Why I needed to take a break from my small business, and why you should too.

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While I highly doubt someone out there is on the edge of their seat because I’m writing a new blog post after two months off, but I’m glad to announce that I’m back. 

I’ve tried my best to be consistent with my blog posts over the last year. At first, I set the goal of three times a week. Then, I tried once a week. Finally, during the spring, I handled nearly one every other week, which started to feel like a struggle. 

Most of the time, it wasn’t because of a lack of content either. As a result, I have a few blog post ideas in my queue to write.

I simply felt too overwhelmed and unmotivated to write about anything.

So, I stopped. I needed to take a break with my small business so I could come back to a small business that I wanted to continue. Especially with the events of the past year, I had to stop and consider how to take a break that would grow my small business.

That being said, I kept in mind a saying: “If you get tired, learn to rest, not quit.” There are so many reiterations of this quote out there. Some encourage you to keep going and push through, but the thing is: I didn’t realize how I should keep ‘pushing though.’

I didn’t stop entirely with my business. I kept trying to make sales, interviewing with companies, and networking when I could. I made it a point to stop writing until I knew what I was passionate about. 

Over the last two months, I’ve done a lot of thinking, learning, and soul searching about what I’d like to do with my small business and how to reach my target audience. I’ve learned at least three things:

Break Resolution 1: Niche down my small business

Previously, I was focusing on small business owners. But, unfortunately, that’s a large demographic to cover. 

I knew my mission was to help them save time and help them with their marketing, but other than that, I was trying to appeal to too many people.

Not only was I spreading myself thin, but I was also confusing my customer by showing up for everyone and anyone. I wasn’t taking stock into what my business looked like to others and, thus, not helping them in the way I wanted.

If you have a broad target audience, you might take a break from your small business to further figure out who you would like to help. Look at your current target audience and what you would like to do in your business to further understand what direction you want to take your small business in.

Break Resolution 2: Restructure your small business model

There are times that you can quickly determine that you need to change what you are doing in your small business. Not who your targeting or what your mission is but how you are reaching those people.

I was constantly writing over the past year. I can write and consider it one of my better skills; however, I don’t enjoy doing it all the time. 

So while I was taking my break, I wrote out what I was doing. I knew some things would need to stay or that I wanted to keep within my business plan and process. But, I realized maybe there could be new ways of doing things while still retaining some of my methods.

Eventually, I decided to change the amount of content I produced rather than altogether remove it from my business model.

Taking a step back to re-evaluate where I was devoting my time and energy helped me see where I could grow in my business.

Break Resolution 3: Learning new skills

I hardly consider myself an expert in everything when it comes to my small business. Whether that means marketing, finances, or anything in between. 

There are many times when I start things, only to realize I shouldn’t be doing it the way I’ve been or that there is an easier way to get things done. I’ll pick up a book, listen to a podcast, watch a video or even talk with another professional and have to start somewhat all over again.

While I’ve been taking my break from my small business, I grabbed some reading material. This is far from uncommon for me as my to-read list is very long. Still, I focused on a few areas to improve my small business, like my Instagram engagement.

It might take some time to learn different aspects of your small business that are not on your list of expert skill sets. Likewise, as you progress in your small business, you should set aside some time to educate yourself about weaker skill sets.

As I was taking a break from my small business, I had to remember to relax. I have high hopes for my small business but know it will take time to grow it to reach my expectations. 

I also kept reminding myself that I was going at a comfortable pace for my life. Some small businesses can be done in a month, but others might take a year or two to develop profitably. 

Remember to take time for yourself and know you’ll need time to develop as you grow your small business. Be kind to yourself and your expectations.