#memonday... #andtuesdaytoo

I’ve been in the Buy From a Black Woman Accelerator Program for seven weeks come tomorrow. The focus is building a sustainable brand and professional business plan; topics and assignments range from maintaining digital currency to personal storytelling to financing. And I’m not gonna lie, it’s been kicking my butt in the best way; I’m learning a lot, asking myself questions that I’ve never pondered and applying new methods to the way I conduct business in our current new normal.

This great opportunity along with running the day-to-day of Two Dough Girls, being present with my loved ones, maintaining a covid-free social life, exercising, sleeping enough and getting some me time is an oh so necessary balancing act.

With this new commitment, my accountability partners from the program (Heeey Amber! Hey Nyana!) and I often discuss the need for rest. As an entrepreneur, you don’t always get a weekend. Your day shift can turn into a swing without notice EVERY DANG DAY. People sometimes forget to ask how you’re doing. Sometimes you forget to ask yourself. And when you’re accustomed to doing it all, you may push when you need to pull away or say yes when you shouldn’t have even answered that call. Add to it that your family and customer base may forget or deny your precious womanhood and instead see you as a trusty, multi-tasking machine that they can always rely on and will feed on that energy until....

My goal and what I preach to my fellow Black women is to never let that well run dry. I never say I can do it all but rather I can do a lot. All of the opportunities and money and knowledge can’t better you if you’re burnt out or dead.

Business ownership is no doubt hard work and dedication, but it is also supposed to be fun.

The moral of this post: get your rest, dammit. MAKE TIME for it. Get out of your head and into your body. Ask yourself, how do I feel? Resting makes the many growth opportunities and hurdles of business ownership manageable and so fulfilling! You don’t have to complete a certain amount of tasks to “earn” rest either. Also, please ask for help. Use your resources. And for goodness sakes, say no if your spirit says no.

P.S. I get my outlook on rest from The Nap Ministry. It may benefit your wellbeing, too, whether you’re an entrepreneur or not.