmas '21 (which I am extremely grateful for), but I don’t think I ever really recovered from it.
I was struggling with work/life balance, having a 1-year-old running around, working full time in a rather stressful job in a totally new industry and trying to run the business as well. I was exhausted. I was stressed. I needed a break. I just couldn't do it anymore! So, I decided to take a step back, focus on being at home with my little one, have some much-needed family time and start again with a fresh mindset.
There were a few more contributing factors that helped me come to this decision:
Equipment
My sublimation printer broke (I think it was as exhausted as I was and went on permanent strike!), I didn’t have the funds to upgrade so it made sense to close whilst I save for a new one. Can't run a sublimation business without a sublimation printer! I didn’t want to invest in another cheap start up A4 printer as it seemed pointless if I wanted to continue to expand my product range – I thought ‘go big or go home’. I now have the A3 Sawgrass SG1000, the running costs are quite a bit more expensive, but the quality, throughput and size is going to help massively in the long run.
Space
Or the lack of it. As you have probably guessed from the business name, my studio is based in the ‘shoebox room’ of our home. I outgrew that far quicker than I ever anticipated. When I first started up, I took over my son’s room as he was still sleeping in the bassinet, then I moved onto the hallway, the kitchen and started on the garage. I had boxes upon boxes everywhere and it just wasn’t ideal with Harry becoming more mobile.
Starting on a whim
This is probably my top epic fail when starting my business – lack of knowledge and research. Don’t get me wrong, I researched everything sublimation – the equipment, process, design software, blanks, etc. but website wise, not a clue. I decided to start up with WIX, I was so proud of myself and the website I had built, I remember thinking ‘how hard can it be to get found?’…turns out pretty damn hard if you don’t know what you are doing! SEO did not exist on my website, I had very little knowledge of it. I think around 3 weeks had passed without a single sale, that’s when I joined Etsy and it just blew up. I couldn’t believe it. I have since closed my WIX site down and created my new one on Shopify full of SEO (I hope) so fingers crossed it goes better than my WIX site!
New Products
I had so many ideas for new products but not enough hours in the day to trial them. I had lists in notepads, on my phone, on my laptop, it was organised chaos. Whilst being closed I have been able to create a few of these new products that I can gradually release throughout the year so watch this space!
Mental Health
The most important for last. I totally understand how important a business is to you - it's yours, your pride and joy, something you have achieved and made your own - but nothing is worth sacrificing your mental health for. You need to look after you otherwise everything else will just start to unravel around you. If you find yourself working 3 10 hour days in a row, take the 4th day off. Binge watch your favourite TV series surrounded by your favourite snacks or have a self care day at home. Or book yourself into a spa! If you ignore the signs of burnout, I guarantee you, you will start to lose your spark. This is definitely something I will be following in 2023.
Taking this break is probably the best thing I could have done to help my business grow. I have been able to focus on putting everything right that I did wrong the first-time round. It has been a massive learning curve but hopefully it will make my business flourish more because of it. I have also made so many wonderful memories with my family, I have been able to watch Harry grow into such as loving, funny little boy and I have treasured every second of it.
In the end—don't hesitate to take a step back. If you're not enjoying what you do, what is your end game? I can tell you from my own experience that taking a break, or even stepping away completely for a short time, can do wonders for your creativity. And creativity is what drives our business—what truly makes us successful. So, the best advice I can give? Go on holiday. Make memories with your family and friends. Don't worry about the business; it will be there when you get back—and you'll be better for it.
You'll always regret doing something that you don't love or waking up in the morning and welcoming the day with dread.
That's not how life should be lived, and that's a concept that I've had to fully embrace recently.
If you ever find yourself feel down about your business, there is a massive community around you that will support you and give you advice. I am only an e-mail or DM away if any of you ever need a chat, vent or need some advice.
All the best,
