Rising above Hustle Culture

At Flourish Media, we aren’t strangers to the hustle. Sometimes the only way to reach your goals is to put in extra hours and make your business a priority over your social life. But constant hustle is a one-way ticket to burnout. Hustle culture seems to glorify busyness to the point of toxicity and can make us feel like we always need to be “on.” As the CEO of your business and life you get to call the shots and create boundaries around your work and personal life. Running a business does not have to take over your life. The whole reason you started your business was to have freedom–not be confined to your desk all day.  Our blog series on preventing burnout this month is designed to help you get a game plan for improving your health, wealth and peace of mind from a place of ease. 

We can’t think of an entrepreneur who does this better than Zakiyaa Jada. Zakiyaa is the owner of Phlare Lashes and winner of our small business grant from AlphaGraphics, which provided her with a ticket to this year’s Flourish Media Conference. Zakiyaa knows how to hustle with intention. Phlare Lashes is a mobile eye lash studio–traveling to each client’s location to provide daring lashes and an unforgettable look. 

This unique business model puts Phlare Lashes in demand and the fact that Zakiyaa is a mother of three requires her to create boundaries to prevent burnout. Juggling motherhood and business ownership gives many women a unique perspective on creating solutions for building a business that truly embraces freedom. 

Zakiyaa is an example of how important it is to feel supported in your industry or at home in order to operate your business from a full cup. One of the hardest things to do is to bring a vision into reality because it takes consistent, focused action. Focusing on how much there is to do in a single day can create overwhelm and frustration. Instead of looking at what’s still left on your to-do list at the end of the day, don't judge yourself for thinking you have to work 24 hours a day to make your dreams come true. It’s normal for entrepreneurs to carry the weight of their vision and the realities of their day to day responsibilities into every decision that they make. If you’re on the verge of burnout then decision fatigue is a real thing. And trust us, operating your business from this space will not get you ahead. 

As a small business owner you have two responsibilities and that’s one to solve a problem and then two to educate your ideal client why you are the best solution to that problem. You might be reading this article trying to figure out how you’re going to juggle your personal life and professional life. If so, here are some tips for freeing yourself from hustle culture and creating balance in your life and business: 

Be Proactive with your Calendar 

Do you find that you are reactive to calls and client requests and end up saying yes to things outside office hours? Be sure to create a calendar in advance of the week where you can schedule time for personal errands, workouts, morning routines, lunch breaks and beauty or wellness treatments. If you plan your personal time in advance it’s easier to create boundaries and say no when unexpected requests or events come up. You can use calendar schedule apps such as Acuity or Calendly and send a link to clients for scheduling calls within your availability. 

Focus on gains 

What you focus on you create more of. Are you focused on what you didn’t get done? Are you obsessing over your revenue goals from a place of scarcity? Change your mindset by focusing on the progress you’ve made and the goals you’ve hit. It’s more important to show up with the right mindset for 30 hours a week in your business than work 80 hours from a place of stress or negativity. 

Give up the Guilt 

Normalize working less and give up the guilt when taking those much needed breaks. Ask yourself where the pressure comes from to do more and spend some time journaling or meditating on that question. Often our patterns are rooted in experiences from our childhood in which we were conditioned to perform in order to gain acceptance or validation. When you can observe yourself and subconscious patterns, it’s easier to let go and enjoy the moment. 

Support Zakiyaa and other business women like her by attending CurlFriends Expo, a natural hair and beauty expo in West Palm Beach on July 30. Flourish Media will have a booth where you can connect with other ladies from our tribe. Plan to connect with us and other local businesses from our tribe at the expo.