Running a business is lonely. Sometimes it really isn’t the party everyone thinks it is. Even if you are lucky to have a lot of support around you, sometimes you can feel like people don’t *get it*.
“Why don’t you just get a job!”
“You must be so happy not having a boss!”
“I wish I could work in MY pyjamas!”
“Pffft, try having MY job and then you can complain!”
“You’re always working!”
I know this, because I have been in business, both successfully and unsuccessfully, for 10 years. It really sucks sometimes.
As someone who runs a business, or starts a business, you are different from ‘normal’ people. You think differently, live differently, work differently.
We tend to gloss over the shitty side of being in business: cashflow, fear, vulnerability… we pay lip service but don’t really talk about it. We pretend we are bulletproof. Innovators. Geniuses. We hide behind the mask of working without pants and daytime TV whenever we want. We hide behind the awesomeness of having the freedom that we do. Everyone looks at us with envy.
You don’t want a job. You don’t want a boss. And it turns out, you work in your pyjamas because your phone has been going since 7am and you also forgot to eat…
And because we choose this we feel we aren’t allowed to complain.
If there is one thing I want you to know — it is that you ARE allowed to complain. It is okay to ask for help.
It is critical to your mental health.
Sometimes, family and friends really can’t provide that support you need. They *try* to be supportive, but when they see you stressing out about your “first world problems”, or hear you talking in circles about work — you can’t help but feel they are wishing you would just quit, get a job, be normal, stop complaining. Stop dreaming. They support you…. but not really.
It is no wonder that those who run businesses are at greater risk of mental health problems than the general population. The support isn’t really there.
You try to join business communities for support from other business owners, but instead you keep wearing the same old “I’m a superstar” mask, on the off chance that someone might be a potential customer.
You really have no-one to really just talk it out with, who has been there. Who gets it. Who understands how it feels to worry about something every single day. To understand that crushing feeling of grief & loss when you feel like a failure.
Someone who actually listens to you and helps you.
I do understand. I can be your sounding board, your counsellor, your muse, your advisor in strategy and marketing — how I help varies from client to client. But I provide both emotional and practical support for those who are struggling with the stress of business.
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If you are struggling with your business, or anything really, please, give me a call on 0407 877 431 and I will see how I can help. Hitting that call button or emailing me via the contact form.
I will make you feel better, I promise.