The world is crazy, especially now, with the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic and the recent US Presidential Election. And unfortunately, the craziness and unpredictability don’t appear to be going anywhere anytime soon. This is the reality of startup life no matter what is going on in the world. I’ve written about
three types of business risk that founders face and how best to adapt and persevere in scaling your company. It outlines macro and micro crises that will inevitably hit and how best to respond because nothing ever goes as planned.
Lack of EQ
Growing up in a small family business, building startups, investing in them, as well as interacting with numerous local businesses, and being involved in the community, I’ve learned one very important lesson – there’s always something that goes wrong. Whether it be personally in your daily life or relationships, family life, professional roadblocks/hurdles, career hiccups, across the board.
And in the world of business, one thing that is lacking and one thing that we need more of is empathy and emotional intelligence (EQ).
The Balance
Everyone is dealing with their own problems, issues, circumstances, and I believe this is a fact that is oftentimes too overlooked. Similarly, another thing that is being heavily overlooked is mental health and burnout (see
our most recent eBook as a resource on the topic), especially among entrepreneurs and executives who carry the weight of their startup on their backs. Challenges such as loss of talent, a customer that churns, a website outage, a product release push, shrinking or long hours… there’s always something keeping you awake at night. It’s important to hit the challenges head-on, of course, but it’s also important to focus on work-life balance in order to deal and cope with those difficulties. Focus on your mental health, avoid burnout, do anything and everything to ensure that you’re being the best version of yourself at work and at home. Everyone around you will benefit from it and you’ll thrive.
People are always asking me about my hobbies and interests. As someone who is obsessed with business and working, I’ve learned that in order to truly grow and evolve, it’s important to discover outlets to keep myself sharp, to
keep myself motivated and hungry, and most importantly, to remind myself what I’m playing for. I spend time with family and friends, get involved in the community, watch sporting events, ski, do yard work (sometimes), play with the kids, grill, go boating, and exercise. Find the things that make you happy because career success is nothing if you can’t reap the rewards outside the office. That’s what we’re all really playing for. Discover those external passions that keep you going, because if you can find those outlets, then you’ll find yourself not just succeeding in business, but in all aspects of your life as well.
Conclusion
Lastly — be sure to remember that everyone is dealing with something, your team needs more understanding, more pats on the back, more celebration. From time to time so do you, so be sure to write down your achievements and really see and feel them, especially when the times get tough.
Again, please check out our eBook: Surviving The Startup: An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Better Mental, Physical, and Emotional Health 
