business owner – The Dream Magazine

Tried and Tested: 4-Day Work Week

Alana — Fri, 29 Jul 2022 11:17:52 +0000

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably noticed the headlines about 4-day work weeks. With trials taking place in the UK and businesses offering staff more flexibility than ever, many of us hope a 4-day work week will soon become the norm.

A wealth of research has shown that a 4-day work week can increase productivity, is better for the planet, boosts employee engagements and benefits families, particularly mothers.

As someone who’s adopted a 4-day work week for over a year now*, I’m sharing my experience.

About me

I’m a freelance writer & marketing consultant, and I typically work with 4-6 core clients at any time.

In April 2021, I trialled a 4-day work week for a month for an article I was writing. By the end of it, I was sold! Beforehand, the pandemic had killed my work-life balance, and I was working – albeit not very hard – 7 days a week. So, to reclaim my free time and sanity, I jumped at the chance to try a new way of working.

I took every Friday off for the trial, completely ignoring any emails and non-urgent tasks until Monday.

Work-life balance

Once upon a time, I wanted to be really, really rich. However, in recent years, I realised I wanted to be time-rich instead of cash-rich. As cliché as it sounds, we can always make more money, but time is something we can’t get back or buy.

It’s safe to say my mental health improved by having an extra 24 hours for myself each week. My Fridays quickly became a day to be completely selfish, filled with lazy mornings, yoga sessions and coffee dates. What made a real difference was that most of my friends were still working Fridays, so it felt like free time with no expectations from anyone else. In short, a 4-day work week made me noticeably happier.

Getting shit done

When I decided to pack my schedule into four days each week, I knew it would mean transforming the way I work. I’ve tried many productivity hacks and found what works for me. Now, I time-block each day, track my time and cut off all distractions to allow for deep work.

If you don’t like strict schedules like me, you might avoid time-blocking. However, my advice to you is to try it. Parkinson’s law is the adage that “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.” So, if you allow yourself an hour to complete a task that you could do in 30 minutes, it will take you an hour. Time-blocking is the perfect antidote.

Getting paid

It seems too good to be true when you hear people telling you that you can do less and earn more. However, I quickly found out that is indeed possible. In the 20/21 tax year, my total freelance income was £38,235.75. For the 21/22 tax year, it was £57,340.00.

Not only was I earning more, but my expenses halved as I no longer employed an assistant. The secret? By reducing my working capacity, I was more selective over clients and projects, prioritising work that gave me the highest return on my investment. Prioritising this way had a domino effect as working with higher-paying clients led to more high-paying work referrals. Side note; it’s true what they say, the lower the budget, the higher the audacity.

As a freelancer, I know that my work gives me much more flexibility than others. However, if you can trial a 4-day week or make it happen for your team, I highly recommend it!

*I’m a big believer in being transparent regarding business. In April 2022, I launched my new venture, Umara Jewellery. Leading to the launch, I was putting in more hours than usual and my 4-day week went out the window for a while.

Check out Umara Jewellery at https://weareumara.com/

Meet The Founders Bossing Their Own Biz While Managing Chronic Illnesses

Lucy — Fri, 24 Jun 2022 14:20:36 +0000

We spoke to three incredible business owners living with chronic illnesses about their experiences of entrepreneurship and illness, what strategies they use to help them day to day and what advice they have for fellow business owners with their own diagnosis.

Jessica Sophia Bruno is a creative content coach and founder of The Content Club. At 18 years old she was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease.

Jess said:

At 18 I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, at 22 Interstitial Cystitis, at 25 SVT (heart condition) and now, at 30 I’ve got a High Blood Pressure and suffer with anxiety.

In contrast, at 18 I got my first events management job, at 22 I ran a thriving children’s event department for one of the largest cinema chains in the UK, at 25 I ran an award-winning marketing campaign which lead to sell out events and now at 30 I’m working for myself and guiding social media marketing campaigns and coaching services for small creative brands and businesses.

Unlike many others, It wasn’t the pandemic that thrust me into freelancing, though it did help. In December 2019 my health started rapidly declining, From January to March of 2020 I was off sick a lot and then hello pandemic, goodbye full time employment. (It was a blessing truly, I am so happy to be working on my own terms now). It took about a year to get into the swing of running my own biz whilst juggling my health, but it’s so worth it.

