How do you differentiate between burnout and a business that's truly failing? We need to differentiate because there are many companies that go through severe downturns where they’re hemorrhaging money, and most people have left. But those who see an opportunity, objectively evaluate what they did wrong, and still have the fire in their belly to go through the storm will weather it. If you’re at a point where you realize it isn't just burnout, and you don’t want it anymore, you have to go. No amount of powering through it is going to get you there.
What were the biggest reasons you had to shut down your business? I had to shut down my business, Zazuu, for two reasons. Number one was financial loss, because we had adopted the model of building the valuation of the company, which relies so much on outside investment. Number two, which was the biggest one, was the financial obligation. You're losing money in your books, and you can't pay your staff or the rent. It’s a very stressful position to be in.
I'm a solo entrepreneur and feel like I don't have the time to plan for the future. What should I do? Running a business is like going to school; you never stop learning. You have to constantly think about what you can do to optimize operations so that you have enough time to think about tomorrow. A lot of times, it's because we refuse to educate ourselves on what we need to do to actually be innovative so that we're not solely focused on operation.
Watch the full episode at https://youtu.be/v_x50cgcQwI
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