Latest / The SmallBizChat with Melinda Emerson / How Getting Rest Can Grow Your Business with Alyson Caffrey

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How Getting Rest Can Grow Your Business with Alyson Caffrey · The SmallBizChat with Melinda Emerson

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3, 2, 1, 0, ignition.
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Lift off.
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Ending small business failure.
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Welcome to the small biz chat podcast with the number 1 small business expert, Melinda
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Emerson.
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Melinda's goal is to end small business failure, and she'll give you the information
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you need succeed and live the life you dream of.
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Now here's your host, the small Biz chat lady herself, Melinda Emerson.
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Have you subscribed to the small bizchett podcast?
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Well, it's time every Wednesday we offer listeners bite sized actionable tips to start
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and grow a successful small business.
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And just 20 minutes or so a week you can get a ton of insight and resources to propel your
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business forward.
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Be sure to subscribe to the small beachhead podcast today.
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Hi, everybody.
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I'm Melinda Emerson, the small biz lady.
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America's number one small business expert And I'm so excited to welcome you to a special
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edition of small fish chat live.
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So we have an amazing show in store for you.
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Today.
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How about we all could benefit from getting more rest?
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Well, guess what?
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Your business can benefit from you getting more rest too.
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So we're gonna talk with the author of the new book, the sabbatical method.
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Now it's time for me to introduce my guest, Emerson Caffrey.
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She's a small business operations spread strategist and the best selling author and
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founder of the operations agency.
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She's best known for helping streamline brands She's best known for helping Streamline Brands
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back in operation and using her operation simplified framework to unleash the power of
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small teams.
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Emerson is committed to using her experience growing businesses and streamlining operation
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to help parent Panor's kid proves their businesses and live family focused live.
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She's also the author of the new book, the sabbatical method, And she's here to tell us
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all about it.
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For more information, head over to operations agency dotcom.
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Allison, welcome to the small business chat podcast.
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Melinda, I am so excited to be here.
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Thank you so much for having me.
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It's always honestly humbling still to see someone who holds the book up.
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I just can't believe it.
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Well, as someone who's written a book or 2, I I get it.
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You do get excited.
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So tell us your backstory.
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How in the world did you become an operation strategist?
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Yeah.
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So I actually always say I'm a little bit of an accidental entrepreneur.
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I was super, super great at organizing things behind the scenes, making businesses feel a
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little bit more efficient, and kind of being, I always said the sweaty generalist behind the
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scenes.
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I was just the gal that could come behind the scenes and get things done.
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And so when I started working for myself, it was kind of accidental.
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Folks were Can you please help me just understand all the moving pieces of projects
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and paying people on time and finding new talent and all the the unsexy stuff behind the
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scenes of the company.
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And so I actually sent my very first invoice while I was studying for LSAC courses.
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I had no intention of becoming a business owner.
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And then all of a sudden, here I was leading folks through some of the most, you know,
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hectic growth seasons of their business.
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And I was like, maybe I have enough for this.
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That's awesome.
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That's awesome.
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So tell me what inspired you to explore the relation chip between rest and business growth.
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Yeah.
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So this is this is a tough one.
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There have been several different experiences that I've had over working with companies side
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by side over the last 7 years.
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So the first really big jarring one was the birth of my first son, Frank.
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And I was about 3 years into running operations agency and became a mom.
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And if anybody listening is currently a mom and running their own company, you have to say
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goodbye to your first baby being your business, and you need to up rate it.
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You need to find great capable people who can be with it, who can take care of it, make sure
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that your clients are totally taken care of.
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And that was my first really, really solid brush with understanding that actually my
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business could function a lot better if I wasn't always in the way.
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There were great people with wonder full ideas, leaders in my organization that rose up through
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that experience.
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The second really, really big big experience I had was I was approached by a client in late
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2021 who had suffered a ton of physical health issues.
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And it wasn't because She was, you know, completely, it wasn't just a complete shock to
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her.
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It was because over time, she had spent more time focused on her business.
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Than she did her own personal health.
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She had advanced lipodymium, and her doctor told her that if she didn't lie down to pumperl
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lymphatic system, every 4 hours or so, she actually would end up being hospitalized.
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So she came to me in a dire moment of need and said, Ally, I have to take a sabbatical from my
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business.
