Are you suffering from business owner burnout?

They say it can be a lonely place at the top. As a marketing agency working with many SME business owners, we think it could have something to do with the fear of failure associated with admitting you’re not great at something.

Business owners can tend to take too much on in departments they’re not experts in. This drains the life out of why they started the business in the first place.

If you feel this may be the case for you, it may be time to look at employing others to do those jobs for you. This leaves you to work on what you’re passionate about.

Here we present the case for outsourcing and delegation to help. We’ve also listed our top five apps in the name of preventing business owner burnout.

Delegating tasks or whole departments to third parties could grant your business a variety of benefits:

Cost savings

Outsourcing certain tasks or functions like marketing can be more cost-effective than hiring and maintaining an in-house team. By outsourcing, businesses can avoid expenses such as salaries, benefits, office space, equipment, and training costs associated with hiring employees. Outsourcing allows businesses to pay for specific services only when they need them, resulting in potential cost savings.

Access to specialised skills and expertise

Outsourcing enables businesses to access specialised skills and expertise that may not be available in-house. Service providers or agencies often have a team of professionals with diverse backgrounds and experiences in their respective fields. Whether it’s accounting, IT support, marketing, or customer service, outsourcing allows businesses to tap into the expertise of professionals who are dedicated to their specific area of work.

Focus on core competencies

Business owners can focus on their core competencies and strategic initiatives by outsourcing non-core functions. By delegating tasks to external service providers, business owners can devote more time and resources to activities that directly contribute to their core business objectives and overall growth.

Scalability and flexibility

Outsourcing provides businesses with scalability and flexibility. As the business grows or experiences fluctuations in demand, outsourcing allows for quick adjustments. Service providers can accommodate increased or decreased workloads, making it easier for businesses to scale up or down without the challenges of hiring, training, or laying off employees.

Risk mitigation

Handing over the responsibility of certain functions can help mitigate risks associated with those activities. For instance, if a business outsources its IT support, the service provider becomes responsible for staying up to date with the latest security measures, mitigating the risk of data breaches or system failures. Additionally, outsourcing can help businesses navigate legal and compliance issues by relying on the expertise of external professionals.

Efficiency and productivity

Service providers often have streamlined processes, best practices, and access to advanced technologies, allowing them to deliver high-quality services efficiently. By outsourcing time-consuming or complex tasks, businesses can free up internal resources, reduce bottlenecks, and improve productivity.

Outsourcing is one key to preventing burn-out and so too is ensuring your head is in the right place for productivity. Here are our top five apps to help with the effects of burnout and why they are our favourites.

1. Headspace

Headspace provides guided meditation sessions that help users cultivate mindfulness and reduce stress. Mindfulness meditation practices can improve mental clarity, promote relaxation, and enhance overall well-being. The app offers various techniques to help users focus their attention, manage their thoughts, and develop a greater sense of calm and balance.

2. Breathe

Engaging in mindful breathing exercises can have positive effects on overall health and wellbeing. Deep, slow breathing can help regulate the autonomic nervous system, reduce blood pressure, and promote a sense of calm. Regular use of the Breathe app may contribute to improved mental and physical health.

3. Insight Timer

Insight Timer offers a timer feature that allows users to engage in self-guided meditation. Users can set the timer and meditate in silence without guidance or interruptions. The app provides gentle sounds or bells to mark the beginning and end of the meditation session.

4. Loona

Loona started out as an app to help people with insomnia sleep better. It’s now branched out to help all kinds of users find inner peace, alleviate anxiety, and practice mindfulness. This unique app presents you with a blank 3D CGI scene that you colour in as a narrator tells a story about the image before you. Each section you colour in has its own animation and sound effect, allowing you to be present in the moment.

5. Better Sleep

Another app to help sleep strugglers, Better Sleep allows you to create your own signature backing track from a vast selection of soothing sounds, scientific frequencies, and ASMR recordings. There’s also a library of stories and hypnosis tracks to help with confidence, trauma, relaxation, self-awareness, self-love, lucid dreaming, overthinking, migraines, grief, and more.