If there is anything business owners and entrepreneurs have been told in recent years it’s that success can’t be found without immense suffering. You can’t be successful without working 24/7. How do you plan to reach your goals if you want to, dare I say, take a vacation? Work/life balance? Not a chance!

What happens when these business owners and entrepreneurs take this advice? They do it. They work 24/7, sacrifice hobbies, family time, anything else that brings them joy. They lose sleep, they may skip meals, and before you know it, they are burnt out. Productivity dips, numbers drop, and it feels like all that work has just gone down the drain.

How can working hard lead to burnout?
Working hard is one thing. Working beyond your limits is another. Hard work and dedication is needed when being a business owner or entrepreneur, that’s a given! Burnout occurs when individuals OVER work themselves and essentially bite off more than they can chew.

This usually happens in the early stages, when staff and funding is limited and the main goal is to get things off the ground and turn profit. Business owners and entrepreneurs often do most, if not all, of the work; marketing, sales, finance, etc. Doing several jobs all at once is time consuming and because of this, individuals often have to sacrifice things that can alleviate stress and help prevent burnout, such as family time and hobbies. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

So, what is the solution?
Simple - asking for help. It can be hard as a business owner or entrepreneur to ask for help. You may like things done a certain way and fear others cannot replicate or you may feel a sense of failure because you can’t manage what you initially thought you could. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness, but rather, a good thing! Business owners have to be level-headed and understand the ups and downs. The ability to understand where things may be going wrong within your business or personally is key.

Take some time to analyze day to day tasks. Figure out what is consuming the majority of your time, what is driving profit, what your strong suit is, what tasks are being left on the back burner, and what your weak spots are. Once you break this all down, it’s time to find the help you need!

Well, where exactly do I get this help?
Hiring extra hands is the best way to alleviate yourself of tasks that may be adding a bit too much to your plate. A cost effective method of help is hiring a virtual assistant. Virtual assistants are pretty much jacks (or jills) of all trades. They can aid with everything from email to payroll to social media. Virtual assistants can even help you access what is on your plate and help you better organize and assign your tasks for optimal performance.

What are the benefits of hiring a virtual assistant?
Where do we even begin?! Hiring a virtual assistant poses many benefits.

•  They often have expertise in many different areas.
• They can save you a significant amount of time by taking on time-consuming day-to-day tasks.
• They often require minimal training.
• Save on the operations costs (benefits, vacation pay, etc).
• They work remotely which means you don’t have to pay for office space and hardware.
• They are cost efficient compared to hiring a part-time/full-time worker.
• You will have less tasks on your plate!

​Long gone are the days where you have to run yourself into the ground to be successful. Working with a virtual assistant can help take daunting tasks off of your plate so you can focus on what’s most important - YOU. Say goodbye to hustle culture and HELLO to balance!

​Since 1878, the Horton Farmers’ Market has been an integral piece of our local culture.
It is a is a best-in-class market destination that promotes civic pride, shapes local culture and supports the regional economy by providing access to high quality food producers, craftspeople and artisans. Each season, the market strives to source all our vendors and products from within a 60km radius of the market, ensuring our community has access to the very best fruits, vegetables, flowers, meats, cheese, and hand-crafted items our region has to offer.”
In 2021, the St. Thomas Economic Development Corporation took on the management of the Horton Market with the following objectives in the first year:

• Under the supervision of the Elgin/St. Thomas Small Business Enterprise Centre (SBEC) and the overall direction of the St. Thomas EDC, utilize the full marketing breadth of the organization, through SBEC and Railway City Tourism, to continue to promote and grow the market
• Create a full-time, year-round Business Advisor Role that would oversee the Horton Market and provide vendors support to assist with business growth and expansion
• Add outdoor seating with sun protection and weekly live music
• Utilize the Horton Market space to further stimulate entrepreneurial activity

 
How did we do in our first year?

• In comparison to pre-pandemic years, vendors saw a sales revenue increase of 24% during regular market weeks and a sales revenue increase of 78% at the Horton Farmers Christmas Market
• Organic Facebook reach increased by 51% and Instagram reach increased by 1,626%
• Vendors were able to access additional marketing and business support through the dedicated Rural Business Advisor
• Outdoor seating capacity increased from 26 seats to 66 seats
• Hosted our first “Horton Market After Dark” featuring local food and beverage providers

Thinking of becoming a vendor at the Horton Market in 2022? Maximizing earning potential is one of the many reasons to be a vendor. Here are other great benefits:

• The Horton Market is FUN! You become part of a community of like-minded farmers and get to know consumers who are interested in you and what you do
• You help educate consumers about what farmers do, and make them appreciate the contributions they make—not only to their dinner table but to the environment, as well
• Free market research for improving or expanding your product line as you are constantly learning what people want to buy
• You sell what you grow – however little that may be. This is great for new producers and/or producers in the process of converting to organic crops and/or small-scale producers who can’t meet supermarket minimum orders

With so many vibrant producers in St. Thomas and Elgin County, we are excited about the possibilities in 2022!
​If you are interested in learning more about the Horton Farmer’s Market contact manager@hortonfarmersmarket.ca or call 226-377-0064.