Stress and The Business Owner Today: Insights and Tips From Successful Leaders

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Exhausted? Fearful? Feeling alone with your concerns and worries about your business? Thinking about the stress you are feeling and its effect on you personally as well as in other areas of your life and home? Feeling more than the “normal” stress that often accompanies business ownership and entrepreneurship? Productivity down? Insomnia? Concerns about the possibility of having to close your practice or business? Others?

Please know. You are not alone by any means!

Today’s world brings many challenges and some are consistently increasing. Stress is a growing and major factor affecting the world, not just business owners, however this article’s focus is on the latter.

We will also be hearing directly from peers and other business professionals in the hopes that what they share will shed some light and contribute to the realization that, in fact, you are not alone – not with the thoughts and feelings or with the varying levels of stress you may be dealing with professionally and personally.

Entrepreneurs have been reported to have significantly higher mental health issues than everyday working professionals. According to a study at UC Berkeley, 72% of entrepreneurs self-reported mental health concerns. Entrepreneurs were significantly more likely to report a lifetime history of depression (30%), ADHD (29%), substance use conditions (12%), and bipolar diagnosis (11%) hminutes.co/72-of-entrepreneurs-suffer-from-mental-health-issues-heres-why-and-what-to-do-about-it/

If asked, many in business or in general may respond with what they feel would be the main possible concerns of business owners, such as:
• Staffing
• Time issues
• Managing cash flow
• High turnover
• Customer relations
• Employee tensions
• Lack of productivity
• Technology
• Keeping up with or up to date w competitors
• Customer retention
• Customer acquisition, to name a few.

Although many of the above would indeed be accurate, hear firsthand from business owners and entrepreneurs of varying industries who graciously gave their input and answers to 2 questions:

1: If you have a main stressor or 2, would you kindly share what it is or what they are?
2: Would you please share a tip or 2 on how you have dealt with or deal with that stress or stressors?

Note: each owner chose their contact info so some categories may differ

You may be surprised to see that most of the answers differ from the above. It is always much more enlightening to ask questions and hear directly from the owners and professionals themselves.

Hopefully these insights will assist anyone facing the same or other stress inducing factors in their professional or personal lives.

Jude Masillon
Sports Performance Group LLC
917-545-7099
jude@sportsperformancegroup.com

Stressor(s):
My main stressors are logistics and time management

Tip(s):
I try to write up a plan for the day and stick to it

Hari Harikrishnan
The Cerebrus Group
info@thecerebrus.com
https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-cerebrus-group
Personal site with articles: https://hariharikrishnan.com/

Stressor(s):
Rambling soliloquies that lack self-awareness or purpose

Tip(s):
1. At the point of occurrence: Redirecting the discussion or exiting the meeting
2. Later: Noodling on guitar

Connie Wolff
Connie.wolff@exprealty.com
412-980-8599
wolffee007@gmail.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/conniewolff/

Stressor(s):
Sadly, some people’s ethics, character … are in most cases, the root of most stressors in my life.
For example, a lender who is not forthcoming with all the options for a buyer, especially first timers because he/she wants to sell them a specific loan product for whatever perks he/she will get.

Buyers who lie about their finances

Sellers who neglect to inform me of large loans they took out many years ago, resulting in 72 hours from settlement, Title then informing me that my seller client must bring money to the table in order to close the transaction.

Transaction must now be terminated, buyers are devastated and they blame me of course; Title doesn’t get paid, both brokerages don’t get paid for 10 weeks of work and everyone is totally pissed off.

Clients have no idea what I do behind the scenes to prevent issues along the way.

Tip(s):
Inform clients the process is quite complex, highly paper-centric and regulated up the whazoo.
I can’t let it affect my true ‘self’ in my daily existence; I have to stay positively productive moving forward thru life no matter what.

For me my honesty, ethics and straight talk hold me in good stead with my clients.

Jessica Arent
Herbal Chakra Inc
713-254-3810
jessica@herbalchakra.in
www.linkedin.com/in/jessicaarent
www.oriaum.com

Stressor(s):
I run an international company. I am responsible for every moving part across three countries and in three completely different time zones with a myriad of cultures and diversity. Everything can be a stressor.

I am told I work impeccably under pressure. That said, I prescribe to an Ayurvedic and Holistic lifestyle.

Tip(s):
I do my best, therefore to supplement from the inside out, using an ancient methodology known as AYURVEDA that balances my mind, body and soul using these principles. Nothing has the impact our nutrition has. What we eat and ingest matters, and fuels our wellness from the inside out.