Spoiler, stepping into entrepreneurship didn’t heal me. In fact, it’s pushed my body to the limit a few times. Here’s somethings I’ve learnt along the way, some resources, some real and raw advice for achieving your dreams as an auto-immune warrior.

Set Boundaries

What are your triggers? Mine are stress, negativity and sitting down for too long. How can you avoid these at all costs? I’ve re-organised my packages to work around my health. For me that means more consulting and less “done for you” work.

Prioritise Your Biz

It’s easy to put your clients first, especially in the beginning because they’re actually giving you money. My biz came second and my health came 10385389th. It’s health first, then everything else. Always.

Have honest conversations with your clients

Before someone signs a contract with me for long term work I have “The Talk” with them. I tell them my intentions for the project and also explain the nature of my disease. So far, nobody has backed-out of working with me.

Give yourself strict opening hours

Do not be flexible here, even if you’ve been sick for a week but are feeling better over the weekend, do not work over the weekend. Personally I work from 10 to 6 pm from Monday to Thursday. I choose to start at 10 because my mornings are spent sorting out my pain levels or assessing how many hot water bottles I may need to have on hand.

Curate your community

Surround yourself with a support system. One who gets chronic illness and business, one of my 2021 goals is to create a community for women in business with chronic illness, but there are some great pages out there. I recommended following @youlookokaytome.

Have an emergency fund

If you can, save up to one month’s living costs and pop it in an emergency fund account. If you need to take a month off, money is one less thing to worry about.

Joe Mitton is the founder of health and fitness company MittFit. He was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease nearly 3 years ago and has since had the diagnosis changed to Wegner’s Vasculitis.

Joe said:

I am often asked how I manage to get so much done every day and how I live such an active lifestyle, even more so when they find out I live with a chronic condition but factoring in the intense work periods alongside structured rest periods is definitely the secret to my success.

The conditions affect me differently day to day but the biggest symptoms I suffer with are inflammation, chronic fatigue and a lack of appetite – things that are less than ideal when working in fitness! I can sometimes go long periods without eating because of the lack of appetite and this affects my focus and energy levels. To overcome this, I set timers for intense work periods and allow myself to rest afterwards. I also use homemade smoothies to keep my nutrient intake up – spinach, cucumber, ginger and water is my favourite recipe. This helps to reduce inflammation and also aids with digestion.

The hardest but most efficient way I have found of managing these symptoms is simply learning to accept them for what they are. I have very long days, a very busy life, I work a lot and I do 1-2 hours of intense exercise each day. This, combined with nowhere near enough food, would lead anyone to feel tired at the end of the day. Accepting the symptoms for what they are allows me to manage my life better, factor in power naps as and when I need them (anything 0-30 minutes is optimal, for me I have found 17 minutes is perfect).

Yuos’sima Dineen is founder of The Trauma Sanctuary, she was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia several years ago.

Yuos’sima said:

I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and it completely re directed my whole life. It has been several years since that diagnosis, but I have made many changes. I have since got divorced and qualified to become a spiritual life coach, so I can live life on my own terms. For me it was a huge wake up call. I won’t say it’s been an overnight process, I’ve spent years doing inner work and identifying what created this and I’ve also had to make many routine changes. I now have a strict day to day structure in which I must honour my own well-being. It taught me that I must and always will be my number one priority.

Following my diagnosis I changed my whole life. I changed my eating to plant based, after discovering medical medium. I started reiki healing and meditation, in which I went onto become a quantum master healer and a spiritual life coach to help others. I also must honour my own well-being and put my own needs first. It’s been a journey of love for self. I completely changed any old habits and coping mechanisms that may not have been healthy and live a very well lifestyle.

Out of love for others going through this experience, I would advise buying my book The Truth to Trauma on Amazon. This can feel a very lonely path, but you are not alone. The reason I put my story out into the world was so that others can also start those shifts in their life as I did, to change their life. I deeply believe everything is a blessing and this is a opportunity to look at what our body is trying to tell us and how we are mis-aligned with ourselves. One of the things I would say is this a deep inward journey and you have the opportunity to become a better leader by showing up for yourself. It’s a new paradigm of leadership in which we have the opportunity to change, to stop sacrificing our well-being in order to serve others. So rather than your business being an example of the legacy you want to create in this world. Be a true leader by healing yourself. That is what I have to say. You are worthy of that. It is possible.

