Roller Coaster Survival Checklist

How to Prevent Burnout?

Last week, while chatting with a white-collar senior executive and angel investor friend of mine, he mentioned that the team in one of his ventures no longer wanted to continue, they threw in the towel, and they now wanted to either sell or end their company, no matter what.

Entrepreneurship is a challenging, adventurous journey. It is often compared to roller coasters in amusement parks. A roller coaster ride can cause a wide range of emotions such as excitement, fear, anxiety, astonishment, and even a sense of successfully completing the journey.

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The entrepreneurial journey may not always be as fun and exciting as a roller coaster. You need to be prepared for a challenging adventure that will last a long time. You don't even start entrepreneurship to get somewhere. It is not a wealth train; it may resemble the trains in India where people hang from every part. You do it despite everything, not by receiving support from here and there. When you tell those around you about this journey, you embark on a path where they will call you a moron but smile at your face.

According to research, only one or two out of 10 ventures provide significant returns to venture capital investors, while others fail. Failure rates of early-stage entrepreneurs are between 75% and 90% in the research. Imagine, you are getting on a roller coaster in an amusement park, and they say there is a 10-25% chance of returning. How many people would call this fun and form long queues at the door?

The secret to successfully completing the entrepreneurial journey in real life is related to understanding and managing whether variables such as the depth, frequency, and total duration of ups and downs will cause your exhaustion.

I had spoken with my friend, who I chatted with last week, when he first invested in this venture. Both he and the entrepreneurs were very excited. They believed they would achieve incredible things. As with all entrepreneurs. I guess after 4-5 years, the team couldn't stand these ups and downs and got exhausted. While I was drinking green tea and he was drinking coffee, I understood that the team had experienced many ups and downs during this journey. All employees experience similar situations from time to time throughout their work life, but facing such situations for a long time can lead to burnout syndrome and failure of ventures.

Deep and frequent fluctuations in both work and personal life can be exhausting and ultimately lead to psychological decline. If entrepreneurs can effectively manage these variables, they build resilience and increase their chances of long-term success. As founders of ventures, if you recognize the interaction between work and personal life, you can navigate better by watching the scenery on this emotional journey and maintain your mental and physical health throughout the process.

Each entrepreneur has a different tolerance for the ups and downs of this journey, which makes resilience a crucial factor in managing the roller coaster ride.

For resilience and successfully navigating the entrepreneurial roller coaster, founders need to pay attention to emotional control, mental health, and physical health. By focusing on physical, mental, and emotional resilience, entrepreneurs can better manage the ups and downs of the entrepreneurial journey, regardless of their depths, frequencies, or durations.

Just as marathon runners must train to build endurance and regulate their breathing, entrepreneurs must maintain and improve their mental and physical health to overcome challenges during their journey. Although I am not an expert in this field, I would like to suggest some methods that I have applied myself. Entrepreneurs should place great importance on preserving their health to prevent burnout. Here is my list and the practices I apply:

1- Physical and mental well-being:

• Spend quality time with family

• Maintain physical health

• Regular daily walks

• Consistent 7-8 hours of sleep

• Transition to plant-based diet

• Avoid harming animals, become vegan

• Avoid harmful substances like alcohol, cigarettes, and sugar

2- Personal growth and learning:

• Stay curious, lifelong learning, and constantly educate myself. Read a lot and explore different topics. Learn new subjects and focus on growth-oriented thinking

• Listen to audio books during daily walks

• I am learning how to create sketchnotes and practicing basic doodle drawing.

• Socialize with a close group of 5-10 people regularly and discuss various topics

3- Minimalism and setting boundaries:

• Stay away from toxic people

• Say "no" and don't commit to unwanted things

• Avoid social media and daily news consumption

• Practice Zero Inbox and digital minimalism

• Take regular breaks. Rest regularly throughout the day and year.

• Embrace minimalism, getting rid of unnecessary clutter

• Detach from unchangeable matters and avoid stress

• Celebrate small achievements

• Set goals, but focus on the journey, not just the destination

• (Planned) Create a support and mentor network, establish a close circle to share your concerns.

The entrepreneurs my friend had invested in were burnt out. Perhaps if the founders had supported each other or had a good board of management/advisors to guide them, they could have overcome this. It is quite difficult to motivate them again and return to the high energy levels they had at the beginning of the business. Now they, too, have gained experience like the other 90%. After a wonderful conversation with my friend, we agreed to meet again.

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