Running two alcohol brands isn’t exactly a recipe for chill evenings at home watching Netflix. Between late nights and nonstop hustle, Joey Angelo, founder of SIP MARGS and Sue Casa Mezcal, has a lot on his plate—and in his cup. “I don’t suffer from burnout,” Joey says. “But I fear it.”
Angelo joined the latest episode of Entrepreneur Therapy, presented by Amazon Business, to talk about what keeps him up and how to keep those worries from derailing his business. To help Angelo spot the early signs of workaholism, Dr. Drew introduces a tool he often uses with patients: HALT. “Hungry, angry, lonely, tired,” he explains. HALT is a quick mental check-in that encourages people to pause and ask if their stress is rooted in one of four common causes.
Dr. Drew points out that when entrepreneurs push too hard for too long, it’s often their relationships that are the first casualty. “Nobody suffers more than our spouse and our children,” he tells Angelo, urging him to make space for rest and connection before burnout creeps in.
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Perell adds that burnout often sneaks in when boundaries start to blur. She points out that founders don’t get an off-season like athletes do, so it’s important to protect your personal life. Perrel works this downtime into her schedule. “Really knowing what time I’m on and what time I’m off, and I block that just like a meeting.” For entrepreneurs like Angelo, whose work often blends into his social life, that work-life balance can be a sanity saver.
Angelo also expresses concern about how to get the word out. His brands are performing well, but with limited resources, he worries they’re not reaching enough people. “I need a megaphone,” he says. “How do I get my message out there with limited budgets and not a ton of marketing, PR, or social?”
Perell encourages him to focus on what he already has: happy customers. “They love the product. So continuing to drive home the authenticity of your customers in creating that community will drive the virality that you’re seeking,” she says. “Everyone thinks, ‘Oh, I gotta get a great big influencer.’ But at the end of the day, it’s the customers that really count and them telling, ‘Oh my gosh, have you tasted this amazing mezcal?'”
Watch the episode to hear more about Angelo’s journey as a founder juggling two growing brands.
Entrepreneur Therapy is presented by Amazon Business. Smart business buying starts with Amazon Business. Learn more.
