Starting and sustaining a business isn’t for the faint of heart, and it can take a lot of work to find success. New businesses (and established ones) require near-constant attention, and learning to balance work and life can be a difficult road for even the most organized among us.

One of the main reasons that so many people choose to start their own business is the idea that it’ll provide a kind of freedom that you will never find working for someone else. You can design your day your way and work on your own terms. It’s amazing, right? But so many of us don’t take advantage of the freedom we have when we need it, whether that’s due to an employee way of thinking or the mentality that you have to be operating at 100% effort 100% of the time.

When life gets tough, it’s important to take care of YOU. Your business won’t fail because you need to focus your attention elsewhere for a little while, and I’ve got some kick ass strategies to help you through.

Build work systems and automations

Imagine how much easier it would be to step away from your business momentarily knowing that you have already created work systems and automations that keep the flow going. You wouldn’t have to worry that emails aren’t getting sent or inquiries are getting ignored. You can relax with the knowledge that it’s already part of your work flow and requires little to no attention from you.

Not everything can be automated, but you’ll have the basics down so you can divert your leftover energy to things that really need to get done. You can free up some time to take care of your life things without feeling guilty that NOTHING is getting done. If you don’t already have a CRM in place, it’s definitely time to look into one. Both Honeybook and Dubsado are great options to check out when you’re ready.

And if you need a little extra help? It’s time to find your team.

Find a team for support

If you have a team that’s got your back, you can focus on things that matter more in the moment than your business when the going gets tough. Now, I’m not saying you need to hire a full staff and farm out tasks leaving you nothing to do on your own. I’m saying it’s important to find a few key players to support you when you need a little extra, and they can also help grow your business once things have settled by allowing you to think about scaling rather than running the day-to-day.

Hiring independent contractors is a great way to have help without taking on the responsibility of employees. Roles that so many small business owners find helpful are online business managers (heyooo), virtual assistants, bookkeepers, copywriters, and the list goes on. It all depends on what your business needs, and you don’t need to keep them working all the time. You can reach out to them as needed instead of having employees relying on you constantly.

Create a culture of compassion

It’s important to create a culture of compassion surrounding your small business. That means you should extend compassion to everyone around you. This includes your clients or customers, independent contractors, employees, and even yourself. If you have already established compassion in your workplace, you’ll have respect, appreciation, and gratitude too.

When you need to take a step back or maybe things are taking longer to get to clients then you anticipated, you already have a more meaningful and understanding relationship. Trust me, it’ll make everything go more smoothly. And I mean everything.

Make yourself a priority

Understand that you have a life outside of running your business, and that deserves your attention too. Be mindful about your needs, and when you feel like you need to take a break or focus on something else, do it. Your business is not going to implode just because you took a week off or cut back on some previously planned projects. Your personal life is important – YOU are the biggest priority and it’s time to start treating yourself as such.

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We live in a society that stresses the importance of our work above all else, but what kind of life does that create? One that’s full of stress and guilty feelings if you have to focus on something else for a while, and there’s no fun (or personal or professional growth) in that.

Relax, take a beat, and remember that things are going to work out. Your business is going to be okay. And most importantly, you’re going to be okay.

Let me know in the comments some strategies that you have for keeping your business going when life takes over!