We were lucky to catch up with Nimra Hayat recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Nimra, thank you for joining us today and sharing your experiences and acquired wisdom with us. Burnout is a huge topic these days and so we’d love to kick things off by discussing your thoughts on overcoming or avoiding burnout
Burnout is a major issue that many entrepreneurs and business owners encounter, especially when managing all day-to-day operations of a business alone.
Reflecting on when I first launched my business, I remember feeling overwhelmed and stressed with the amount of responsibilities I had to fulfill. I felt like I was flooded with work and had such little time to accomplish tasks. Because of the constant stress and never ending to-do list, I would end my days feeling unaccomplished and simply burnt out. This is when i realized that I would not be able to reach all my goals and expectations instantaneously and I needed to create a schedule for myself by establishing smaller goals and deadlines.
With this new approach, I learned it is important to prevent burnout before it happens and prioritize time for myself that’s not work related. During the workday, I block out time to go outdoors and take a walk. This helps me clear my head and increase productivity. Taking a couple hours a week to get together with friends, go for a hike or catch up on my favorite television shows helps me destress. If that gets difficult, I take time to meditate. I have learned that burnout affects end performance so it is important to incorporate leisure activities into your schedule. I find when I take these little escapes, it helps boost my creativity for when I return to work.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
At the peak of the pandemic, I took a leap of faith and launched Lylah’s Los Angeles, an online women’s clothing and accessories boutique. This business venture is so special to me and it has taught me lessons in both business and life.
Since launching Lylah’s, I have built a community of empowered women that express themselves through fashion. When you wear clothing that boosts your confidence, a part of yourself is reflected to the world, and I wanted to capture that spirit within my brand. My boutique offers something for everyone, whether it is a sentimental piece of jewelry or an outfit for a special occasion. My mission is to constantly redefine fashion by exploring new textures, colors and design. My absolute favorite part of building this company is hearing from women who purchased an outfit that became part of an experience, and they didn’t have to break the bank to achieve their look. I pride myself in providing quality pieces at affordable prices.
At a personal level, I have learned how to step out of my comfort zone. I was never the type of person that took risks professionally. Through the process of launching a fashion brand I learned about the hard work, dedication and grit it takes to achieve professional goals.
Currently, I am focused on expanding my brand by advertising my products at local markets, connecting with my followers, and raising brand awareness through social media. My goal is to open pop up shops in different cities to showcase our new collections and connect with Lylah’s customers. I am also in the process of launching a jewelry store that will offer luxe, personalized jewelry.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Looking back, the qualities that helped me find success as an entrepreneur were: dedication, patience and having a positive outlook. I have learned that difficult challenges are inevitable while operating a business, and it was putting these qualities in practice that helped me find success.
Often times, new entrepreneurs don’t invest the time and brainpower required to learn how to run a business. Companies with great products fail due to a lack of foundational, financial or operational knowledge. Founders are often passionate about what they are building, but passion isn’t enough to build and grow something sustainable. Dedication means knowing your blind spots and proactively creating systems that keep you accountable.
Truly knowing your customer’s needs are critical to achieving sales. Entrepreneurs are often attached to their products, not their customers. Have the patience to listen to your customers and understand how your business solves their problems. Also keep an open mind and rethink how you’re catering to their needs as your customers evolve.
My last bit of advice is to not expect an overnight success and be content with progress. Entrepreneurship is incredibly hard. We’ve all experienced frustration when we have applied time and effort into a set of tasks, and the response was underwhelming. Dig in to those losses, learn what prevented that success, and pivot based on what you’ve learned. It’s hard to maintain that positive outlook, but think about the losses as opportunities to come back strong.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
Balancing motherhood with being a full time business owner is probably the biggest challenge I’ve ever faced. One of those roles is enough to fully consume a person and it’s tough to be the best mom possible while ensuring Lylah’s reaches its full potential.
I’ve realized there’s no perfect solution, but I have found success with better time management. Though babies are unpredictable, I’ve learned to plan my days around what can be controlled and prioritize aggressively. Everyday I identify a small list of tasks that must get done that day, and work my schedule around accomplishing those tasks. I accept that anything else can be pushed off in case my day does get chaotic. I also make sure to keep plenty of cushion for the things I can’t control. Not only did this technique help me balance better, I found myself more focused and less frustrated.
The workload from both motherhood and a demanding career can leave new moms feeling very lonely because we want to accomplish it all and its easy to operate in isolation. I am fortunate enough to have a supportive family that I can lean on when I need a break, and I’ve accepted that it is perfectly ok to ask for help when I need it. I also try to keep things in perspective and remind myself to think about the bigger picture for both my child and business; stressing over the little things makes everything harder and the right mindset helps me ensure I can trek forward.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.shoplylahs.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shop.lylahs/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shop.lylahs/
- Other: Currently, Lylah’s is offering 15% off all purchases throughout the holiday season with code: LYLAHS15 In addition to that, my new jewelry store will be launching soon: www.shoplovestone.com
