4 Mental Health Tips for Entrepreneurs

By: Brianna Rhodes

Entrepreneurship can be a daunting but fulfilling experience for women and minorities. The
career path has many ebbs and flows that business owners have to grapple with, which can
lead to stress and burnout.

As this year ends and a new year approaches, EWOC has a few mental health tips for
entrepreneurs to utilize this holiday season–and year-round. We spoke with licensed clinical
professional counselor Channing Clark about why mental health is vital for women of color
entrepreneurs and how they can prioritize self-care and work-life balance.

Clark is the owner and clinical director of Restore You Counseling and Consultation based in
Laurel, Maryland. She has worked in the mental health field for 17 years and has been a
licensed clinical professional for nine years.

When it comes to garnering success as an entrepreneur, Clark believes it’s important for women
and minority business owners to maintain their mental health because there are so many layers
to consider to achieve longevity in their business.

For example, some minority groups may feel pressure to show up in a certain way to combat
the negative perceptions connected to their cultural background while managing their business.
On top of that, some minority entrepreneurs have to learn how to navigate the business industry
since there’s no actual road map to follow, which can stifle their business growth.
Despite these factors, we want to ensure entrepreneurs are on the right path to achieve their
goals in 2024. Clark shared four mental health tips entrepreneurs should consider to maintain
their mental health below:

1. Make space to become aware of the state of your mental health

Many women and minority-owned businesses wear a lot of hats when they launch their
businesses, which causes their job to overpower their personal needs. Because of this, Clark
thinks it’s essential for entrepreneurs to journal and reflect on the boundaries they need to set to
ensure their mental health is intact. Whether it’s limiting how many hours you work or the
number of clients you see in a day, you must be intentional about taking care of yourself and
being in tune with your emotions so you can show up to work as your whole self.

2. Hire Business Support

Due to finances and limited resources, it can take some time for entrepreneurs, especially
solopreneurs, to hire help for their businesses. But once they get in good standing, Clark thinks
hiring business support can offer many benefits. One benefit is automating or delegating tasks
so entrepreneurs can have free time to focus on other work obligations or personal lives. The
extra time will also give them the bandwidth to move forward with planning long-term goals for
their business.

“Investing in yourself in that way, I believe, is an act of self-care,” Clark said. She believes
entrepreneurs who wear many hats can get stuck in the same spot for a long time, which stifles
them from realizing that their vision is much bigger than where they are. To address this issue,
Clark suggests business owners invest in other small businesses that can assist them with their
needs.

3. Take Advantage of Business Resources

There are many programs and workshops for women of color entrepreneurs worldwide. EWOC
takes much pride in being a part of that pool to provide resources to support the development,
growth, and acceleration of women of color entrepreneurs throughout the DMV area.

Clark believes business owners should look into resources like EWOC that can help their
businesses thrive. She emphasized that women and minority-owned companies should always
be on the search for help because there are so many resources to assist them in almost every
area of business, ranging from marketing to customer service.

4. Find or Build Your Community

Entrepreneurship can be an isolating career path for business owners, especially when they
don’t have family or friends who are self-employed. Building a community to talk about your
woes or hardships offers you an outlet to get out of ruts that may cause you to be stagnant.
Sharing a space with other entrepreneurs can give you the comfort and courage to press
forward. Your community can also provide advice and mentorship, which is another form of self-
care.

Entrepreneurship is a year-round commitment that can be overwhelming at different times of the
year, especially during the holiday season. Clark encourages all women of color entrepreneurs
to designate time to sit back and identify changes they want to make in the new year so they
can continue to build a healthy foundation for themselves and their businesses.

Clark believes that making the space for reflection should be prioritized as much as making
money. Those elements, along with rest and health, should be the top factors to consider as we
close out 2023. She knows from experience.

“The basic things are so important because they impact all these other areas of my life,” Clark
said. “If I’m under stress, not eating properly, and not getting the right sleep, I’m more likely to
get sick and not able to really problem solve and think through challenges.”

“I think society itself has created this narrative [that we have to constantly work] to move
forward, and you can succeed without really putting value on when you rest,” she added. “When
you sit and don’t think about work, you actually give yourself the fuel you need to see the overall
vision. I think if anything else, it is so important for your mental health, but also for
your business health.”

Clark shared excellent tips that all business owners should consider. We only have a few weeks
left in 2023. Make sure you take the time to prioritize your mental health so you can enter 2024
motivated and recharged. You deserve it.

To learn more about Clark and her services, please visit her website at
https://www.restoreyoucounseling.com/