Queer Biz Icons – G(end)er Swap Founder Santi Sorrenti

Alana — Thu, 16 Jun 2022 14:51:00 +0000

G(end)er Swap is is the first LGBTIQ+ clothing outreach organisation that supports trans and gender non-conforming individuals to access clothes and community via style workshops, pop ups and consultancy. We chatted with founder Santi Sorrenti about the inspo behind the business, the highs and lows of running it and what's in store for the future.

What inspired you to create G(end)er Swap?

I always thrifted my clothes and worked on DIY projects to create my own outfits. When I was questioning my gender and wanted to experiment with my expression, I turned to charity shops to find my clothes because high street shops often barred me from using the men’s change room and clothes were out of price range for finding an entirely new wardrobe. In 2017, before I started G(end)er Swap, I was looking for queer clothes swaps or clothing organisations at a time when I felt a lot of gender confusion, needed a space to meet like-minded individuals and to freely express myself. I couldn’t find much besides one off clothing swap events at universities. So, I decided to combine my style experiences, creative tendencies and a need for more gender affirming spaces to create G(end)er Swap!

What makes you different from other clothing swap initiatives?

G(end)er Swap started off as a clothes swap initiative in 2017 but since then, it has evolved into a clothing outreach organisation. G(end)er Swap doesn’t only put on clothes swap events, but we also deliver style support services: workshops to learn how to find your personal sense of style, how to up-cycle your clothes or how to apply makeup. G(end)er Swap is the first and only style outreach organisation of its kind in the UK (and Europe). Our mission is to support trans and gender non-conforming individuals to find clothes and community while equipping the wider LGBTIQ+ community with the creative knowledge to put together their own gender affirming wardrobe with a sustainable and anti-mainstream approach.

What do you think it is about your brand that resonates with your audience?

G(end)er Swap is very much anti- fashion as it promotes the idea that there is no such thing as something being ‘in’ or ‘out’ of style. We also maintain that any gender can wear whatever they want and that expressing yourself doesn’t have to be expensive, ‘trendy’ or fit into any particular (gender) norm. The fashion world is an intimidating place that doesn’t prioritise LGBTIQ+ bodies or experiences and so G(end)er Swap provides a safe alternative for gender-diverse audiences to explore their expression -free of judgment and with inclusive resources. G(end)er Swap is also a community building initiative and very much a share economy in which community members exchange style knowledge, clothes and other skills between each other at events and across our online platforms. Our brand really invites everyone in to participate. This non-hierarchical approach really resonates with our audiences. I think also G(end)er Swap is fun, quirky and a bit fringe in its approach to (DIY) style: neon orange branding, quirky style hack videos and events that push the usual queer event blueprint – this is compelling to a lot of our followers.

Do you have any tips for other brands wanting to connect on a deeper level with their audiences?

Include your audiences in the work that you do. Platform other voices besides your own and really think ‘outside the box’ in terms of what content you are delivering. Particularly on social media, we sometimes feel coerced into following a particular online trend thinking that it is the only way to draw audiences in. I really recommend you focus on your own unique rhetoric, visual media and resources that don’t just mimic the information that’s already out there.

Accessibility is also a big factor. To connect on a deeper level to your audiences it’s important that you are relatable, affordable and in touch with current issues. Your audiences want to see that you are a ‘real’ person too and that you have factored in diverse experiences and identities into your work. With pride season arriving this is particularly important! Don’t just slap a rainbow flag on an Instagram infographic but create spaces for folks to thrive, share their knowledge and feel part of something big.

Tell us a bit more about the types of events G(end)er Swap have put on in the past and the kind you want to put on in the future

Since its inception G(end)er Swap has put on 100’s of events! Some of the most memorable events have been in collaboration with LUSH Cosmetics (in England and Wales) where we have put on clothes swap events, makeup and self-care workshops too. The events were in store and private spaces were allocated to trans folks to experiment with their expression. G(end)er Swap has also collaborated with MAC Cosmetics on private makeup events as well as in person and online style events in collaboration with Oxford Pride, Pride Cymru, Nomadic Youth and Mermaids to name a few. The events have taught folks how to find a gender affirming style, how to mend their clothes, how to create your own DIY patches or to create a new garment using old ones. One event I’d love to put on in the future is a G(end)er Swap fashion show!

What's the biggest challenge you've overcome with running your own biz?

