RUNNING A BUSINESS THROUGH HARDSHIP

The terms entrepreneur, business owner, business chick etc are thrown around like a badge of honour these days. But, most of the time these terms don’t portray the reality of business ownership and what running a business is truly like.
 
As any small business owner will tell you, having a successful business is the sum of a lot of small daily actions adding up to success. It is pushing boundaries, being flexible, and having to push through bad days, through fears and doubts, and just keep going. 

There are of course many wonderful and rewarding parts of running a business. There are wins, achievements and growth, and there is success, but what is not often talked about is how to run a business when the chips are down.
 
This could be a downturn in your industry affecting your profits, or it could be something more personal like a death in the family, hardship, depression or the end of a relationship. We as business owners are all human beings, and we must deal with all sorts of emotions, both good and bad like everyone else.
 
If you work for someone else you may have the luxury of being able to take some time off, or to wind back the gears a little bit when you are going through hardship.
 
But the reality often is that when you run a business you may not be afforded the time to heal after a personal or professional upheaval because you have clients that count on you, staff to manage, and most of all bills to pay.
 
So how do you run a business through personal hardship? There is no one way to manage it, but my advice is to be kind to yourself. Keep getting up every day, and allow yourself some time and space to do the things you love, and to connect to those in your life who are going to make you feel better.
 
Let others help you, whether that’s someone within your organisation, a partner, or a family member who can support in some areas of your life.
 
And, take each task and each day as it comes. We all have times where we feel overwhelmed, where we feel lonely and isolated, and there is no truer example than when you’re at the helm of a busy business, and you’re dealing with your own emotional upheaval as well.
 
So be kind, take the time to do what feels right, and remember you are only human.
 
KB