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BUSINESS Tuesday 9 april 2019
A25

Burned out business owners learn to relax, delegate, say no

By JOYCE M. ROSENBERG Burritos restaurants, they
Associated Press were both overwhelmed
NEW YORK (AP) — Can- from the juggling required
dace Barr showed all the to create new locations,
signs: She was exhausted, work on their strategic plan
stressed out and "starting to and run day-to-day opera-
resent my clients." tions of the Point Pleasant,
Barr had so much work in New Jersey-based chain.
her resume writing business Altero remembers having
that it was a struggle to get panic attacks.
it all done. It was so draining that "we
In short, she was burned would look at each other
out. and say, 'OK, do we stop?'"
While burnout is a com- Altero recalls. "Another part
mon phenomenon in the of us would say, 'we can't
workplace, it's particularly stop, it's working.'"
frustrating for entrepre- The partners had resisted
neurs whose dream was to delegating but realized
escape the daily grind of they needed to make
employment and find fulfill- some key hires. A district
ment in running their own manager and an adminis-
companies. trative assistant came on
"I had major deadlines In this March 26, 2019, photo Victoria Bogner poses for a photo in her office in Lawrence, Kan. board, followed eventually
every week," recalls Barr, While burnout is common with workers, students and caregivers, it’s particularly frustrating for by a vice president to over-
owner of Birmingham, Ala- entrepreneurs. see construction of new lo-
bama-based Strategic Re- Associated Press cations. The company now
sume Specialists, who dis- has 25 restaurants with 10
covered that burnout can Victoria Bogner, who de- ing of his own: "It's affecting ercising as he built his soft- more planned.
occur even when a busi- scribes herself as a perfec- our marriage." ware business, Air360. He Burnout may not be a one-
ness is flourishing. tionist and control freak, At about that time, Bogner loved the work but so fo- shot deal. Dentist Ben Dan-
Like many owners who re- burned out after becoming became pregnant with her cused on it that he neglect- cygier, like many practitio-
alize they're burned out, head of two financial advi- first child. She realized she ed his health. He ended up ners, handles accounting,
Barr made adjustments. sory firms. had to delegate tasks to in the hospital on the verge staffing issues and other
She scheduled breaks and "I eventually found myself staffers and relinquish her of an ulcer. tasks that accompany run-
turned down some re- spinning some huge plates need for perfection. And Defontis cut the number of ning a business. He's suf-
quests. as a CEO, chief investment set firm boundaries be- hours he worked. And he fered burnout several times
"Saying 'no' does not come officer, and a financial ad- tween work and her per- returned to one of his great from working too much.
easily when someone says visor with my own clientele," sonal life. loves, exercising and jog- "You think the more hours
they might get their dream says Bogner, a co-owner of Now, at home with her two ging outdoors. A resident of you put in, the more that
opportunity," she says. But, McDaniel Knutson Financial children, "I put my comput- Paris, he realizes he should gets accomplished but
Barr says, putting quality Partners in Lawrence, Kan- er and phone away and have been taking advan- then suddenly it hits you
over quantity makes the sas. focus on them. No insidious tage of the city's great that you aren't getting
process easier. Bogner started getting sick multitasking that makes us parks all along: "It's stupid anything done because
Exhaustion, feeling over- and felt light-headed. Her all believe we can answer now, when I think of it." you can't think straight,"
whelmed and even get- doctor told her she was emails and be present with Business partners can suf- says Dancygier, who owns
ting sick can make own- stressed out, needed to our family at the same fer collective burnout. Valley Pediatric Dentistry,
ers dread the very things take a vacation and to fig- time," Bogner says. Five years ago, when Paul which has offices in Jeffer-
about their companies that ure out how to dial back. Florent Defontis worked 18 Altero and Bill Hart had son Valley and Hopewell
once brought them joy. Her husband had a warn- hour-days and gave up ex- opened eight Bubbakoo's Junction, New York.q