Introduction

Is there such a thing as a startup founder who hasn’t encountered burnout before? This may seem like a trick question and you can’t be blamed for it because startup building combined with burnout come with the territory of being one of the greats out there.

If you’ve got a 5-10 year plan of placing your startup alongside other reputable brands that started out the way you’re doing now, you probably live, eat and dream of work every second of the day.

It’s understandable, but there are essential tips and life rules you can follow in order to avoid startup building burnout or at least bring the occurrence down to a minimum.

Content

What is Startup Building?
11 Essential Tips for Startup Building without Burnout
Does Startup-Life balance exist?
Summary

What is Startup Building?

Startup building is the process of developing a new business from an idea. Some of the key steps for startup building are:

Idea Generation
Business Model Development
Product Development
Team Building
Funding
Marketing and Growth Strategy
Operation and Scaling

Stages of Startup Building

Startup Building Steps

Steps	Description
Idea Generation	This stage identifies a unique idea which happens to be the solution to a problem.
Business Model Development	This involves defining how the startup will make money because money makes the world go round and keeps a startup alive.
Product Development	This involves creating a minimum viable product (MVP) to validate the product, test for feedback and attract early investors. This stage involves a lot of research on what led to the successes of past MVPs and the features to prioritize.
Team Building	In some cases, a startup could involve a team of 3 or more with the necessary skills to execute the startup’s vision, while in some instances, a startup could have a team of one just to get it started.
Funding	This stage is as important as it is difficult for startup building (situations may vary). Securing financial support through angel investors, bootstrapping, crowdfunding or from personal funds.
Marketing and Growth Strategy	This involves building brand awareness and attracting customers, which usually takes a lot of work, especially if the team is limited. Still, it is a crucial part of any business.
Operation and Scaling	Setting up efficient processes and systems that aid and support growth to help scale the business to reach a wider target audience.

11 Essential Tips for Startup Building without Burnout

building a startup
Now that the steps to startup building have been outlined, questions like “Is this a trick? How does one do all of these without getting burnt out”

The fact that it is going to be an exhausting ride has already been established and just like Take Leila Janah, Founder and CEO of Samasource said “In the beginning, it takes a lot of sacrifice.”

Here are some essential tips you can utilize during startup building to avoid burnout:

Set Realistic Goals
Get a Team of Superstars
Delegate, Delegate, Delegate
Take Breaks When Necessary
Know Your Limits
Stay Active with Exercise
Be Part of a Community
Make Self-Care a Routine
Step Out of the Work Zone
Vacation the Stress Away
Celebrate Little Wins

For You: Get Expert-Vetted Developer Talent, In Minutes

1. Set Realistic Goals
how to build startup
Setting realistic goals is not only crucial for startup building but personally as well. To make sure your goals are realistic, you can apply the SMART method. SMART stands for;

Specific: Define the goal or goals you want to accomplish.
Measurable: Identify the metrics used to measure your successes.
Achievable: Ensure you can achieve your goals with the resources you have.
Relevant: Make sure your outlined goals are relevant to the bigger picture.
Time-bound: Every goal must have a deadline. Do not assign a goal without a deadline.

Using the SMART method will help you in the long run from being overwhelmed by the amount of tasks and goals you have to achieve.

2. Get a Team of Superstars

To take a page out of Michael Jordan’s book “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.”

Having a team of highly skilled and ready-to-learn individuals who complement your strengths and make your weaknesses almost invisible. Create an environment where each member can shine and take part in important decisions that can aid the plans put in place for startup building.

Getting a team of superstars aids collaboration and continually pushes the boundaries of how far your startup can go.

3. Delegate, Delegate, Delegate
how to build business plan for startup
In addition to daily tasks that would definitely be part of your routine as a startup founder, bear in mind that strategic planning requires a lot of attention and brain work, which can only be possible if some tasks are delegated to capable hands who can take care of them before deadline or on time, leaving you enough time to carry out important duties.

Your time is very precious during startup building and must be utilized to the fullest as your startup journey depends on it. Effective delegation is an effective way to avoid burnout, increase productivity and build up your team with you.

An example of this is Rocketdevs helping startups get the right team for their vision and product to aid the process and improve their chances of not adding hiring to their list of workloads.

4. Take Breaks When Necessary

Your mind and your body are living systems and, like any other system, it needs time to re-boot and be re-energized for the next time it will be required to work.

It reduces stress drastically and helps in better decision-making, because sometimes when you think you’re facing a supposed unsolvable problem, you might just be too tired to think effectively.

Not prioritizing breaks may seem like you’re getting ahead quicker, but you’re just making yourself prone to quickly burning out, which puts your startup at risk of failing before it starts.

