by Zodidi Gaseb
I took a break from my business towards the end of 2022. I was burnt out and felt the sparkle I once had fizzle out. The general sigh of frustration rang through social media when I made the announcement, and honestly, I didn’t know if I even wanted to come back. During that time however, I realized the importance of the pause, of restructuring and getting your affairs in order that running a business sometimes doesn’t afford us. It can sometimes feel contrary to what we are taught about “the hustle”, the grinding until there is nothing left.
During the pause, I was once again reminded of why I started the business and what I needed to work on in order to ensure longevity and sustainability. You see, I want to live a full life and as a holistic business, living a fulfilling life whilst burning out isn’t something I had planned for. Burn out takes away from meaningful productivity. You submit to brain fog and end up compromising quality because you are chasing something that provides a temporary fulfilment.
This isn’t the first time I’ve taken a break and I had to remind myself of the necessity to give room for structure, creativity, and the dreaded paperwork. The first time was a 6 month break in 2017 due to health reasons. But after the hiatus, I came back with a clear line of where I saw my brand develop. With a graphic designer, we worked through labelling of my cosmetic products from a brown-green hybrid of chaos to a crisp, clean green and white. I still use the same brand design up today.
During this recent pause, I was able to fall back in love with the process of formulating cosmetics, read a ton of books I had stashed aways, strategize how I could expand my brand locally, travel to Ghana and engage with various manufacturers on how to grow beyond borders, source more affordable but quality raw material, look at different marketing strategies I could implement and employ the services of a bookkeeper.
When it isn’t peak season in your sector or business, create some time to pause and re-evaluate where your business is going, what strategies work and which are redundant, where you need assistance and identify opportunities. Map out a vision board for your business as you set goals in your life as well. Read those books and blogs that will inspire you again.
I believe that sometimes we convince ourselves we can manage everything, but that is exhausting. There is no shame in asking for help and not knowing every single aspect of your business as long as you are open to learning and growing. What I’ve managed to “work” on during the pause was intrinsically more valuable than if I had just pushed through. There is opportunity in the quiet time, and if you are cognisant of how important it is to prioritize your wellbeing, you just might live a long healthy life to enjoy all the fruits of your labour.
Zodidi Jewel Gaseb is a passionate and dedicated mother, entrepreneur, multipotentialite and creative. Her vast knowledge of the creative sector feeds into her love of entrepreneurship. Venturing into the natural cosmetics sector, events management, marketing, arts and encouraging other entrepreneurs to work towards a sustainable business growth with events such as the Natural Hair and Beauty expo, the Afro Future Festival amongst others.
She's also a motivational speaker on self-love, culture, identity and diversity as well and is a knowledgeable marketing/events strategist who seeks to provide various stakeholders with experiences that impact society.
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | EMAIL zgaseb@gmail.com
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