There are days when being a small business owner is hard.
This is a truth that many people either don’t recognize or refuse to acknowledge when they go into business for themselves. They think, “Oh, I’m going to love being my own boss. It’ll be sunshine and roses every day!” Or some similar inanity.
Please don’t get me wrong. I love being a small business owner. I love doing what I do, helping other small business owners to grow their businesses through email marketing.
That doesn’t change the fact that there are days when I feel unfocused and bleary. When I feel overwhelmed by it all. When I feel stuck.
I know everyone feels this way at various points in their lives and their jobs. This is part of being human.
There is a difference when you’re the person in charge. The only person you have to motivate you and keep you going, is you.
Generally speaking, small business owners work alone, or with a very small team. When you’re at the top of an organization, it can be hard to admit that you don’t have the answers, because you’re the person everyone looks to when answers are needed.
When you’re a solopreneur, you are the only person to look to for answers. And it’s hard to get answers from yourself when you’re feeling stuck.
I’m not writing this looking for pity or sympathy. I am writing it in empathy with all of my fellow small business owners who have been through this any number of times, just like I have.
I am full well aware that this is just “another day in the life of my business.”
I have been here before and I’ll be here again.
This time, I want to acknowledge the frustration and mental exhaustion of running my own business. To say, “Hey, it’s okay to feel this way. Overwhelm is normal. We all have days like this.”
I’m saying it to myself, but I’m also saying it to you, my fellow small business owner. Because we don’t hear this enough.
Usually, we hear, “great job, you’re doing amazing” when things are going well, and “I knew you’d fail eventually” when things aren’t.
It’s a slippery slope we climb. But we keep inching our way up, regardless of what people say to our faces or behind our backs, and regardless of what we say to ourselves, positive and negative.
I genuinely love what I do. I love writing copy for other companies, and I love supporting other business owners and organizations, so they can do what they love to do.
I love the sense of freedom owning my business gives me. I love knowing that what I do has an impact on other people’s lives.
I am also aware of the flip side of this. As someone who has been the cheerleader for other businesses, and as a small business owner myself, I know the long hours and hard work that go into every success. I know the fear and reality of failure, because that happens too.
What all of this comes down to is us.
We are the engines that drive our businesses. We are the power source that keeps everything running. Which means we have to be present in our businesses for them to function.
I’m here to say to you, my fellow small business owner; you are allowed to have bad days. You are encouraged to express your frustrations, preferably in a constructive manner that will help you and your team (if you have one) move forward. You are allowed to feel stuck.
Most importantly, you are allowed to ask for help.
Help can come in many forms, including a friend who is willing to sit and listen to you vent. A team member who can see where your business is stuck and help it get unstuck. A fellow small business owner saying, “I get it. I’ve been here before too.”
Help can even be writing an open letter to the world at large, like this one, to express how you feel, so you can get it off your chest and start focusing again.
Whatever help you need, please ask for it. Don’t bury your head in the sand and hope the problem will go away, because it won’t.
Take a deep breath, step back, look at your situation, and ask for help where you need it. It will show up, sometimes in a form you’re not expecting, but it will be there, nonetheless.
At the end of the day, we small business owners are the only ones who can do what we do within our businesses. We are our most valuable resource. Remember that and treat yourself accordingly.
Be gentle with yourself on the hard days. Congratulate yourself on the good days. Accept all the days as they come.
Whatever happens, don’t give up on your dreams of doing what you love, even when you’re frustrated, overwhelmed, and stuck.
Even when it feels like nothing’s working, you’ve got this. Keep going.
If there is any way I can help, please let me know. I’ve been here, I get it. I’m happy to be your cheerleader and to help you problem solve.