How to Handle the Stress of Running a Start-Up

Launching your first company is no easy feat. After all, you will need to serve as owner, sales representative, marketer and administrator during the early stages of your business. Also, as 30 percent of businesses reportedly fail within their first two years, and 50 percent during the first five years, it is easy to feel overwhelmed at the prospect of building a company from scratch.

If you want to ensure pressure and fear never stand in the way of your new venture’s success, read on to find out how to handle the stress of running a start-up.

Regularly Recharge Your Batteries

The Gallup Well-Being Index has reported that 45 percent of entrepreneurs are struggling with stress, which is in comparison to 42 percent of other professionals. Moreover, 34 percent also stated they are “worried a lot.”

It’s, therefore, essential to take a break from the pressures of developing a small business so that you can recharge your batteries. If you don’t, you could lose all the passion for an industry.

So, what can you do? To feel a million miles away from a workplace, schedule in a much-needed date night into your busy schedule. For example, book a table at a romantic restaurant to sweep your other half off his or her feet, or you could dress up for a glamorous night at the casino to master the slots, enjoy a hand of poker or spin a roulette wheel.

Stress is real and a big threat for hardworking professionals. For instance, a recent study asked participants to rank their stress level on a scale from one to five. Of the participants, 25.7 percent stated their stress level was a four while 4.9 percent believed theirs was a level five. Across the group, 70 percent of respondents stated they had a stress level of three or higher. You, therefore, owe it to yourself to take a break from the daily grind to have some fun alone as well as with your loved one.

Additionally, instead of spending a commute to work or your lunch break checking emails, calling clients or reading industry articles, try to make the most of every spare minute you have to enjoy a little downtime so that you can relax and de-stress. For example, if you enjoy Texas Hold ‘em or Omaha Hi-Lo, you might love a snap poker tournament, which will for sure distract you from your growing to-do list. It’s a fast form of poker that will re-seat you at a different table every time you fold so that you’ll face different players routinely, which will keep the game both exciting and interesting.

Plus, this form of online poker is available on your smartphone, you can enjoy a game at your desk any time to take a break from your incoming emails, or you work on improving your strategy on the bus or train home from work instead of worrying about an upcoming project or presentation.

Caption: How top CEOs cope with constant stress.

Hire the Right Team

A lack of support or passion from your team is often the beginning of the end for your business, with 23 percent of start-ups stating that team issues contributed toward their company’s failure. If you want to reduce stress when running a start-up and ensure your company’s survival, you must hire the right staff member for your business. Never hire a candidate based on their qualifications and experience alone, as they should have the right personality and passion for your brand and industry, which could make your business a force to reckon.

Focus on Your Company’s Many Positives

It’s easy to dwell on the many things that go wrong with your business rather than focusing on its many positives. So, whenever you feel overwhelmed or stressed, remind yourself of everything that is right on the road to success.

For example, write down a list of your company’s accomplishments to date and the many milestones you have hit. Don’t ignore small achievements, either, which could include investing in a new piece of software, securing new social media followers, making your first sale or outsourcing areas of the business to a freelancer.

Positive thinking can change your outlook. According to Richard Boyatzis, a psychology expert, chronic stress levels can potentially hinder professionals, especially those in leadership positions, from excelling in their role. For this reason, he recommends various simple exercises you can perform to engage your parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for your relaxation response and can slow the heart rate. To do this, take regular coffee breaks at work and consider practicing yoga or meditation at home, which can help a busy professional like yourself to develop a more optimistic mindset. The key to a positive outlook is a greater flexibility and a better work/life balance, which can counteract many negative emotions.

Caption: How to deal with stress and depression.

How Stress Affects Leaders

A recent survey of 1,000 SME leaders found that male and female business leaders experience and handle stress quite differently. The poll discovered that 45 percent of male respondents believed stress affected their clear thinking at least five times per day, which is in comparison to only 17 percent of females. Meanwhile, 15 percent of females stated they worry over childcare, which is in comparison to only 8 percent of males.

Whatever worries and concerns you face, it’s critical to bear in mind that frequent distractions by daily stress could inhibit your ability to lead. Therefore, you might need additional support to survive in your industry. For example, you might need to outsource areas of your business to freelancers, hire your first staff member or invest in childcare, which could all improve your focus and resilience in business.

Conclusion

Stress can not only eat away at your happiness, but it could potentially destroy your business if you allow it. Therefore, to ensure your company becomes an industry leader, you owe it to yourself, family and employees to relax and de-stress. To do so, you must take breaks to lower your stress levels routinely, which could be as small as a game of online poker on your lunch break to as big as a vacation abroad with your loved ones.