The biggest challenge I have overcome is honestly running my own business. Prior to G(end)er Swap, the closest I got to running something on my own was when I worked as a freelance makeup artist. However, running G(end)er Swap was my first stab at being a biz owner and I have learned so much! From managing funding applications, to creating social media content, managing press enquiries, stock takes, event planning and marketing – you name it. I really feel like I overcame such a scary task to develop the organisation of my dreams.

How do you like to relax and Align yourself as a biz owner?

I really like to get out of my daily environment and go traveling: see something new, experience new foods and sensory experiences in a completely different geographical location. I really like to take time outs from my phone and work on creative up cycling projects on my down time. Dancing, connecting with friends and exercising is really important for me to do on my days off. I really enjoy researching new interests too. Intellectually it feels nourishing but it also informs the work that I do so I can come back with more new and exciting ideas when the time is right. Taking breaks and resting is something I often have to remind myself to do but it’s a much more sustainable way to carry on long term and to avoid burn out.

What's the big dream for G(end)er Swap?

To be globally renowned, to have physical locations where folks can pick up clothes and receive ongoing style support, to engage with various creative institutions to change the way they write policies and create inclusive environments for trans folks. To develop my consultancy work which supports businesses to create more trans inclusive retail environments. Is that too much?

Check out G(end)er Swap on Instagram here, and head to their website at https://genderswap.org/.

What I Learned From Surrendering Into My Sensitivity

Alana — Thu, 16 Jun 2022 13:46:35 +0000

A couple of weeks ago, I declared that I thought I was ‘too sensitive for this shit’. This shit being business.

A series of unfortunate events tested me, stretched me, and made me more uncomfortable than I have ever felt. But, it turns out it’s a little something called growth, and hey, if the universe is planning a breakthrough for me, at least I can see the path that I needed to walk to get there.

So yes, I am sensitive, but I am choosing to surrender into it.

I’ve been told over the years that I am too loud, too emotional, too much, so too sensitive is just another to add to the list. But, the truth is, I am not too much of anything, and neither are you. So, if this resonates then this piece is for you, and, not as though you need one, but it is also your permission slip to do business exactly how you want to.

It has become the social norm that to succeed, we need to have a thick skin and to toughen up, to be hardy and able to withstand these gusts of wind that come our way. I get it, I do, but there is room for both, the duality of being soft and sensitive while being someone in business who knows what they want.

You can be both.

But, you don’t get told this, and working in spaces and places with strong masculine energies – think sales and media, fast-paced and ever-changing environments – leads you to believe that you have to hide those sensitivities, and become a version of yourself that is tougher, bolder, bigger, and sturdier.

I believed this for such a long time, ten years in fact, and it wasn’t until I got more curious about who I was and how I worked as a person that I realised that I could decide. There is so much power in that. And, the sad thing is that it takes so long to undo those thoughts and those feelings – shout out to two weeks ago and my business wobbles.

There is another thing I want to mention; about 18 months ago, someone told me about Human Design. A theory and a methodology rooted in astrology and the type of person we are and the traits that we hold. I started to learn more about it – I am a 5/1 Generator if you’re interested – and I began to write my own rules. Rules about how I operated, the processes in my business, how I interacted with clients, and the pace at which this all happens.

Setting up my own company gave me the autonomy I needed to work with my energy, my sensitivity, and use it to my advantage. I truly believe it is just that, an advantage.

My business is built around comms and copy, and developing this business has been a journey. Effable started as me freelancing alongside a job, getting clients and building up a portfolio outside of the worlds I had worked in. When I finally took the plunge to take it full time, it was exhilarating, but it was easy to fall into those hard- skinned habits.

It’s a work in progress, and it is something I have to make a conscious effort to change and choose every single day. Being sensitive allows me to connect with my clients on a deeper level, it means I get to feel into their brand and how they operate, and it means I get to choose. I choose who I work with based on energy and alignment. Instead of working with outdated agency models and impossible deadlines, I set the pace, and I get to use my emotions and my intuition to work with brands that care and understand the importance of emotion and depth and feeling.

I am still working on it, but what a wonder and what a privilege.

My sensitivity is no longer something I have to hide or mask; it is something that I can surrender into, and that I can use within the work I do and the things I create. Don’t get me wrong; I am still learning, or rather, unlearning, and changing the habits of a lifetime isn’t something that can be done overnight, but I am enjoying leaning into the softer sides and creating a business that goes against the grain of the
industry.

