How to prioritise your wellbeing when fundraising

Any entrepreneur, female founder or not, will tell you that they have far too much work to do. Our modern addiction to "busyness," which involves packing our days with never-ending errands and to-do lists, may be doing you more harm than good. We know from our work at Enter The Arena that so many female founders believe that their primary caregiving responsibilities are the biggest obstacle to their professional success, which is ironic given that getting flexibility with family care is the main reason women start a business in the first place!

It's crucial to have measures in place to assist you in managing the potential overload in life, regardless of your particular circumstances, whether you're a parent or have other significant duties aside from running your business. As female founders, we must surround ourselves with supportive people and carve out time to take care of our own needs. The reality, believe it or not, is that working 100 hours a week is not necessary to lead a start-up; instead, focus on working smarter, not harder. And the process of raising investment falls under this premise as well. Everyone needs some downtime to unwind as you’ll ultimately burn out if you don't properly look after your body and mind. 

Self-care has never been more crucial for female founders than while you're fundraising. When talking to investors, you need to be at the top of your game. It's not a good idea to show up to a meeting with just two hours of sleep, malnourished skin that is grey and pasty, and a physique that is stiff as a board. Therefore, plan some "me-time" in your diary and don't allow it to be changed. Do whatever works for you. Exercise, meditation, artistic endeavours, interaction with others, enjoyment, or simply binge-watching your favourite TV show. In this manner, you'll be energised and prepared to give your all when you go out to invest.

So here are some strategies to manage overwhelm:

1. Know what you're doing when it comes to fundraising.

It is very, very easy to get overwhelmed because you're doing lots of fundraising activities that aren't really working or aren’t a fit for you as a female founder. For example, spending hours in isolation, stressing over your pitch deck and financials, pinging off hundreds of ineffective emails to investors that really aren't the right fit for a female founder, or having meeting after meeting with investors that lead nowhere because you don't know how to have effective conversations and close your deal. 

2. Prioritisation is critical - learn how to do it now

When it comes to overwhelm, you have to know how and when to prioritise, because you can't do everything and if you try, guess what? You’re asking to be overwhelmed, as you have probably already experienced. So start by asking yourself, ‘what’s the most important and urgent thing on your list?’ And if you're raising investment, that is usually your number one priority. Set aside an hour or two first thing in the morning before you open your e-mail and get distracted with other things, and delete all non-essential apps from your phone. Stay away from the rabbit hole of social media because that will definitely lead to overwhelm.

3. Look after yourself

Most obvious, but probably most overlooked. If you're not sleeping well, if you're not feeling nourished and relaxed, and if you don't have at least some time for some fun and rest with friends and family, you will burn out. It’s not easy for female founders when it comes to ‘looking after’ ourselves. Yet overwhelm can be managed with mindset training, meditation and by focusing on the end goal - raising investment so you can grow.

4. Get the right support

Remember, getting the right professional support with fundraising can really make or break what you're doing. With the very best help, overwhelm can be reduced and your wellbeing can be prioritised. So if you're a female founder thinking about raising your investment, we'd love to help you.