How to Separate Self-Worth From Business Performance

Entrepreneurs are, by nature, deeply connected to their ventures. Your business isn’t just a source of livelihood. For most business owners, it often consumes most of their waking hours, demanding their constant attention, vision, hard work and strategic planning. This intense immersion can lead to remarkable success, but it also means the business itself can quickly become a deeply ingrained part of your identity.

While this level of passion and connection is often celebrated in the entrepreneurial world, there’s a significant downside if your personal worth and identity become too closely linked to your venture’s fate. This all-consuming mindset can subtly push founders to believe that the health of the business is a direct reflection of their self-worth. This creates a dangerous feedback loop where personal value is tied to business metrics, leading to what many are now calling the entrepreneur identity crisis.

Unfortunately, this identity crisis can manifest as chronic stress, burnout, mental health issues and even physical illness from the constant pressure to perform, which is amplified if the business is struggling or facing a growth plateau. In a desperate attempt to fix the problem, many entrepreneurs simply double down on their focus on the business, causing further harm and straining relationships with friends and family who take a backseat to the relentless demands of the company.

Separating your personal worth and value from the business is a critical step to maintaining a healthy relationship with your work and, more importantly, with yourself. This is especially vital if you’re making plans to pivot, scale back or even sell your business. Without this crucial separation, you can find yourself facing a profound lack of purpose and even depression when the business no longer occupies the central role in your life.

Related: Don’t Let Your Business Take Over Your Life

1. Conduct an identity audit

Take an hour to sit down and create a comprehensive list or a visual mind map of all your roles, interests and relationships outside of your business. Are you a spouse, parent, athlete, artist or community member? Once you have compiled an expansive list, honestly assess how much time and energy you currently dedicate to each of these roles. Are there any glaring gaps or imbalances?

An identity audit is a powerful tool to visually represent who you are as a person and identify if you are overextending yourself in one specific area at the expense of others.

2. Redefine your definition of success

True success in business extends far beyond financial metrics, revenue or valuation. While these are an important part of running a healthy business, tying these metrics to your personal identity can be dangerous. Instead, try reframing your definition of success in a way that decouples your personal worth from business performance. For example, one success factor might be being available for your kids’ extracurricular activities. This reinforces your role as a father rather than just a business owner.

Journaling is a fantastic practice to reinforce this on a regular basis. Dedicate time to self-reflect and make note of the things you feel gratitude for, such as personal successes, non-business accomplishments and life milestones. This practice can help ground you in a sense of accomplishment that isn’t solely tied to your business’s performance.

Related: Define What Success Looks Like to You

3. Schedule time for self-care and personal goals

For most entrepreneurs, self-care and personal well-being often get put on the back burner while their primary focus is on the day-to-day operations of their business. Being able to separate yourself physically from the business is a great way to strengthen your non-entrepreneurial identity.

Block out non-negotiable time on your calendar to focus on activities that are completely unrelated to the business, such as joining a community softball league, picking up a book on an interesting non-business topic or learning a new skill. In addition, make time to prioritize your health by hitting the gym, meditating or going to the spa. By consistently engaging in personal activities, you send a message to yourself that your personal needs are just as important as the needs of the business.

4. Set boundaries

The goal here isn’t to become indifferent to your business, but to set healthy boundaries that prevent it from consuming your entire life. Most entrepreneurs are familiar with answering late-night emails or “jumping on a quick call” on Saturday morning. The problem here is that being in entrepreneur mode 24/7 can exacerbate your identity crisis.

A simple way to combat this is to implement non-work hours into your daily routine. During this time, you should be completely unavailable to the business unless there is a true emergency. You can also set strict rules, such as not checking email after 7:00 p.m. or designating areas of your home as work-free zones.

Related: Set Boundaries in These Key Areas to Save Your Sanity — and Your Business

5. Build an external support system

The sad reality for entrepreneurs and corporate employees alike is that we often spend more time with our coworkers and business associates than we do our families and non-work friends. Before you know it, your social circle is entirely composed of people who share your industry, talk about the business or reinforce your work identity. For this reason, you should prioritize time to connect with people who have nothing to do with your professional life, such as reconnecting with high school friends or joining a club or group that has a shared hobby or interest.

Reconnecting with your true identity can be a scary and exciting phase in your journey as an entrepreneur. By cultivating a more diverse identity, you can protect yourself from the many challenges that come with developing an unhealthy relationship with your business.