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.
You have to worry about if you forget to email/message or call 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 just can’t get to everyone’s messages, emails, and phone calls.
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 while being a parent, a husband or a wife, family support, friend... it’s one of the hardest things you will try and balance. If you give your time, you will sacrifice financial benefits. If you strive for financial benefit, you will have to sacrifice your time. It’s just the way it goes when your business is relying on you to survive and you’re relying on your business to provide!
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 so much has been out of our control.
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!