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And I don't know what I'm gonna do.
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She was an executive coach.
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She, her speaking, was really her big bread and butter, so she really needed to be physically
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there in her business.
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And we worked together to create an excellent plan for her, and her business ended up better
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because of it.
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Her relationship with her team ended up better because of it, and it really inspired me to
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consider that if you have incredible operations behind the scenes, people that feel nurtured
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and they understand what their contribution is.
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It's actually really common that the founder isn't totally necessary inside of the business,
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and we don't have to burn the candle at both ends in the middle and continue down that path
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of hustling and growth, it's not actually going to get us to the next stage of, you know,
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business development that we want.
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And so I had so many different, experiences with this.
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And I do know, and I practice this for myself now because, you know, business owners, it's so
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hard to step out of your own way and take time off of your business.
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And I found that some of the best business owners that stay in business the longest have
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this really figured out.
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They prioritize their They prioritize time to lead, you know, and and create a vision for
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what's next for the company.
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So tell us what is this medical method?
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Yeah.
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So I like to think I redefined the term sabbatical a little bit.
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So sabbatical is a cadence of rest.
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And whether you are overdue, and you really need a hard stop and you need to kind of really
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just take a break from your business, or if you just need to implement rest more consistently,
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something like closing your computer at 5 PM, or dare I say taking the full weekend off
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without checking your email, we can Melinda shrink this medical method or expand it to the
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level that we want.
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I've seen folks take 3 months off from the business and go hiking.
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I've seen and prepared moms take maternity leaves from their business.
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And actually spend some time at home with their families.
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I'm actually currently running a cohort for a go slow summer with our kiddos, and we can let
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go to the beach and do all the things.
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So sabbatical can actually be defined however it is necessary for you and your business right
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now.
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I know that some of us, especially in those early stage startups, we can't even fathom
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taking 3 months off, but we can start to build that muscle early on and not let our business
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creep into our life.
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So much so that we pick our head up 6 months, 10 years later, and we wonder, why did we just
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ignore our personal health?
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Why did we ignore our personal relationships?
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You know, I think becoming a leader inside of your company and leading lots of folks really
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depends on oftentimes our personal health, our mental health, how clearly we feel, how
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passionately we feel that pours into our people so wholeheartedly, our clients, our teammates,
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our partners, if we're looking for any sort of growth in the company.
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So I find that sabbatical is both the cadence of rest and the preparation for larger stents
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of really getting above your business and looking at what that next step is.
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So
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okay.
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I hear you, but a lot of times, the reason why people work so and businesses is because
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they're not properly capitalized.
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They don't have any staff.
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They are an army of 1.
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So what is your advice for this person when when in fact, you know, that's 80% of the small
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businesses out here are are solopreneurs working out of the back of their house.
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So so how does this sabbatical method work if you're that person?
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Yeah.
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It's an excellent question.
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And I think Oftentimes, we think that just because we are solo, it means that we don't
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have access to help.
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And that's a super dangerous place to come from because then emotionally, physically, mentally,
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we think that everything rests on our shoulders, our business success rests on our
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shoulders.
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And though in many ways it does, There are so many ways to have collaborators inside of our
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business.
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So that's number 1 is recognizing that you're not alone.
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There are coaches.
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There are mentors.
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There are communities like these where you can come in.
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You can get some support and even pouring into your business in this way and setting aside
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some time to learn to educate That is a form of rest in my opinion, right, really getting out
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of the weeds of your company and figuring out, okay, I'm gonna just download this information
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or I'm gonna go be still with myself for a second.
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To know what the next best step is for me.
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So I always say for my solo printers, do not let your business creep beyond the lines of
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your calendar.
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And what that means is If you are really supportive in structuring your day to close
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your computer at 5 or not check your email over the weekends, you will not create not create a
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business that actually needs more of your time than it's supposed to need.
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And I think that's one of the reasons why we get so hung up in those early stage years.
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Where we're maybe solo or we have a handful of contractors supporting us, you know, kind of
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part time.
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And then we work 80 hours a week, and then we never stop working 80 hours a week.
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So if we get to a certain point and we can start to exercise that muscle of saying no,
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actually, it can wait until tomorrow.
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It'll show our families that they mean the world to us.
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It'll show ourselves.
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Right?
