03/10/2022
The unfortunate truth of owning and running a business.
Running a business is really hard.
What they don’t tell you is that it can cause severe stress and anxiety, and drains you mentally to the point of depression in even the most laid back people.
People will talk about you, compare you to others, use you, they will view you as a service and not a person anymore.
Friends and family will expect discounts and people will value you and your hard work less than a big chain store. They will call and get advice even have you thinking they are your top supporters but then take their business and their money to someone else when they are ready to make a decision with the advice and knowledge you shared.
You have to worry about if you forget to email/message someone back, are they going to think it was on purpose? Did you disappoint them? Will they hold that against you? When in reality you are human and sometimes get distracted or for forget too.
Starting up and running a successful business puts incredible strain on personal lives and relationships, many of which fail because there is just often no work life balance. You need to be the director, the worker, the admin, the marketing team, the accountant, the cleaner..... All whilst being a parent, a husband or a wife, family support, friend, counselor, mentor, advocate... it’s one of the hardest things you will try and balance
There’s a reason you don’t see many people succeed in small businesses after 5 years. If they are successful they are overwhelmed. It takes a toll. It’s freaking exhausting. Especially the past couple of years when you provide a service and not a product, and your business is 100% dependent on customers being loyal in allowing you to serve and assist them for a commission. Everything is out of our control and we will fail if we do not have the intentional support of loyal clients.
Here’s a small reminder that we are just normal people with hectic lives. Be kind, be patient, support small businesses…….and hopefully more of us will stick around!
I copied and edited this from another small business owner that I support and they support us.
