What is the first thing you think of when you hear the word “sustainability”? You might think of ecology, natural resources and waste sorting. For me, sustainability is all about how we work with our energy. A sustainable business is one that we can do for years. Without burning out, getting health problems or falling down with fatigue. The goal is not to survive, but to do business in a way that makes sense and brings us satisfaction in the long run.

Sustainability is not a weakness, but the key to long-term enjoyment. Of course, there are and will be times in life when the only option is to just grit your teeth and get busy. For example, when you have an important campaign, are planning a big event, or when your workload collides with, say, a family member’s illness, a move, or some other challenging life event. But such periods of time should be counted in weeks at most. Not months or even years. And they should ideally be followed by sufficient rest.

How to spot an unsustainable business

There can be a number of signals. And they can be divided into several categories – financial, energetic and personal and relational.

Financial indicators:

  • You have high costs, so you’re either subsidizing your business with savings or other work, or you feel pressured to maintain a high income at all costs.
  • Your prices are set so low that they don’t cover your time or expenses, leaving you with no money to build up reserves and a financial cushion.
  • Your income is erratic, unstable and unplannable, or it is overwhelmingly from one customer.
  • Your numbers are chaotic, you don’t know exactly how much you are making from each service, and which activities are bringing in any money at all.

Energy metrics:

  • You feel tired and exhausted, sleep poorly, gain or lose weight, and various health complications (digestive problems, high blood pressure, headaches and back pain, eczema and hives, etc.)
  • You lose joy and motivation, even when you are doing work you love.
  • You feel like you’re all alone, with no processes, technology or co-workers to lean on and trust.

Personal and relational indicators:

  • Business takes center stage in your life, you don’t have time for family, friends, or yourself.
  • You neglect your health or basic needs because of your work, you eat irregularly and do not get regular exercise.
  • You have a constant feeling of guilt or pressure that you are doing too little or wrong.
  • You doubt that your work has any value.

More is not always more

Many people leave jobs and corporations to escape the rat race. They start a business, however, and after a few years find that the scenery may be different, but the race has remained. Get a foothold in the market. Start a business. Stabilize the company. Make their first million. We fixate on the future and convince ourselves that we just need to do one more campaign and we’ll be fine.

According to popular saying, entrepreneurs are the only people willing to work 80 hours a week just so they don’t have to work the employee 40. So it’s no surprise that burnout syndrome, or situations approaching it, are also quite common among entrepreneurs.

The pressure is usually created by the Ego

The ego is our conscious self. It is the part of our personality that determines how we behave, what we prefer and how we relate to the outside world. At the same time, our fears, habits, ideas and expectations are reflected in it. And also the various traumas and injuries we carry with us.

Unsustainable business usually comes from the ego, which pushes us to do more. And dealing with how our business looks on the outside. But underneath the carefully maintained facade is a deep-seated sense of lack and inadequacy.

The way out of this, in my opinion, is not to try to suppress or sideline the ego. But to realize that it’s happening. To connect with your soul and gradually heal the sense of lack in you.

There’s no shame in not growing.

According to the traditional view of business, the goal is always to grow. To increase sales. To make a little more each year than the year before. To add more employees or associates. Enter new markets. Open new branches and expand. But what if there are other ways?

You don’t necessarily have to grow in numbers. Even if you have the same sales as last year, you can grow personally. Gain new experiences, develop as a person. Achieve the same results in less time. Deepen and improve your service. Seek (and find) a balance between work and play. Or simply to enjoy more time off and time with loved ones. Not to mention that even with declining turnover, you can have increasing profits.

How to set up a sustainable business

The first step to a sustainable business may surprise you. It’s getting out of survival mode and anchoring yourself in your own body. Only then can you follow up with other things like goals, pricing or collaboration.

Calm your nervous system

Kate Northrup has a mantra for this: body first, business second. The main principle is to listen to your body and stop trying to push its needs over your head. Get into the habit of paying attention to your body’s needs. It knows when it needs a break, food, rest or hydration.

The next step is to start consciously calming your nervous system, which keeps us in survival mode.

What works?

  • Lying or sitting, place your right hand on your stomach and your left hand on your heart. Close your eyes and just breathe for a while.
  • Do breathing exercises. The best known and easiest is called box breathing. Breathe in for 4 periods, hold your breath for 4 periods, breathe out for 4 periods and hold again for 4 periods.
  • Meditate. There are plenty of recordings and apps on the internet to help you get started.
  • Replenish your body with beneficial substances. This could be magnesium, B vitamins, but also Bach essences or Dr. Schüssler salts. It makes sense to consult a professional about what your body needs specifically.
  • Find music that improves your mood and makes you feel calm and safe. And play it every day.
  • Try EFT – Emotional Freedom Techniques.

Get clear on what you want

In my experience, sustainability is also supported by connecting with your mission. When you know what your life mission is, it’s easier to choose from a variety of activities that are related to it. It’s also much less of a hassle to reject things that go in a different direction.

So try to articulate your mission, goals and objectives as precisely as possible. (I often help clients with this in consultations.) It also helps to define your own measure of “sufficiency” – how many clients, money, time on the job is enough to keep you happy and comfortable.

Set boundaries

Do you have working hours? Most entrepreneurs don’t even think about such a thing. Tomas Vachuda, in his book Časotvorba (Time – creation), recommends setting clear times each day when you work and when you are “off”.

When you start to get good at sticking to a time frame, try to start noticing other things that are “over the line” for you. Don’t want to work on the weekend? Don’t like to be interrupted on the phone? Are there things your customers want you to do that you don’t want to do? Write them down somewhere. And think about what you can do to stop getting into situations like this.

Use price as a tool

A rather ingenious way to put your boundaries into practice is to work with price. You don’t have to tell anyone that you’re not doing something. Just “stick” a high enough price tag on it. The client can decide for themselves if it’s worth it or not.

You can regulate your evening and weekend work by introducing an express surcharge. You can also influence a lot of other things with pricing – which clients you want to work for, what they have to buy, when they have to sign up for your programs, or how they have to pay.

Trust and delegate

As an entrepreneur, you may be the center of your business, but that doesn’t mean you have to be on your own. Many tasks can be delegated to co-workers. This gives you more time and energy for strategic planning and personal development.

The second thing is to trust the Universe. Set a clear intention and then learn to step back. A lot of things often turn out better than you planned.

Photo Kelly Sikkema, Unsplash