Podcast Summary: "How to Eliminate Stress as a Newbie Business Owner"

Podcast Details:

• Title: Shiny New Clients!
• Host: Jenna Harding (Warriner)
• Episode Title: How to Eliminate Stress as a Newbie Business Owner
• Release Date: February 3, 2025

Introduction

In the episode titled "How to Eliminate Stress as a Newbie Business Owner," Jenna Harding delves into effective strategies for managing and reducing stress when starting and running a new business. Drawing from her personal experiences and professional insights, Jenna offers actionable advice to help new entrepreneurs create a sustainable and enjoyable business journey.

Jenna’s Personal Journey with Stress

Jenna begins by sharing a pivotal moment from her past that profoundly impacted her understanding of stress. Reflecting on a two-month trip to California in her 20s, she recounts how she worked multiple jobs to fund her adventure:

“I worked two jobs to pay for it... I took on another serving job at the time. I would bartend all night and then get up and serve brunch in the morning. It was very difficult.” [00:00:45]

During her time in California, Jenna experienced a significant shift in her stress levels. Initially overwhelmed by her hectic schedule, she gradually began to feel more relaxed and less stressed. This transformation culminated in a decisive moment on the streets of LA:

“I stopped and was like Whoa, whoa. What is this feeling? What is this stress and anger? And why am I so comfortable here?” [00:04:30]

This realization highlighted how deeply ingrained her stress responses had become and set the stage for her commitment to managing stress more effectively in her business endeavors.

Falling Back into Stress When Starting Her Business

Despite her newfound sense of calm, Jenna acknowledges that starting her own business reintroduced her to previous stress patterns:

“When I started running my business, same thing happened, right? I got used to a very high level of stress.” [00:06:10]

Jenna emphasizes that the initial years of her business were particularly challenging as she juggled multiple responsibilities and harbored intense desires for success. This period mirrored the high-stress environment she had previously experienced, underscoring the difficulty of breaking old habits.

Strategies to Reduce Stress

To help fellow entrepreneurs navigate the pressures of starting a business, Jenna outlines several key strategies that significantly reduced her stress levels:

1. Predetermined Days for Taking Calls

One of Jenna’s primary stressors was the lack of boundaries around her availability for client calls. She explains how this constant accessibility heightened her anxiety:

“Not having any boundaries around my schedule meant that at any given moment, I was worried that I was missing a call.” [00:07:50]

Solution: Jenna implemented a system where she only took calls on specific days of the week. Initially limiting calls to two days (Tuesdays and Thursdays) provided her with predictable and manageable boundaries:

“I limited my calls to just two days a week. And that helped so much because then it was like, all right, it's Tuesdays and it's Thursdays.” [00:08:20]

This structure alleviated the perpetual worry of missing calls, allowing her to focus on other aspects of her business without constant interruptions.

2. Eliminating Task Switching

Jenna discusses the inefficiency and stress caused by frequent task switching, especially in content creation for social media:

“The slowest way to make a piece of content for Instagram is one post at a time because you have to switch tasks over and over again.” [00:12:00]

Solution: She advocates for a batching system, where similar tasks are grouped together to minimize interruptions and enhance productivity. By handling related tasks in dedicated blocks of time, Jenna found she could work more efficiently and reduce the mental load associated with constant task changes.

3. Establishing a Morning Routine

Recognizing the chaos that can ensue without a structured start to the day, Jenna highlights the importance of a consistent morning routine:

“We added a morning routine that just added something to let my brain wake up before I'm on the computer out of the house, trying to run a business.” [00:14:10]

For Jenna, this routine included simple activities like making steel-cut oats and watching a news recap by Philip DeFranco. This ritual provided a calm and predictable start, helping her transition smoothly from waking up to beginning her workday, thereby reducing the immediate rush and associated stress.

4. Choosing Ideal Clients Who Don’t Stress You Out

Perhaps the most impactful strategy Jenna shares is the deliberate selection of ideal clients to work with:

“Choose an ideal client who lights you up, who energizes you, who you can continue to work with without driving up your cortisol and stressing you the heck out.” [00:17:30]

Using her mother’s experience as an example, Jenna explains the importance of setting boundaries around client types to maintain personal well-being:

“She wanted to work with people who were pretty healthy and just had a couple things that they wanted to fix or improve... but not cancer patients or terminally ill people.” [00:16:10]

By targeting clients who align with her energy and values, Jenna ensures that her work remains fulfilling and sustainable, preventing burnout and enhancing her ability to serve effectively.

Conclusion

Throughout the episode, Jenna Harding provides a blend of personal anecdotes and practical advice aimed at helping new business owners manage stress effectively. By setting boundaries around communication, minimizing task switching, establishing routines, and carefully selecting ideal clients, entrepreneurs can create a balanced and enjoyable business environment. Jenna’s insights are not only relatable but also actionable, offering listeners tangible steps to reduce stress and thrive in their entrepreneurial journeys.

Additional Resources

For listeners seeking more detailed strategies, Jenna encourages reaching out via Instagram or commenting on the episode on Spotify. She also hints at upcoming guests and topics, including affiliate marketing tips and the importance of team diversity, promising continued valuable content for aspiring and current business owners.

Note: Timestamped quotes are based on the provided transcript and may need adjustment to match the actual episode timing.