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We can share, you know, our wins with our family and our friends.
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We can focus on our mental health, our physical health, all of those things, and it will end up
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creating a better business in the long run because nobody wants to build a business that
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just saturates all of their time.
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They want to be able to enjoy some of the things that they're creating and some of the
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difference that they're making with their companies.
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I don't think anyone intends to go to business like that.
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Let me let me let me just say that.
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But where how do boundaries in in self discipline play a role in creating, you know,
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more balance for entrepreneurs?
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Yeah.
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Boundaries are absolutely huge.
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And, you know, I actually learned this mostly by becoming a mom truly is just communicating
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with folks not only what is not for you, but also what is and what you need help with.
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So I think it's actually kind of a double edged, sword here or almost a balancing act if
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you will.
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Just as much as you need to determine, okay, this is my boundary.
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I'm not gonna work past 5.
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You also can just say, hey, listen, the things that I am gonna do in this time are y, and z,
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and I need help in the z area.
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So I think oftentimes business owners, because there's so many ways we can grow our company,
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because there's so many different things we can do, We often get a proverbial shiny object
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syndrome.
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And so we try to chase every single thing at one time, and that's what contributes to this
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overworked and 80 hours a week, 90 hours a week.
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And so if we can actually set up those boundaries, it does make our plate proverbially
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smaller.
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And so only the things that for us can get on that to market, but you're not doing just one
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well.
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Imagine if you created the boundary to shut your computer at 5 and not work the weekends
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and you created the boundary and you said, okay.
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What's the best thing we're doing our marketing right now.
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And that was the only thing that was able to stay on your plate.
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You could 10 x the outcome of that by just focusing on one thing, and I personally believe
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rest and sabbatical create the forcing function for that.
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They force us to determine what is most important, what are we actually getting the
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most return on investment from with our time, with our capital, whatever that looks like, and
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really, really, again, refine and define how we operate.
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How does prioritize a rest
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Like, how can you incorporate rest into your work schedule?
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Right?
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Because I don't know about you.
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There is a just never ending to do list of things that need my attention.
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And I do have a big team that works for me.
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So, you know, I I'm just trying you know, I've been in business for 25 years.
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So I find what you're saying interesting I mean, I am a, you know, professional single
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mom.
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I was divorced when my son was four.
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So I'm not sure all the things you're talking about are relational to me because I didn't
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have any backup.
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I had to make dinner.
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I had to, you know, fill out all the permissions and help them homework And after I
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put that little boy to bed, who is now 18, I had to work some more before I went to bed.
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So I don't know if what you're talking about really works for a 2 parent household or, you
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know, these single moms out here running these businesses.
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Is this all this stuff working for them too?
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Yeah.
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So that's an excellent question, and I appreciate you sharing your perspective because
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there are a lot of single parents out there who are also running companies.
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And I think the traditional 9 to 5 is what I've been referencing, right, in terms of creating
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boundaries, but I work all the time with moms who wanna take maternity leaves from their
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companies.
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And they redefine what it looks like to work and work a normal schedule all the time.
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So for example, if you're in a position where you know, you're the primary caregiver for your
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kids, and you need to find those pockets of time to work.
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It's actually almost as important if not more for single parents or folks with many, many
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different responsibilities in their personal lives to get super focused on exactly what they
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need to be doing in those times.
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And I find that motherhood, maybe even, you know, all the things that we are in our
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personal lives are forcing functions for getting really defined and really refined in
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what we're doing inside of our companies.
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So, yes, it can absolutely work for single parents.
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It can work with folks who are even doing this part time because imagine you have, you know, a
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full time job and you're working to build your business in the evenings.
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And you have, let's just say, 2 or 3 hours in the evenings dedicated to building your
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company.
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We need to be really, really specific about what that is and what exactly you're getting
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done because what we don't wanna do is have 3 hours turn into 6 and then all of sudden,
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you're falling asleep in your cereal in the morning, and you can't do your day job.
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So we don't want this to creep into some of the other areas of our life.
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So boundaries like you were saying just before Melinda super, super important here.
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And I find that we have to make sure we keep the main things, the main things.
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Love it.
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When we come right back on the small Bridget podcast, we're gonna talk more Emerson Caffery
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about how breasts could be your secret weapon in your small business.
