Is the trend of hustle culture inspirational or toxic?
For far too long, many of us entrepreneurs have glorified overwork, thinking that it’s the only way to success. We’ve even given it a cool name: hustle culture. We work our bodies to the ground, miss out on special occasions, and risk physical and mental health decline for the sole purpose of growth.
But what if this one thing that you’re doing to accelerate your business’s growth is actually holding you back? Not only does hustle culture not work, but it will also eventually result in burnout, which can lead you to not having enough energy to continue working, much less growing, your business.
Let's talk about hustle culture, why it doesn’t work, and what you can do to set up a sustainable business model that will actually help you achieve your business goals while still having the time for yourself and the people that matter to you. Hint: it’s all about setting boundaries, and going for quality, not quantity.
In this blog/sneak peek into the podcast, we discuss:
Why hustle culture doesn’t work
How setting boundaries for yourself is setting you up for success
Tips for managing a sustainable business
If you're more of a listener or you like to watch your content, we dive deep into this topic in my Podcast "Blended" It is all on there, with my cohost Destiny. We are on a mission to create an authentic community within the beauty industry. As two female entrepreneurs deeply passionate about beauty and business, we strive to provide education in an accessible way as well as make sure every person has a place to call home. Blended’s goal is to provide beauty professionals – both new and experienced - with an inspiring yet relatable platform full of helpful tips, fun stories, and support that is much needed within the beauty industry.
Follow us on Instagram @blended_podcast
Follow me at @sierrasiroky
Follow Destiny @destiny.works
To listen along or watch online click the links: Podcast Youtube
Why Bussiness should never come before your mental health
Destiny: Business should not be coming before your mental health period. For example, if you are not at a hundred percent, how do you expect to show up at a hundred percent? You know, I'm working with a holistic doctor right now and he's run all these tests on me because I'm unbalanced, he's said to me "You're literally on fight or flight 24/, to the point where you don't even realize you're stressed because it's just a constant state of mind for you."
And it's the little things throughout the day, like breath work. Or taking a little walk, getting sunlight. It doesn't have to be like taking off from your job for two weeks and going to the Bahamas, is that amazing? Absolutely. Do I recommend it? Yes! We have to start out with baby steps, you know, like giving yourself that 30-minute break at work to just kind of eat lunch or, you know, do something that you like.
Sierra: Yeah. We make our schedules and we don't give ourselves breaks, small things that are legally required.
Destiny: Right, if we're not working, we're not being productive. You know, it's this mindset that we have to kind of get out of. My thing is when you die, what do you want to be remembered by?
Oh, she was such a good businesswoman. Or, do you want your kids to remember, she was an amazing mother, that was always there for me, no matter what! I want that.
Why and how to set boundaries for yourself
Destiny: So the first thing that you really need to figure out is your why and what is important to you. Until you truly, truly know that, you're not going to be able to set boundaries, get out a pen and paper, true to the gut, and figure out you're why. Then when you're asked different things whether it's work or personal, you need to make sure that it aligns with where you want your life to be. If it doesn't, release it. I find that hustle, culture, and burnout, start to creep on you because you're doing too much.
You don't have time for the things that you want to do or the things that you enjoy. You don't really have time to grow your business in ways that you want because you're just constantly doing other things. And then you are wasting your precious time on people or things that don't bring you value.
If you don't respect your own boundaries, why would you expect others to?
Why hustle culture doesn’t work
Destiny: For me, hustle culture is not working hard, that's not what it is. It's constantly working and thinking that being busy means that you are successful. So, getting no sleep and missing out on things that are important to you is okay because you are running a business. So are you gonna have sleepless nights, and long work days? Of course, I had one today. I'm not saying that, but it's just not something that you can sustain long-term.
I just find that in today's society, we make overworking look cute. That's what we're posting on Instagram. We post things like; It's my 10th meeting today. Oh, I've been up since 6 am. Oh, I've only had iced coffee today. We post that and we've made it appear as though that's what being successful is. It's like, we are not focused on having any boundaries whatsoever.
Sierra: I do definitely agree with that. I think it's definitely glorified and I fell into that. I thought that working hard constantly all the time was something to look up to. Then I realized. No! These women really have no work-life balance, they're missing out on major things. I worked every day, but 10 days last year!
Destiny: Yeah, that's insane. I feel like honestly, we know it's wrong and we post it hoping for some kind of validation from someone else to make us feel better about that choice. I don't care how much you love to work or love your business, I love to be busy too but if I'm missing out on personal things in my life that's not okay, you know? It's not sustainable for an everyday thing, and we just have got to stop wanting validation from other people and focus on what we want and what is important to us.
Getting to the core
We are not saying don't work hard for what you want in life. Everything in life worth having requires a bit of hard work. What we are saying in the midst of it all is to respect yourself, and not only that but to remember to love you and put you first as well.
Here at Siroki Lash Studio, we like to remind our clients that self-care doesn't stop with us and our beauty service. Our appointments are the client's time for them. This is why we strive to provide a relaxing, beautiful, and clean environment. A place where people come together with understanding. We love that our clients look forward to their appointments as their own personal therapy sessions, nap times, venting moments, or honestly just time to devote to themselves!
"If you cant love yourself, how the hell are you going to love somebody else?" - Rupaul