Running a business is hard

The unfortunate truth of running a business: It’s really hard.

  • People will talk about you, compare you to others, use you, and view you as a service - not a person.

  • It’s when you’re with loved ones that you remember you forgot to call someone back. You worry that you hurt the relationship. How will you make it up? Will they leave a bad review? You feel inadequate that you can’t get to everyone’s messages, emails, and phone calls.

  • You see the strain you put on your family. Your relationships suffer because you lack work-life balance. You’re a director, worker, admin, salesman, accountant, and cleaner. You never get things done because your kids always need you, and your friends are always joking you’ve been MIA.

  • If you give people time, you sacrifice financial health. If you pursue financial health, you sacrifice time with people. It’s the great imbalance. Your business is relying on you to survive and you’re relying on your business to provide.

  • You see other businesses go under and it scares you. Especially regarding COVID, when customers yell that you are too strict or too lax. The business started as your dream and some days it drains you to depression.

Here’s a small reminder that business operators are just normal people with hectic lives. Please be kind, patient, support small businesses, and hopefully more of us will stick around.

Paraphrase from Brandon Menard

Peter Stancato