“I’m definitely someone who thrives in chaos. I love to work. I love to create.” This is what Carol Roth told me a few years ago. Does this sound like you? 

It probably does. 

Entrepreneurs often say that they thrive in the fast-paced world of growing a business. They like the adrenaline rush of making decisions and moving quickly. It’s exciting and stimulating. 

There is the ego gratification of being needed in your business, which can feel pretty good. And also the fear of losing control if you delegate responsibilities, which can lead you to doing too much in your business.

That is a recipe for overworking and burnout. 

“The Untold Toll: The impact of stress on the well-being of startup founders and CEOs,” a global study of over 400 startup founders and CEOs to determine the impact of entrepreneurship on mental health, released in April 2023 by Startup Snapshot, found the majority – 72% of founders – stated that their mental health was impacted by their business, with those surveyed reporting: 44% high stress, 37% anxiety, 36% burnout, 13% depression, and 10% panic attacks.

Yes, you are important – maybe even crucial – for the success of your business. But does that mean you can’t (or shouldn’t) take time off from your business? Absolutely not!

Many (most?) of us limped into 2023, beaten down by years of the pandemic and economic uncertainty. Self-care has never been more critical, even as unplugging from our devices and businesses seems to be getting more difficult. 

Carol Roth didn’t take vacations for a long time, but now she prioritizes time away with her husband above everything else.

Our egos can love being needed, but our bodies and minds need to get away from time to time to chill out and recharge.

I promise that you will not be able to envision creative solutions, innovate, or serve your clients well if you are exhausted and completely stressed out.

We all need time away from our business. It’s quite likely that you can set things up so you can have a real vacation. In this video, Carol shares what she does to ensure she doesn’t come back to a hot mess that negates all the benefits of the vacation.

Photo by Chen Mizrach on Unsplash