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Stay with us.
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We'll be right back.
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Are you ready to turn your dreams of entrepreneurship into a reality?
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Hi.
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I'm Melinda Emerson, the small biz lady, and I wanna invite you to check out
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smallbizladyacademy.com.
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We're here to help you every step of the way with our comprehensive training programs and x
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We build businesses and we help you build the like you've always wanted.
15:36
Hi, everybody.
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Welcome back to the small biz chat podcast.
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I'm Melinda Emerson, small biz lady, your host.
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And we're talking with author Emerson Kaufman with the new book, the sabbatical method, how
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to leverage rest and grow your business.
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Alright, Allison?
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Really quickly, tell me How can we help entrepreneurs overcome guilt or feelings of
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inadequacy associated with taking time off and prioritizing self care.
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Yeah.
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This is a huge one, Melinda.
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I mean, all of us feel really bad saying no, I think.
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And especially, I think women suffer from this particularly horribly that we feel bad letting
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people down.
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We feel bad saying no.
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And it feels like we tie up our self worth in however much we're working in our business.
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And I often find that people wear this, like, a badge of honor And I remember when I had my
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first son Frank, we were sitting in the hospital, and my husband takes this photo of me
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and my newborn Emerson, And in the next frame, the one he didn't capture, I set him aside of
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me in the hospital, and I picked up my phone and I started answering Slack messages and
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emails from my clients and my team.
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And at that moment, I was like, oh, look how dedicated that I am to my business.
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I'm working all the time.
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I can work from anywhere.
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But in the back of my mind, I knew that I had just chosen.
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I had created a priority of my business over my baby, and I knew that that was never going to
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happen again and that I was committed making sure that I had the systems in place, the
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clarity in place for my team.
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So that is the very first thing.
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If you're starting to feel guilt, not answering those emails, not being available for clients,
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start to ask yourself the question, have you clearly created those boundaries for the people
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who are communicating with you?
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Have you clearly stated, hey, listen.
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I'm not gonna be responding to emails at this time, and I will absolutely address your
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questions at x, y, or z time.
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That boundary, 1st and foremost would be excellent.
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2nd is support into your people.
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So if you do have a team that supports you, if you do have a book of clients that really need
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your support, tell them.
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Tell them what to do, how to be successful, support them with things that necessarily don't
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mean your time.
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Right?
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You can still support your people.
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You can still give them great guidance via partners, via contractors, via anybody that you
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can.
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I remember the other day I was approached by somebody who really needed some operational
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support.
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I was full, so I have a wonderful partner that I sent them over to, and it was such an
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incredible relationship they're having an amazing time.
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So my opinion is don't feel bad taking time off.
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People will understand almost every entrepreneur I've worked with who is taking a
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maternity leave.
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They're always afraid to tell their clients and their team that they're pregnant, they're
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always afraid to leave the business because they feel bad.
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And I always tell them I've never worked with anybody who ever made an announcement like
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that, and someone has come back and said, how dare you?
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So tell them.
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Tell them you're a human being and tell them that you're gonna take time off and just be
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honest about what this means for the company and what it means for you as a human being.
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Good advice.
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Good advice.
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Alright.
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What's the best business advice you've ever gotten?
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Take care of yourself first.
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I love this because it weaves from business into family, which is totally my MO.
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Is that I believe I am a better owner to my business when I have a clear head, when I am in
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shape, when my belly is full, I get a little hangry.
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And when I have a moment, actually pour into myself as as as an individual.
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And I think the same is true for motherhood.
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I think oftentimes moms feel so guilty.
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They always are you know, ex you know, excited to put their kids first and buy their kids the
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new outfits instead of focusing on them and and nurturing them and then pouring from overflow
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into our families and into our friends and into our personal relationships.
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So take care of you first.
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It is not selfish.
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It is absolutely selfless to make sure that you pour into others.
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Love it.
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Thank you so much, Allison.
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Thanks for listening to the Small Biz chat podcast with Melinda Emerson.
19:29
Subscribe to this podcast, wherever you listen to podcast, and join us next Wednesday for more
19:35
fantastic information and interviews.
19:37
You can find more sources small business success strategies by visiting Melinda's
19:42
website succeed as your own boss.com.
19:45
Thanks again for listening, and we'll see you next week.