How to Overcome the Mental Load as a Beauty Business Owner.

By Kara Lehmann

Many of us begin our journey running a beauty business with a kit full of tools, a heart full of hope and a beautiful vision for our future. We dream of flexibility and time freedom.

While being a Beauty Business Owner is one of the most rewarding career paths you can take (but let’s be honest, we’re biased!) It also comes with its challenges - especially if you are a Mum.

Often business can be unpredictable, which means the mental load can vary and can sometimes be extremely high and other times more balanced. So, what tends to cause this?

LACK OF TIME

Can you relate?

The demands of the modern-day business owner and in particular the modern-day Mum, can be a lot. Now I know that I may not be speaking to everyone with this reference, but I think with our industry being predominantly women - it’s an important topic of conversation.

Not only is your business now needing you to keep up with the ‘Boss Tasks’ like marketing, admin, social media, content creation, human resource management, business development (the list goes on and on) - it’s also needing you to don your apron and get back on the tools.

Now let’s then throw in the role of Motherhood. From waking in the morning to the moment your head hits the pillow at night, you’re constantly ‘on’. There are many people to care for and tasks on your to-do lists.

And while this can be fun and full of love and joy - it can also be exhausting and it’s absolutely challenging on your mental health.

Many of the Beauty Business Owners I speak with, and support are feeling stretched and overwhelmed when it comes to the day-to-day operations of their businesses.

Worst of all, their profits aren’t moving upwards because their energy, as the leader, is being torn in a million different directions.

Firstly, I want you to take a deep breath and give yourself a pat on the back. You are doing an incredible job - celebrate that!

Secondly, I want to tell you that I have a solution (is that a collective sigh of relief I hear?!)

There is an easy way for you to reclaim your time, step back into taking care of your core Boss Babe job tasks, and increase your joy in both business and life!

I have two words …

Yes, outsourcing is the answer to all your ‘HELP ME FIND MORE TIME!’ business and #Mumlife prayers.

As you well know, a business has lots of cogs that need to turn in order for it to run smoothly. It’s exactly the same with a family! One of the issues I see is that Beauty Business Owners feel like they need to be the one responsible for keeping all these cogs turning. My friend, you don’t.

In fact, the most successful and joyful Business Owners I know are the ones who acknowledge that they can’t do everything alone, and willingly put their hand up for help.

I want this success and joy for you too!

So, let’s start by getting clear on what outsourcing actually is…

Put simply, I think of outsourcing as getting other people to do the things that I don’t have time for, don’t enjoy doing or just aren’t in my zone of genius. It’s the ability to reduce your mental load and prioritize YOU!

We can outsource LOTS of things in both our personal and professional lives …I mean do you really need to do that pile of ironing?

From meal prep, laundry, and school runs, to social media, business systems and email management - there is someone out there who will do just about anything that you don’t want to do (thank goodness!)

I want to pause here and address the obvious question that may be planting itself in your head right now …

“Yes Kara, I’d love to get more support in my business or life … but funds are low!”

I get it but here’s the thing …

Outsourcing and bringing on support actually allows you to stay in YOUR zone of genius as the leader at the helm of your business. This in itself helps you to bring more money through the door!

No longer will your time, energy and skills be stretched to their limits, you’ll be able to focus solely on doing the things that are going to generate more revenue and keep your business growth moving on upwards.

You’ll also find those late nights while the kids are tucked up in bed become a thing of the past and you start to create more time freedom for yourself and your family.

It seems backwards - that investing in support could actually make you more money - but I’ve seen it happen time and time and time again. Even reducing the load and outsourcing your meals to your Mum or Grandmother can have a ripple effect.

I know it can feel scary to take that leap, but it’s a jump that needs to be traversed if you want your business to have its greatest chance at long term success.

Not only will outsourcing help you to reduce your stress, but it can help with the flow on effects such as depression, anxiety, and overall mental wellbeing. I also want to reassure you that you’re not alone if you do experience any of these. Business can sometimes feel like a rollercoaster. One minute you’re flying high and the next you’re at your lowest of lows. You are not alone. There are some fantastic tools out there to help support business owners such as places like Beyond Blue who has a specific small business owner mental health program.

I want to add here that there is no right or wrong time to start your journey to reduce the mental load... Our businesses can benefit from support at all stages of our journey, it’s simply a case of getting clear on the right support for us and where to find it.

The best outsourcing experiences and outcomes happen when you take the time to find the perfect person/people to support you. Sometimes they can already be right in front of you waiting for you to ask them for help.

Wishing you and your business all the success in the world!

Kara Lehmann The Beauty Boss VA & Mentor @kara_thebeautybossva www.thebeautybossva.com