Recharge Your Career and Your Business

by Andrea Mundie

December and January are months of celebrations for many cultures. While fun and full of happiness, it usually comes with a high degree of stress and anxiety. Striking a balance between family, friends, work, chief gift buyer, school activities for those with kids and add in kids being out of school for a chunk of time is overwhelming. It leaves many of us feeling like we don’t have a handle on our lives or with feelings of inadequacy.

But when we map out in bullet point form the volume of items we have running through our heads — the so called mental load — it can be staggering to review. This may give us the opportunity to afford ourselves the ability to see this not as a case of inadequacy but rather of extreme volume.

Being chaotically busy is an opportunity to make powerful observations about ourselves. First, we can reflect on what we chose to prioritize. What did we actually do, in what order, and how did we feel about the things we were doing? Taking stock of these things at the tail end of this period of time and on the cusp of a new year is valuable. Think about the feelings you had when you were in the throes of the items on your list. What energized you, what drained you, what did you procrastinate on and what did you prioritize? What did you not get done? Did anyone die as a result? Was it of any consequence? If the answer is no, why was this on your list? Take stock of the items you did out of obligation or guilt or habit.

For the stuff in the middle — the more benign tasks that needed doing, but didn’t energize, nor drain you - could these be outsourced, delegatedor post-poned to a less stressful time of year?

And always be aware that you can prioritize asking others to pitch in and lighten your load.

Now use this list to propel you forward into a new year. Clearly, there are things you need to reflect on why you do them. Perhaps counseling, or honest conversations with family and friends can help remove them from the list entirely. The things that excite and motivate you need to be the focus, and used as a theme going into the coming year.

For many of us, this is an opportune exercise to evaluate our current career. Whether we are a business owner, staying home or working for someone else, are you aligned with the priorities and focus you have identified as being things that excite and motivate you? If not, let's talk about how to take action and change.

If you own a business, go through the same exercise to create priorities and focus for yourself and your team on your business goals that align with your values and priorities. How many items in the middle can you move to others to help you focus on the things that grow your business? Look particularly at the things you identified you may be doing out of habit.

If you are currently in a job and have identified that going to work elsewhere isn’t igniting you, what on your list did? Is there a business opportunity related to this? Is the lack of flexibility a part of this list? Franchising affords the opportunity for those who love to build and work hard but can also grant flexibility. Find a great franchise consultant or broker such as Pillar of Franchising, who are agnostic to any one brand or industry. They are a great and freeto-you resource for identifying franchises that are a good fit for you. They will have an inventory of diverse opportunities they have vetted and can guide you through to support educated decision making.

Another option, if you are considering a franchise business or are at home and considering working outside the home, is working for a franchise system. This is an incredible opportunity to learn about the industry of franchising. And supporting franchisees is a wonderful and rewarding place to be. In many cases, work is remote as franchise systems, by nature, operate all over the country. The very nature of franchising also means that flexibility and working at odd times due to business cycles can work really well for you.

As a final thought, remember that we always have the option of making a change for ourselves. When we feel chaotically overscheduled, sometimes intentionally stopping and going through this simple exercise can help reset your mindset and help you map out what should be done, what you want to do, what you’ll never really need to do. And always be aware that you can prioritize asking others to pitch in and lighten your load.

Happy Holidays and here’s to an Ignited 2023!

About Andrea Mundie:

Andrea is the Principal of Coltivare Strategy, a Consultancy she founded to help businesses in the areas of Franchising, Retail, Cosmetics/ Beauty, Marketing and Strategic Planning in order to scale efficiently. She has worked with some of the best brands in Franchising, recently Massage Heights, and is currently Head of Marketing at Woven Brands. Andrea is the former CEO and President of skoah, a Vancouver based skin care company with locations in Canada and the US. She co-founded and co-owned skoah for 19 years, before exiting in January 2021. You can reach her at: andrea@coltivarestrategy.com