Alongside that, it’s things like crafting my own schedule, taking time out to go for a walk instead of working solidly for eight hours in a room with no windows, and allowing myself time for reading, for self-development, for moving my body.

The clients I work with are impact-driven, and I think that helps. I work with people who value people and the planet over profit, which facilitates a more human approach.

Surrendering into sensitivity looks like slowness, softness, and holding space for clients. It is a relationship and a partnership, rather than me working for them, and this is something I have craved for so long.

I will always be sensitive, and I will always be soft, but I am also loud and bold, I am creative, and I can be impulsive.

There are so many sides to me and my business, and I am unapologetic.

Check out Effable’s Instagram here and head to their website at https://www.itiseffable.com/

Queer Biz Icons – Clothes Before Bros Founder Laura Ella Griffiths

Alana — Fri, 22 Apr 2022 14:41:50 +0000

Her sustainable clothing brand unites fierce feminism with ethical and environmental entrepreneurship and fashion, a combination that saw her business go viral overnight. Lucy chats with Clothes Before Bros founder Laura Ella Griffiths to talk all about her badass biz, how it became a viral TikTok sensation, and how Laura's ADHD affects her as a business owner.

What inspired you to launch Clothes Before Bros?

I was inspired to launch Clothes Before Bros when studying Sociology at college in 2019, at that time in my life becoming a public speaker was an ambition of mine, focusing on feminist issues which had been bought to light during studying. I designed some female empowerment slogan t-shirts to sell via a print-on-demand t-shirt company with the hopes of building an audience on social media. Soon after launching I became aware of the exploitation of garment workers and the environmental effects of fast fashion – I did not want to contribute towards this! I took the plunge and invested in Clothes Before Bros, buying machinery to print my own t-shirts and sustainably sourcing tee’s from deadstock. Fast forward to 2022 and in addition to our sustainable feminist slogan t-shirts & accessories, we are working on creating our first collection which is ethically made from purely deadstock and vintage materials and size inclusive!

What makes you different from other clothing brands?

Too often we come across fast fashion brands selling female empowerment slogan t-shirts, unbeknown to the customers that the garment workers are most certainly not empowered, they’re exploited and earning as little as £73 per month in Bangladesh. At Clothes Before Bros we do things ethically as well as sustainably and we know our garment workers personally and all of which are paid a living wage. We also sell vintage Levi’s denim jeans and vintage leather trousers for £5 with the hopes to make sustainable fashion more accessible. In addition to this, we are a size inclusive brand! Our new collection is available in sizes 4 – 26 and we stock vintage jeans in 22” – 56” waist.

You've gone viral on Tik Tok! What do you think it is about your brand that resonates with your audience?

We went viral on TikTok back in 2020, this has opened so many doors for us as a small brand, I’m so glad that I made the choice to ignore the fact that people I know may see me and laugh! I think Clothes Before Bros resonates with people because we all want to do our part for the planet and we have given people the opportunity to do so, without breaking the bank! We know that style is just as important to people as sustainability, we have mastered the art of both! We also continue important conversation through our feminist slogan t-shirts, education is a huge part of our brand. We have recently launched a series on Instagram called ’Taboo Tuesday’, on which we discuss female taboo topics to break down stigmas.

Do you have any tips for other brands wanting to connect on a deeper level with their audiences?

My top tips for TikTok would be consistency and the four E’s – emotion, educate, entertain and engage. We pre plan all of our content and try to record videos in bulk, this really helps with the pressure of posting consistently. The four E’s have really helped us grow on the platform too, ways to capture your audiences attention are ‘emotion’, don’t be worried about being your true self, people love that and customers tend to buy from people rather than the brand itself. ‘Educate’ your audience on your niche, provide value before the potential customer has even purchased a product, this will build trust. Provide entertainment and make people laugh, this will help people get to know you and who doesn’t love to laugh?! Lastly, engage.. be sure to add ‘call to actions’ to your videos, prompt viewers to comment on the video, share with friends and save for later. If they do comment, reply to them and start building relationships.

Why is sustainability important to you, and do you have any tips for other fashion brands looking to become more sustainable?

Sustainability is important to us because we don’t want to contribute to the £140million worth of clothes which get sent to landfill each year by the UK alone. We believe in a circular economy and with this urge all fashion brands out there to think about the resources needed to create the fabrics they use and instead use fabrics which already exist – there is enough of them!