5. Know Your Limits

If your goal is to achieve long-term productivity and an effective system during your first few years of startup building that works for you and your team, you have to know your breaking points to avoid over-exertion.

Sometimes, it’s beyond your control and achieving a particular goal may lead to long cups of coffee and nights without sleep, but do not make it a habit as it can lead to mistakes and of course, decreased performance. If your startup is based on a technical product that requires technical expertise, you may spend more time fixing errors than meeting deadlines.

See also: 13 Successful Minimum Viable Product Examples

6. Stay Active with Exercise

Physical activity helps boost your physical and mental health as it increases energy levels, improves mood and could be a time to get brilliant ideas.

According to an article from the U.S Chamber of Commerce “Six months of moderate physical activity leads to improved ability to focus, organize tasks and achieve goals.” Even walking for just a few minutes can get you where you need to be when it comes to aiding your startup building plans.

7. Be Part of a Community

If you need to be part of 2 or more just to de-stress and be among like minds that relate to your daily struggles of trying to be a startup founder and an employee of your startup, you are on the right track.

Being a part of a community that understands you and your struggles reduces stress and gives you a sense of belonging. It also provides collaboration opportunities and a place to grow professionally. It could either be an online community like a group chat or a social group with weekly meet-ups. Who knows, your investor might be waiting for you to share your worries.

8. Make Self-Care a Routine

While caught up in the tunnel of startup building, make sure that some self-care routines are a part of your daily routine. Just like exercise mentioned in a previous point, it is essential to maintaining a healthy work-life balance and reducing the risk of making burnout your new normal.

Exhaustion will definitely be in the works for you in your new life as a startup owner, but do not make the mistake of neglecting yourself in the long run as your body needs to be recharged regularly in order to give out its best in its new found role.

The goal is to remain productive and high-functioning at all times, so you need to set aside time each day for routines that aid mental clarity, improve physical health and help emotional stability. Whether proper nutrition, meditation, spa treats or fun hangouts, you do what makes you de-stress.

9. Step Out of the Work Zone

You don’t need to make your startup your life 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. That’s enough to make even the greatest experts burnout. Getting your startup off the ground would always demand a lot of things from you, but give yourself some ‘You Time’ because you deserve to rest.

If you’re married, take some family time every once in a while and if you’re still in the single zone, close that laptop, step away from those notepads once it’s the end-of-day and take your mind off work, hang out with friends, but if you’re a homebody, don’t be afraid to Netflix and sleep off when you can.

It’s important to establish clear lines between your work and personal life as there will always be constant demand in a startup. This enhances your overall well-being, leading to better decision-making, increased creativity, and a more sustainable approach to building your startup.

Related to hiring: Top 13 Turing Alternatives

10. Vacation the Stress Away

Taking regular vacations is important for recharging both your mind and body, whether you’re in the process of startup building or if you’re still an employee.

You spend too much time looking at your computer screen and calculatively using your brain so much that quickly leads to intense burnouts or worse, depression. Vacations provide the break needed and environmental change is the best thing one needs to get one’s mind off the constant pressure of acquiring success in so little time.

Once you’ve applied this tip, you return to work with renewed energy and unique creativity. It’s an important strategy used for maintaining long-term success and preventing burnout that can lead to wrong decision making.

11. Appreciate Small Wins

It’s easy to get lost in the spiral of wanting to achieve the next goal. It gets worse if the founder’s guilt creeps in to convince you that you haven’t done enough or that you aren’t succeeding. This can lead to blurring the lines between life and work and is a recipe for disastrous burnout.

On a startup journey, where challenges and setbacks are common, it’s crucial to appreciate the little wins along the way. Celebrating small victories and recognizing the milestones achieved helps boost morale and serve as personal motivation for the founder and the team helping to build the startup’s legacy.

These moments, as small as they may seem, provide a sense of progress which is very important, especially when you’re still in the early stages of your startup.

Does Startup-Life Balance Exist?

Why is it called Startup-Life balance? You may have realized that life as a startup founder is different from an employee working under someone, as now you are accountable to yourself and your success is determined by the decisions you make along the way.

It’s more than a work-life balance and if you do not apply certain routines, getting burnt-out will become a part of you in your startup building journey.

It may be difficult to maintain a healthy balance between life and work, but it is possible to do so.

As mentioned in one of the essential tips above, you can start by getting a team of 2 or 3 from Rocketdevs to build the foundation for your startup and discover the system that works for you. You can get pre-vetted developers without having to worry about preparing lots of assessments just to get the right person for your startup.

Conclusion on Startup Building

Figuring out what works for you as a startup owner is as important as getting your product off the ground, because an organized system or structure is the fastest way to acquire the required success you hope to achieve.

And if you’re looking to build your product or startup, try RocketDevs, get access to our pre-vetted developers now and make your vision come true easily.