Sam, a young man of 28, had founded a startup with a very new concept. It had just been a few months and Sam’s business was growing exponentially. Clients praised him for coming up with this innovative service idea and he did enjoy the praises.
Gradually, his business started expanding – from one to two, to seven employees. His responsibilities increased with the number of employees. He had taken a loan to start this company without any guarantee if the business would work. If this is not all, his family continued to interrogate him about his earning, savings, etc. They continued to compare him to his friends who got married and settled down with a stable career. All this was getting too much to handle.
Sam is a perfect case of what any entrepreneur goes through while starting their own company. In July 2015, Faigy Mayer, a 29 years old CEO of Appton, took his own life by jumping off a building in New York. Before that, in May 2015, CEO of a biotech company, Austen Heinz, at 31, killed himself. These are two of the numerous cases where, unable to cope up with their stress, founders have done the extremes to end their pain.
So, should founders stop building their own startups? Should they decline from taking that bold and courageous step they want to? Of course not! We need more and more entrepreneurs to employ people and help build the world economy.
However, there are a few steps founders can take to combat stress and anxiety:
Be Thyself
In a talk with businessmen, world’s famous motivational guru and New York Times bestselling author, Tony Robbins, shares an observation that most people try to be entrepreneurs just because it appears attractive and pleasing.
We are all different and meant to handle different levels of stress and risks. So it is important to first figure out who you are – whether you are someone who loves to live in uncertainty or not. If not, it would be unbearable for you to go through routine stressful moments as a founder.
Founders Are Human Beings
Founders must realise that they too are humans and it’s perfectly alright if they feel low and down at times. The society creates a God-like, magnanimous impression of entrepreneurs. They are looked at as people who are omnipotent such that it becomes impossible for founders to accept their own pain.
Accepting that you are also a normal human being who can feel low and down at times will ensure help for you to cope up.
Find A Support Network
Keeping pain to oneself can only lead to an upsurge of one’s pain. Once you are able to accept that there is something going on within, go out to find close friends and relatives, or anyone who would listen to you. Just talking and venting out is a great stress buster.
Stop Comparing
At the beginning, founders are very enthusiastic about doing something different. However, over a period of time, when the returns are not immediately visible, and their relatives start questioning, they also get doubtful. This leads to a worse mental state and confidence.
Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, in an interview with Forbes, says that founders have stepped ahead to fully express themselves by doing something they truly care about. He adds that success is not only about things and money but also about true expression of oneself. So founders should stay away from such comparison.
Find Retreat Hours
Whoever they are, we all need ‘ME’ time to retreat and recharge ourselves. Meditation, yoga, running, swimming, a creative hobby, whatever your choice is, you have to find time to shut down your gadgets when you can relax.
These activities release endorphin and dopamine hormones that are extremely helpful in cutting down on stress levels.
Ensure Proper Diet
Physical and mental health goes together. While you try to serve the world through your work, it is important that you eat well and have enough energy to run your business.
Every individual handles stress differently and your ability to cut down on stress can be a deciding factor in the success of your startup.
About The Author
[The author of this post is Sunny Suman, Life Coach at YourDost.com.]