How does having ADHD impact you as a biz owner?

ADHD certainly impacts me as a business owner, it definitely has its pro’s and con’s – on a good day I can get the same amount of stuff done that someone else can do in a whole week. But on a bad day, it can be super difficult to concentrate at all, especially since my office is at home. Since being diagnosed in 2019 I have learnt so much about myself and now have strategies to combat certain issues which arise. I have learnt to listen to myself and take things at a much slower pace. Self care is a huge part of my life now and it helps me overcome problems I face, a personal favourite is meditation before sleep and ‘mind dumping’ all of my thoughts onto a page. Sometimes I get overwhelmed by my to-do list and could easily procrastinate, but putting pen to paper is like therapy for me.

What's the biggest challenge you've overcome with running your own biz?

One of the biggest problems I have faced is trying to do everything as a small business. It’s very easy to fall into the trap of comparing your business to competitors without taking into consideration that we are on different journeys, probably with different goals and with different staff, budgets, products etc.. I have always been an impatient person and tend to want everything right now. This journey has taught me that what’s for you will find you and to concentrate on what I’m doing rather than what others are doing.

How do you like to relax and Align yourself as a biz owner?

I’m a workaholic, so downtime to me isn’t all that relaxing and is often not at the top of my priority list. I find myself trying to take downtime and reading books about business or creating posts on Canva for Instagram or planning my work week.. I have realised that this is not relaxing and in order to truly unwind I have to take my head completely out of the game. This usually involves having a break from my phone and socials, not checking emails and relaxing with my family. I love pampering, so a pamper night in front of the TV is absolute heaven for me.

What's the big dream for Clothes Before Bros?

The goal for Clothes Before Bros is growth! I want everyone to know that sustainable fashion does not need to cost an absolute fortune, nor is it for certain body types either. We’re paving the way for inclusive, accessible and sustainable feminist fashion.

How to be Your Own Wellbeing Champion When You Work for Yourself

Alana — Fri, 22 Apr 2022 14:00:49 +0000

Words by Sophie Coulthard, founder of Fidleaf.

Think back to when you first started your business. You knew it would be hard work, but you possibly also looked forward to the flexibility and freedom that working for yourself would offer. Maybe you’d be able to go to that lunchtime gym class you never could attend before. Or take Friday afternoons off to sip rosé with friends. Book into a cute AirBNB in the New Forest to work on something creative and get some quality fresh air.

Honestly, have you had the time to do any of those things since working for yourself? The chances are you’ve got a never-ending to do list, spend most evenings on your laptop on the sofa and the lunchtime gym class? Never happens!

We imagine that working for ourselves will bring about better work life balance, but the reality is that when you are the boss, your wellbeing often gets pushed down the agenda.

Why wellbeing is important for entrepreneurs and freelancers

You owe it to yourself to prioritise your wellbeing. Your wellbeing will power your work performance, so the more effort that you put into it, the more you will get out of work and life. Our research at FidlLeaf shows that when people don’t look after themselves and are stressed or run down it slows down problem solving ability and strategic thinking, drains creative thinking and makes people less intuitive, yet all of these things are pretty critical for success!

There is a fantastic book called Rest by Alex Soojung-Kim Pang that dispels the myth that the harder we work the better the outcome. Deliberate rest and taking time for yourself to fulfil yourself outside of work actually helps to make you more productive, have sharper ideas and more energy.

Companies are starting to realise this and are putting wellbeing policies in place or creating wellbeing champions to drive a culture change where wellbeing is encouraged and emphasised. Their policies might include an email ban outside of working hours to give employees time to switch off, and walking meetings so that everyone can brainstorm and get fresh air at the same time. There’s no reason why these policies can’t be pinched and adapted for solo workers, and it’s worth spending some time carving out a wellbeing policy-of-sorts for yourself.

Building a framework around wellbeing

It might sound a bit silly to write an entire wellbeing policy for one person, but even just a few bullet points on paper with some simple commitments, like taking an afternoon a week to work from a coffee shop to break out of the isolation of the home office might be a positive move for your wellbeing.

At FidlLeaf, we created a workplace wellbeing guide that focuses on four areas that were found in research from A Great Place To Work to be the key drivers of wellbeing in the workplace. I like to use those as the foundation for any wellbeing policy and think that they could easily be adapted for someone who works alone or runs their own business.

