Survival Tactics
The Friday Finance Break
(For anyone just tuning in, every Friday we take a break from the CFO content and talk about founder mental health. If you're just here for the CFO stuff, we'll see you Monday!)
When you're a CEO, you need hacks.
The pace of this role can be crazy.
The responsibility, the uncertainty, the ups and downs,
It all takes a toll.
And one thing that I've learned from working with dozens of founders is that everyone has their tricks.
Everyone has the things they do to make it manageable.
So this Friday,
A list of some of the survival tactics I've heard, from business owners of all kinds
(paraphrased and anonymous, as I recall them):
I say no to meetings that don't have a clear agenda or outcome. "Exploring opportunities" meetings can be done via email. And many 1-hour meetings are better as 15-minutes.
I need to get a facial. I understand that a typical founder salary might not support that, but it's what I need to feel confident and happy, so I do it.
I take ~at least~ a 2-week+ vacation every year. For a 1-week vacation, people just hold stuff until you get back. But for a 2-week vacation, folks will start to get things done without you. When you get back, let them keep those things.
Sometimes, I sneak away to the sample room and just feel all the tiles and fabrics. I love materials, so it makes me happy and relaxed.
I use VAs for nearly EVERYTHING. Learning how to train a VA to take things off my plate has changed my life.
I unpack my carry-on all the way every single time I come home. It doesn't matter that I travel every week. Once my things are put away, I truly feel like I'm at home and I'm done.
I code. I know it's not supposed to be my role anymore, but when I get stressed on the weekend and don't know what to do, I just make progress on our codebase. It calms me down.
It has to be fun. Let's get in a room together, let's bang it out, let's make a party out of it. The customers in our industry can be so toxic, so I get energy working alongside my team.
Every process has an SOP. If I do a process more than once, I write it down so I don't have to think about it next time.
My mastermind group is my best resource for helping me find good people, make tough decisions, and get honest feedback. I have a council of other CEOs I've been with for almost 30 years.
This one's mine: I do pottery. It's the only hobby I've found that's stressful enough to distract me from my REAL stress. When I can't sleep, I replace my business worries with worrying about glazes.
What are your CEO survival tactics?
If enough folks reply, I'll share them back with the group next week
So we can all get some new hacks :)
Enjoy the weekend and see you Monday!
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