Built Not Born Podcast · 18 October 2024
Mental Health for Business Owners: The Highs and Lows of Running a Business
Chris and Helen Butler discuss the highs and lows of business ownership, why founders often hide difficult periods, and the value of peer support, rest and making time for yourself.
Episode guide
About this episode
Running a business can be rewarding, but Chris and Helen Butler are clear that it can also be mentally demanding. In this episode they talk openly about the less visible side of business ownership, including the pressure to appear as though everything is going well when the reality may be much more complicated.
They describe business ownership as a cycle of highs and lows. Too little work creates one kind of pressure, while too much work creates another. Staffing, sales, growth, tax, changing costs and wider uncertainty can all sit in the background at the same time, making it difficult to find a comfortable middle ground.
Chris shares his own experience of going through a difficult period mentally, despite the business itself having both good and bad moments rather than one obvious crisis. After posting about it on LinkedIn, he received messages from other people who had experienced similar feelings. For him, that response reinforced how many business owners may be carrying pressure privately.
Helen reflects on her early days building Thread A Pixel, when conversations with other small business owners often became unexpectedly personal. Those experiences showed her how much people can need a safe place to talk. Both Chris and Helen see value in speaking with peers who understand the particular responsibility that comes with owning and running a company.
The conversation also covers the routines they have personally tried to use when work starts taking over, including walking, exercise, paying more attention to diet, spending time outside and staying connected with other people. Helen also discusses her own positive experience of counselling. These are shared as personal experiences rather than as medical advice.
A recurring theme is that business owners do not need to pretend the difficult periods are not happening. Chris and Helen argue that taking a day, a week or simply some proper time away from the business can sometimes be necessary. Their view is straightforward: looking after the person running the business matters because, without that person, the business itself cannot function in the same way.
The episode closes with an update on their own businesses, the move of the podcast into a newly treated studio space and their plans to make the studio available for podcast recording and production.
Key takeaways
What you'll learn
- Business ownership can bring sharp emotional highs and lows, sometimes within the same day.
- Chris and Helen believe many business owners put on a confident front even when they are struggling privately.
- Speaking openly with other business owners can help because they may understand pressures around staff, sales, cash flow, growth and uncertainty.
- Chris shares that he had been finding it difficult to get enjoyment from things and had spoken publicly about that experience on LinkedIn.
- Helen reflects on counselling, keeping in touch with others and the routines she and Chris have been trying to protect around exercise, walking and diet.
- Their central message is that taking time for yourself is part of looking after the business, because the owner cannot be separated from the health of the company indefinitely.
Questions from this episode
Frequently asked questions
Why can running a business affect an owner's mental health?
Chris and Helen describe a mix of pressures that can build up around workload, staffing, sales, growth, costs and uncertainty. They also talk about the emotional swing between having too little work and having too much, which can make it difficult to feel settled.
Why do some business owners avoid talking about difficult periods?
In the episode, Chris suggests that owners can feel pressure to appear confident and successful because admitting they are struggling may feel vulnerable. He and Helen argue that more honest conversations could help business owners realise they are not the only people dealing with those pressures.
What helped Chris and Helen when work was affecting them mentally?
They discuss speaking to other people, walking, exercise, spending time outside, paying attention to diet and protecting time away from work. Helen also speaks positively about her own past experience of counselling. They present these as personal approaches rather than professional medical advice.
Why can peer support be useful for business owners?
Chris and Helen feel that other business owners often understand pressures that friends or family may not have experienced directly, including responsibility for staff, sales, growth and the day-to-day uncertainty of running a company.
What is the main message of this episode?
The central message is that business owners should make space to look after themselves, talk when things are difficult and avoid treating personal wellbeing as less important than the company they are trying to build.