How to Stop Accepting Small Contracts that Lead to Burnout?

I really appreciate this question because it names something that can happen to educators and entrepreneurs so often, and by proactively naming that, we can begin to make a conscious plan to ensure burnout does not happen. 

Before I dig into this though, I want to define burnout and how it can happen as an edupreneur. Burnout is described as ‘physical or mental collapse caused by overwork or stress.’ by Oxford Languages. Now, zooming into burnout in the educational consultant space, many consultants can find themselves feeling burnt out if they get caught in this loop of accepting small contracts where the amount of work and energy that is put in, does not match the actual compensation they are getting. 

Now, in my experience, there are two ways to avoid burnout as an education consultant when it comes to choosing contracts. The first is learning and getting comfortable saying no. The second is getting comfortable setting boundaries with your pricing and time.

#1: Learning and Loving the Word ‘No’ - Oftentimes especially when you’re just starting out as a consultant, you may feel obligated to take every single opportunity and contract that comes your way. While that speaks to your ability to carry a heavy plate, it doesn’t really get you off the hamster wheel of working life and out of a harmful ‘grindset’. 

There’s certainly nothing wrong with taking on multiple contracts, but you need to be cognizant of the work and energy you are putting into each contract and ensure that the compensation you receive matches that. If it doesn’t, the next time that contract or a contract similar to it comes around, you may want to take the opportunity to say no. 

You can always say no, and because I know this is difficult and awkward for some, I want you to start getting comfortable saying no. Now, I know this can be hard if you feel like money is a scarce resource that you have to fight for, but remember that money is an abundant resource that is all around you that you can attract whenever you want it. 

Either way, learning to say no is going to be a necessary part of your journey. I've had my consulting business for four years, and guess what? I say no. All the time. Seriously. For example, an organization reached out to me and offered to pay me $500 for eight hours of work. Low key, I was offended. I was like, "First off, no. Secondly, $500 for eight hours of work? Let me tell you how much time you could get for $500. You could get 30-40 minutes, tops."

Now some people would've said yes to the $500 contract for eight hours. And there’s nothing wrong with that, but I want you to know that if you've done that once you likely will do it again, and you have now placed an invisible ceiling on your revenue. 

I share that to show that even though I'm four years into my business and I received an offer that from an organization that I have a direct tie to, I still said no. It wasn’t rude, it didn’t destroy any relationships and it certainly didn’t stop me from receiving other contracts. So that's something you're going to have to get comfortable with, because if you want to continue to grow and scale, you’re going to need to know how to say no! 

#2: Setting Boundaries Around Your Pricing and Time - This is another way to avoid getting caught up in smaller contracts and avoid burnout because when you know your worth, choosing the right contracts and projects for you and your business will become that much easier. 

One way to avoid undercharging and underestimating your worth is knowing your numbers. Intimately. And this is going to be part math and part mindset work because you’re going to calculate just how much money you need to make your target salary within your business, and you’re going to realize just how much you actually need to charge (and you might freak out a little, that’s fine!) 

When I say “know your numbers” I mean everything. You need to know your target salary, your average monthly expenses, your target profit margin and your break even point. Once you’ve got all those, you can determine how much money you actually need to make every month, at minimum. That clarity is key!

Honestly, when you know your numbers, when you know that accepting $500 for eight hours of work is not going to allow you to hit your target numbers, it is a lot easier to say no and protect your time for other projects that are closer aligned with your goals and your mission. And those contracts will come, especially when you have clarity on just how much you need to charge for your services. 

When you know your numbers, the decision to say no, is no longer emotional or riddled with fear. It’s clear, in black and white. Saying no and protecting your pricing and time means that you are not compromising your salary, your ability to pay your expenses or your profit margin. Removing emotion from the equation gives you clarity and clears the way for projects that align best with you, your business, and your vision!

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