They are:

1. Values Aligned Behaviour

Good companies have strong values that are sewn through the culture of the organisation and their employees will have a strong alignment with those values.

For yourself, it’s worth thinking about your values, but also what you value spending your time on. What parts of your work light you up and inspire you? What could you potentially delegate or spend less time on? As well as this, are you able to work on projects or with clients that fit with your values? It can be difficult when first starting out as you may have to say yes to any work opportunity, but at some point you may be able to start to refine your ideal client or type of work.

Values aligned behaviour can go even further and become part of your pricing structure, marketing and sales strategy. It’s about what feels good for you and it may take a little time to really figure this out.

2. Teamwork

If you work on your own this one can be tricky! Feeling like you’re part of a team and contributing to teamwork is proven to have a positive influence on wellbeing, but how do you do that when you’re a team of one?

Joining a community of like-minded business owners is a great way to feel the team spirit. You’ll feel included, empowered and make friends. It will also save you from talking shop with your partner every night because you’ll have people who ‘get it’ that you can bounce ideas off. You could search for something local or join an online group or membership. I met my own group of ‘business besties’ on a facebook page through being fans of the same business podcast. We’ve been supporting each other for over 4 years through Slack, Zoom catch ups and occasional real-life meetings.

Another idea is to arrange co-working sessions with friends who either work for themselves or are working from home. Arrange to meet at a coffee shop and have a catch up and then get stuck into work. I try to do this every other week with a friend of mine and even though we do completely different jobs, there’s something nice about quietly typing away with someone nearby that you can occasionally break to chat with. For me it gives me that ‘office environment’ that I sometimes miss, and weirdly I find that I’m my most productive in a bustling coffee shop!

3. Processes

Processes don’t get featured in too many company wellbeing initiatives, but they should. Poor or clunky systems, policies and processes cause stress to employees, because they cause friction in day-to-day work life.

The same applies to people who work for themselves. Can you pinpoint exactly where certain important documents are? Do you have templates for emails you have to send out regularly? Have you got a folder with all of your brand assets neatly labelled and ready to send at the drop of a hat?

Taking the time to review your processes and have an admin audit could make a significant impact on the rest of your week, month and year. By getting organised you’re reducing the friction and frustration that comes with not being able to find things easily. Putting systems and processes in place for tasks that you repeat will save you time in the long run. You may need to set yourself a monthly reminder to review your processes and don’t forget to clear your downloads folder or organise your receipts at the same time.

4. Recognition

If you’ve ever had a great boss then you’ll know how it feels to be recognised for all of your hard work. A simple “thank you” can go such a long way at the end of a tough week. Many companies build recognition into their wellbeing plan, sometimes using a newsletter or notice board to highlight staff achievements. But when there’s no one else giving you a pat on the back, how can you do it yourself?

Think about what good recognition would look like for you. Do you appreciate a nice reward? Then make sure to book yourself in for a pedicure or take yourself out for lunch once you’ve completed that project. Does praise make you feel on top of the world? Create a ‘brag folder’ to save any client testimonials or kind words from customers. The brag folder also has multiple benefits – you can turn to it whenever you need to hear some positive words, but you can also share the snippets across your social media channels to help build your credibility and reputation.

However you decide to recognise yourself, it’s important to commit to it. Working alone can feel thankless, so you may need to pop a reminder in your diary to note your achievements at the end of each month and figure out a way to celebrate them.

Creating a wellbeing policy for yourself

The four drivers of workplace wellbeing make a great foundation for a wellbeing policy that you can create for yourself. It may consist of a few regular reminders in your diary, or you could get creative and design a poster with your wellbeing commitments and have it hung somewhere near your desk.

As you can see, wellbeing for business owners doesn’t have to be about taking a bubble bath or booking into a yoga class. It’s about finding out what will drive and power your own wellbeing and that could be different from person to person. Wellbeing is about more than self care, it could be about reducing loneliness, protecting your self worth, or feeling a sense of value and purpose.

Business owners wear many hats for the different roles in their business… make sure ‘wellbeing champion’ is one of them!

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Sophie Coulthard is the co-founder of FidlLeaf, a workplace wellbeing company and personal development platform that powers wellbeing both inside and outside of work using Nobel-Prize nominated science. FidlLeaf has been featured in Forbes and works with corporate companies, tech, government and fashion brands.