For almost 25 years I’ve been financing businesses and watching the effects of being a business owner. Then one day I became a business owner! Although I always appreciated how stressful it can be owning and growing a business having firsthand experience is a game changer.
For years I watched the stressful looks and the desperation when a client was looking to increase their cash flow in time to make a deal happen or pay off taxes when their bank accounts were seized or payoff partners. Sometimes it was the anxiety of paying a supplier so they wouldn’t cut them off and we had to do the due diligence in record time to save the day. Those entrepreneurs were supporting their families and working toward a dream but there were days when the dream seemed out of reach.
I worked for John Danis in the 1990’s and we had a big Sales and Operations meeting in Palm Springs and at the time they were pushing hard to grow the company. It was interesting that even a large company operating for 25 years financing millions in receivables had an owner who was showing the signs of visible stress. Part of the presentation was a train that was moving down the tracks and gaining momentum. Toward the end the presentation Mr. Danis was talking about the speed of the train and not being able to get off the train. We all looked at each other confused and wondering if this was supposed to be our motivation about creating momentum for more sales or an indication that the stress of growing a business was taking a toll on Mr. Danis. Perhaps he was saying he would have loved to get off the train for a while. I was very fortunate to have had many conversations with John and I think he was an amazing business man and intuitive about people. He brought together the best sales people in the industry and together we accomplished amazing things. I wish I could have asked him how he dealt with the pressure and stress of growing that locomotive.
What I’ve learned is that you must find time for physical activity regularly, to burn off the stress and create endorphins to balance the demands of owning a business. ‘Life is about the journey’ cannot be overstated because life is the journey and sometimes we never get to see that destination we have in our dreams. What we do every day has to be part of the dream. We have to embrace the locomotive ride and embrace the speed recognizing it’s the fear that derails us and our mind that puts the limitations on what we can achieve.
Below are a few ways to combat stress and fatigue:
- Exercise a few times a week and eat more rabbit food and less rabbits.
- Drink lots of water
- Take 5-10 minutes and walk away from the phone, breath and picture why you are in business
- Take some down time every week to spend with the people you love or they won’t be there when you arrive at your destination. Be fully present when you’re with your loved ones even if it’s only for a short time.
- Stay in the present moment because if you focus on past mistakes and future worries your mind will play havoc and you will be less productive.
- Do only the important things that impact your business the most. Don’t waste time on things that give you a false sense of checking off the list. Procrastination can come in many forms but doing the least important things first will suck your energy and destroy your business.
- Laugh and enjoy this ride and if you don’t want to be on the train get off and take the bus.
- Don’t try to solve every problem you have at once take them on one at a time otherwise the overwhelming feeling of how will I ever get it all done will prevent you from doing anything.
Who doesn’t love a good train ride!!!!!