Top 2 Stresses of Small Business Owners

Owning and managing one’s own business isn't easy. There are no set rules, no set procedures. It’s all on you, the business owner. As such, it should come to no surprise that business owners are often under a great amount of stress. Here are the two main things that business owners tend to find the most challenging.

1. Having to Do it All. Regardless of what “doing it all” means for you and your business specifically, it is likely that you rarely find enough hours in the day to accomplish everything you had on your mental – or actual – list that particular day. Let me break it to you – even if you work 70 hours a week, you still will not be able to do it all. The sooner you accept this fact, the sooner your stress levels will slowly begin to decrease. You can only do so much in one day, and you need to remember that your health, such as sleep, eating habits, and exercise, plays a vital part in your business performance as well. That being said, in order for your business to function properly, you yourself need to set aside adequate time for your personal health and upkeep. By allowing yourself to have time for your own life, you will subsequently improve the efficiency of the time you spend in your business life. Interruptions, deadlines, and opportunities will always attempt to sway you back and forth, but remaining steady with the balance you come up with is the best way to keep you and your business performing well.

2. Not Having Control. You are the creator; the boss; you are in the driving seat – so why is it that the more control you attempt to take, the less you actually tend to have? While you may hold your business’s reigns, investors, clients, and outside business partners are all holding yours. As unfair as it may seem, you are not able to guarantee the results and answers you hope to receive. In order to positively handle this, you will have to accept it for what it is and choose to have an optimistic approach to those decisions that unfortunately do not work in your favor. Appreciate the aspects that are working for your benefit and try to accept that ones that you can’t control. The more you focus on the control you are lacking, the more chaotic your reactions and decisions will become. Relax. Breathe. Take the time to listen, analyze, and consider multiple responses when situations arise. A quick response does not equate having control of a situation. So help your business as well as your stress levels and take control of what you can – the way in which you handle situations.

Running your own business is tough. Decisions are always waiting to be made, and sometimes things just don’t work out. While failure is a word whispered about in the business world, it happens. But don’t let it keep you down. If you fall, get back up. Don’t allow your slight failures to outshine your lasting successes. Though you may not be able to do it all every time, do what you can do to the best of your ability and take one step at a time.