It was a long and successful term at Healthy Identity. Along with our sister company, Tennis Canberra, we have very tired sport and health coaches. For our tennis coaches the Australian Open was kind to business with Canberrans flocking to the tennis courts over the hot Australian summer. I have to admit – I love what I do, however teaching in plus 40 degrees, 6 days a week, takes its toll at the end of the school term.
Unfortunately, after four to six hours on-court, the off-court management needs to be done and this is often in the early hours of the morning as prime time for sports coaches falls after office work hours.
Canberra has many small businesses in the health industry. Everyone wants to be a PT (personal trainer) or a nutritionist these days and I can assure you each small business owner has felt what I’m describing.
So what can be done to ease the physical, emotional and mental stress arising from business? Below are some pointers that can be used to reduce the chance of early business burnout.
Get enough sleep
Do not underestimate the power of sleep. Our body needs to physically recover before we can take on the mental and emotional stresses of coaching. If you have a client already secured you want to make sure they have the best experience under your watch and enough sleep will allow you to achieve this.
Carbohydrates are your friend
The extra physical workload will cause our blood sugar to drop (hypoglycaemia) and you may find yourself not making sense when delivering a program to a group or a client. Plan you meals/snacks and allow enough time between sessions to mentally recover (even if you think you can power on).
Trust face-to-face service, it is your best form of marketing and an outstanding session will go a long way in creating a sustainable program for you and your business.
The beauty of Canberra is how fast word of mouth travels. I know for a fact that our success at Tennis Canberra this summer was due to our reputation as having the best tennis services in the capital.
Get outside the work environment when you have a chance
When you have the chance, it’s a good idea for you and your employees to get out of the work environment so it doesn’t seem that work is a second home. I have a policy that every three weeks one staff member chooses an activity we all can participate in outside the work environment. This could be as simple as a dinner or a Sunday hike. Getting the little things right will keep everyone’s mind at ease and give everyone the chance to recover not just physically but most importantly emotionally – after all our emotions is what drives us each and every day.
I hope these tips help you and if you have need any more advice you can contact me during office hours (as I’ll be teaching during the early mornings and winter evenings). If you have any feedback or suggestions please get in touch and together we can build healthier communities
