How do you know when you should quit your job?

I have gone through several difficult years in my business. During that period, problems came one after another. Just when I felt like things were under control and things were starting to change, another challenge arose. In my training with entrepreneurs, this has been a common experience. Working in business is challenging. There are tough times, and sometimes these times last a long time. How do you know when it’s time to quit smoking? How do you know when to last?

Nine out of ten entrepreneurs experience burnout, based on research we conducted with… Better business, better evaluation of life Over the past four years. Burnout is insidious. It comes slowly when we say to ourselves: “I can manage.” When we manage for too long, our resilience diminishes, and symptoms of burnout increase. One of the symptoms of severe burnout is losing hope in a promising future. Often at this point we want to give up.

Related: How to Spot Entrepreneurial Burnout (Before It’s Too Late)

When you feel this way, assessing what’s really going on at work is vital. Avoid making any rash decisions when you are in the middle of a crisis. Give yourself thirty days to evaluate the situation and explore your options.

the Better business, better evaluation of life It is a crucial tool in your journey to combat burnout and help you assess the health of your work. It is the only assessment designed by a business psychologist that assesses entrepreneurial burnout in relation to the health of your business systems. Our findings show that symptoms of burnout escalate in companies with system vulnerabilities. Entrepreneurs who do not suffer from burnout have nearly twice as many systems in place as those who do. By performing this assessment, you will receive valuable feedback on the systems that need improvement in your business, leading to an improved quality of life.

In my coaching with entrepreneurs, I’ve noticed that allowing weaknesses to exist in our business for too long can be easy. We recognize the problems, but we avoid addressing them. Allowing multiple vulnerabilities to exist at work for a long time makes us particularly vulnerable to problems that accumulate quickly in a short period. For example, keeping a toxic team member on because your busy season is approaching may lead to that person quitting when you need them most.

Cash flow is a struggle that, when it lasts too long, can leave us vulnerable to burnout as we make survival trap decisions that can worsen our situation. There can be multiple issues when cash flow is a struggle. Dig deeper instead of assuming that increasing sales is the answer to your cash flow challenge.

Related: 7 Tips to Avoid Burnout as an Entrepreneur

If your revenues are growing, and cash flow is a challenge, expenses will likely exceed revenues. This happens frequently in growing companies, especially when team members are added to meet increasing demand. In this case, you will want to look for ways to improve business efficiency and reduce payroll costs. What expenses can be reduced? What activities do team members do that can be automated? Do you have underperforming team members? If so, let them go.

If sales have stagnated or slowed, you’re probably not serving your niche. Your top customers may not like your offer. Identifying and interviewing your most important customers to better understand their needs will help you align your offerings to better serve their needs and give you insight into how to adjust your marketing messages to attract more business from customers like your top customers.

Often times, people’s challenges can make us want to give up. Dealing with difficult or demanding clients takes a toll on us and our team. Dealing with underperforming and uncoachable team members can make us question our leadership skills. Adding a system that helps you attract quality players to your team consistently will help reduce drama on your team. Likewise, putting in place a system to attract high-quality clients while creating filters to screen out unsuitable clients will reduce beta clients (“pain in assets”).

Related: Small Business Burnout: How to Know the Signs and Avoid It

Find support. When I went through tough times, I worked with my coach. An objective perspective was invaluable, we all have blind spots. I also trusted other business owners and got a huge boost from knowing that I wasn’t the only one having this experience and hearing about their experiences. Often times, I can formulate a more effective plan after receiving input from my coaches and teammates in similar situations.

I intentionally identified early signs of success to let me know my plan was working. I also focused on the wins and successes each week, which helped me keep moving forward, even when there were setbacks. Given the challenges we faced, we enhanced many systems. Because of this, our cash flow is stronger than ever.

Deciding to quit work is a viable option, especially for entrepreneurs who experience extreme burnout for an extended period of time. In this case, it may be helpful to work with a coach to determine how best to transform the business, what can be enhanced in the business over six to twelve months to increase its value, and what is not worth the effort.

Entrepreneurship demands a lot from us. Prioritizing self-care and asking for support will help us make the best decisions during difficult times.