Sandy Kocsis:
Kocsis & Associates
916-622-3609
linkedin.com/in/sandra-kocsis-73609096

Stressor(s):
My main stressors for setting up healthcare practices is facing the compliance and guideline structure and functions with the attorneys and doctors.

So much of what I do is finding a way around the rules and regulations to help create new rules and regulations for the services being provided to these patients by many different healthcare entities. We are creating as we go. Failure is never an option, therefore, finding the solution is stressful.

Tip(s):
My tip for overcoming these stressors is to never give up and keep going up the ladder of professionals until you find one that can truly help move us in the direction we are headed. Once the solution is found, the stress is eliminated.

Troy Butler
Soaring High Industries Inc. (dba Black Buddha Cannabis)
troy@blackbuddhacannabis.co
www.blackbuddhacannabis.co /
https://www.linkedin.com/in/troylbutler/

Stressors:
My main stressor is my internal need to want things to happen faster than they will naturally progress.

Tip(s):
I am a huge believer and advocate of time blocking and maintaining boundaries in respect to those time blocks. I plan my entire week on Friday (calls, meetings, & tasks) and then allow time blocks for pop-up calls/tasks.

Daily meditation and exercise.

Journaling and proactive approach to both personal and professional life.

Howard Kaufman
ORL Natural Oral Care
howard@orllabs.com
480-453-2607
orlcares.com
ORLCBD.com
linkedin.com/in/hojo5

Stressor(s):
Multi-tasking / Time Management & Contingency Planning (forces you to worry more)

Tip(s):
Have utilized breathing technique 4/4/8
Also committed to more exercise/running in the morning to de-stress
Decaf coffee now

Sero Kassabian
Coaching Dads is my Primary Role
kassabian.sero@gmail.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sero-kassabian/

Stressor(s):
Taking breaks and still having the energy to be present with family in order to refuel for work.

Tip(s):
Exercise ferociously
Consume zero packaged foods
Moved to another country
Surrounded myself with people wiser than me.
Most importantly? Cut out the victimhood mindset, the one we were indoctrinated into adopting as students in public school, as employees in corporate.

Mandy Lile
Potency No. 710
270-543-SKIN (7546)
Potency710.com
potency710@gmail.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mandy-lile-187146165/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/potency-no-710/

Stressor(s):
My stress develops when I do not allow myself time to be in a creative space. If I do not hold space for myself to have this time, it can most certainly cause unneeded stress.

Tip(s):
In general, I am a pretty laid-back and mellow individual, likely because I consume cannabis daily which I believe helps me to stay in a calm space 90% of the time. I find that embracing daily meditation in the mornings and having that quiet alone time is vital for me to prevent stress.

Alisa Dee Daskarolis
Hemp Family Super Foods
alisa@hempfamilysuperfoods.com

Stressor(s):
Noise and Interruptions

Tip(s):
Adapt! I am my mother’s part time caretaker, a grandmother, a mother, gardener, housekeeper, et al. When the noise level is elevated (doesn’t matter what type of sound), I step away from my task, collect smokable devices and my two big dogs for a “step outside.” When the interruptions are many, I remind myself “it’s probably time for a break anyway if I am getting upset.” So, I stop, listen, and deal with whatever demand is required of me. It’s just easier this way – to be Present! I quickly learned that using all that energy to just think about being annoyed was just too exhausting and I had no motivation to return.

Some interesting contributions. A special thank you to Everyone.

Managing your stress or stress management program(s) can positively affect your business, yourself, staff, employees and therefore result in better outcomes, better customer service, improved productivity, fewer sick days or call offs, better attitudes, better experiences for your clients, customers, patients … and all from inside changes to control or manage stress.

Additional ideas for stress management and control:
• Clarity: without it, there will always be confusion
• Being openminded
• Putting Yourself in another’s shoes
• Know your numbers in business. It is extremely important and can alter what         we can sometimes get anxious over when we think they are worse perhaps than     they are
• Taking cool off time if need be, if applicable
• Honest soul searching, as it applies to your personal and professional lives
• Identify your stress triggers
• Have a support team, be it 1 or more people
• Setting priorities
• Delegating
• Learning self-care and relaxation techniques
• Set realistic goals
• Time management

As a business owner, it’s important to recognize that stress is a part of the job. By understanding the top stressors, you can take steps to hopefully and strategically change its effects and keep your business running smoothly.

If you develop a plan for each of your highest stressors, rely on or place them into effect consistently, you can have better control of your business and ensure that you stay on track to success. With the right strategies, businesses have much better odds in remaining successful and profitable for years to come.

Here’s to what makes your hearts happy and your souls smile.