Counting sheep: tackling sleepless nights as a small business owner

Counting sheep

As a small business owner, how many times have you had a sleepless night due to the stresses and strains of running your own company? More than once, right? Many small business owners believe this is normal and is just part of the job.

However, when those feelings of stress and anxiety begin to have a negative impact on your life and those around you, it may be time to address the issue.

Earlier this year Charity Mental Health UK released research to show that “Four in five small business owners report experiencing common symptoms of poor mental health at least a few times a year.” With around 80% of small business owners surveyed suggesting that they had suffered poor mental health due to the effects of Covid-19 on their income, then it is no wonder the sleepless nights are creeping in.

Help is out there

If you are a company owner with mental health issues, the first step toward healing is to seek support. There are many services available to those who are having difficulty at work; below are a few examples:

Every Mind Matters: Your Mind Plan is a tool created by Public Health England. You simply answer a few online questions and you will be sent an action plan designed to help you improve your wellbeing.

Wellness Action Plans, these guides created by Mind are designed for anyone that would like to understand the practical measures that can be put in place to ensure good mental health in the workplace.

The Federation of Small Businesses has a Wellbeing Hub, which provides tips and checklists with information of how to look after your own mental health and where to go if you need more support.

We know how important good mental health is; therefore, our Business Growth team and some of our partners have also produced blogs on: Looking After You In A Time Of Change, Resilience and Managing Uncertainty and Building Blocks To Resilience.

Encouraging early signs

An Economic Recovery Survey conducted by Elite Business Magazine has shown there is cause for some optimism with “(68%) saying they had rethought their business model due to the crisis. This could include reducing their product or service range (32%), making changes to their supply chains (30%), and transforming their sales and marketing strategy to directly target new customers (28%).”

The resilience displayed by the business owners on our programmes has been both inspiring and commendable.

Jean Chatzky, who is a financial journalist, author, and motivational speaker, says it best. “Resilience isn’t a single skill. It’s a variety of skills and coping mechanisms. To bounce back from bumps in the road as well as failures, you should focus on emphasizing the positive.”

As always, the Cheshire and Warrington Business Growth Programme team are here to support you and your business. We would love to hear from you about your business journey throughout this last twelve months, so please do reach out to us.

Finally, I would like to say kudos to all the businesses out there that are learning from their current experiences and adapting.

Emily Pegg
Business Engagement Manager