Picture the scene: it’s 2020 and there’s mass hysteria because we’re in the throws of the pandemic. I’ve just started a brand new job (at a magazine) and moved to a new city (Belfast) for an exciting fresh start.
But less than two weeks into the job, my future is looking shaky. The country is put into lockdown and my job hangs in the balance.
I can’t say the pandemic was the catalyst for starting my business (it was always a ‘someday’ goal), but it certainly sped the process along. The uncertainty prompted a company shake-up and meant the scope of my role significantly changed.
My mental health deteriorated and by November 2020 I came to the difficult decision to quit. I gave my notice on a Friday and started my business on a Monday, with just a few good contacts and a will to succeed.
It was do or die.
My desk at my former job as senior editor exec at a glossy magazine
The road to burnout
What followed was a year of incredibly hard work and perhaps one of the steepest learning curves I’ve ever been on. I quickly realised just how competitive the world of freelance writing is, and soon discovered that I couldn’t simply let my decade of experience in journalism speak for itself.
I became best friends with the hustle. (And by best friends, I mean it was the kind of friendship where two people spend all of their time together but secretly hate one another.)
Your talents will only get you so far. It is your ability to market your talents that really makes the difference
Two things became immediately clear to me during this early phase of my business. One, your talents will only get you so far. It is your ability to market your talents that really makes the difference. And two, trying to do it all alone is virtually impossible.
And yet, I persisted. I worked every hour I could and I thought about my business morning noon and night.
When the cost of living crisis came along and magazines were folding left, right, and centre, and clients were hanging on to their budgets a little more tightly, I simply worked all the harder.
At this point, I should add that there were incredible highs along the way.
I landed copywriting projects with businesses like The Head Plan and Harley Therapy, scored bylines with Grazia, Stylist, Well+Good, Healthline, and loads more, and wrote transformative content for so many wonderful health and wellness brands that are still my clients to this day.
I felt I was really making a difference.
A fresh start as a health and wellness copywriter
The turning point
But by February 2023 it became clear that how I was working wasn’t doing me any favours. Since starting my business, I realised I’d been operating in fight or flight mode.
I’d barely stopped to take a breath and my mental health had taken a hit. I was writing about health and wellness, but my own health and wellness was in tatters — and the irony wasn’t lost on me.
For the first time since I launched, I took a step back. I started to give myself some time off. I got out during the week (during working hours, no less) to catch up with friends.
I started seeing a therapist for the first time so I could work on some of the issues I have around perfectionism, imposter syndrome, and overwork.
I leaned on the people who love and support me no matter what. And slowly, bit by bit, the sun started to shine again.
Ideas started to flow, I began to see a new path forward, and I realised I couldn’t do it all alone — and nor did I have to.
I thought about all the wonderful feedback I’d received from clients over the years and I realised that if they could call in support so could I.
I thought about all the wonderful feedback I’d received from clients over the years. (“You’ve given me back my free time again!!” “I was feeling so overwhelmed but your support has changed everything.”)
And I realised that if they could call in support so could I. I already had an accountant to do my bookkeeping and tax returns (because I’m a writer and numbers are not my forte!) but I knew I needed more.
I hired an agency to design my website, knowing the headache it would cause if I tried to do it myself. I enlisted the support of a fantastic graphic designer (my former colleague at STELLAR Magazine, Katie Gilligan) and eventually, I made the ultimate power move and hired a mentor.
I knew I needed someone to help me with all those burning business queries that I simply couldn’t figure out alone.
Finding my self-employed sweet spot
It’s been transformative. The time off and the outside support have meant that I now have a business that supports my mental health.
I’m able to operate in my zone of genius again and do the things I’m really good at. I look forward to sitting down at my desk every day and working my magic so other business owners can feel supported and empowered too.
So if you’ve been feeling burned out in business and weighed down by those tasks you don’t particularly enjoy, consider this your sign to call in the support you need.
Give yourself permission to outsource and allow yourself the breathing space you need.
Working for yourself can be tricky. It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking everything will fall down around you if you take a break or let someone else handle some of the spinning plates.
But taking that time for yourself is essential — and I’m proof that allowing other professionals to support you is how you do that.
Want to create breathing space in your business as you scale? Out-sourcing is a great way to do that!
Let me take the stress of copy and content creation off your already over-flowing plate so you can win back some of your free time and peace of mind — and make more sales!
Ready? Get in touch below.
