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OVER THE COUNTER Left: The wonderful Just A Card campaign helps highlight indies. Bottom: Train your brain. Below right: Really Good’s ‘Zen Dog’ design on chilling is a classic.
The idea for this column had been swilling around in my head for a few months now but it became even more urgent for me to get it down on paper when I read the post from Just A Card post on June 30. Incidently I find Just A Card publishes some really interesting social media content. It is trying to show that small things make a difference buy local always when you can; retweet/share business events; tell people about good service product. All straightforward enough, but we are probably all guilty of not doing it. Anyway this comment was big on Instagram and Twitter when it was posted by the Imagined Things Bookshop in Harrogate: ‘We only took £12.34 today. If anyone was thinking about buying a book, now would be a great time! Things have been tough recently - today is the worst day ever. A card, a book, anything, it makes a huge difference to a small business like ours. We’d be grateful for your support.’ This tweet was retweeted over 5,000 times and liked by nearly 6,000! The owner of the Just A Card concept was moved to tears, but also anger. Anger that people don’t get how tough running an indie business is. She points out tight margins, rates, parking and online competition as just some of the challenges for indies, and that it takes a tweet as desperate as the one above for it to get any real notice taken of it - for people to actually wake up and support local business. Just A Card is a valuable resource to show retailers that they are not alone. That the struggles are felt by many businesses across many sectors. But where do retailers turn for practical help? Amy Morin, author of the book ‘13 things mentally strong people don’t do’, looks at entrepreneurs and some of the issues that they face.
I personally do not like the word ‘entrepreneur’ but I suppose that anyone who has the balls to get out there and create their own living for themselves with no safety net does actually fall into this category. To that end, our industry is packed full of selfmade start-up businesses, whether it is on the retail or publisher/creative side. Amy highlights that entrepreneurs are liable to increases in: Depression - less time to sleep, exercise, relax and all the things that ward off depression. Sometimes we don’t recognise that things like irritability, changes in weight, struggle to get to sleep are all signs, and often what we think is the cure is to simply bury ourselves into more tasks. Self-worth - we live that rollercoaster life when business is good. We are on a high and energised, but when it falls and struggles we do too. Often we tie our feeling of worth to how our business is performing because we love it and nurture it so much. Anxiety - second-guessing each decision, never truly switching off, getting over one hurdle but looking at the next before you have even landed. In some respects it feels like a treadmill and you are running from one thing to the next, never getting over the line. Addiction - to be an entrepreneur you need to be passionate, even a little obsessive, hence we have to watch out as it can be easy to fall into temptations to help ‘support’ the problems. The author obviously goes into more depth on all these points but I am sure you can recognise many of the symptoms. She clearly identifies that being mentally strong enough to carry the burden of your business is without doubt the most difficult thing to do. We really need to treat the brain like any other body part - exercise/rest/nurture - to get the best from it.
Personally I am good at some aspects and poor at others. I work too long, take on too much and care a little too deeply about many things. I am getting better at making sure I go and exercise but I need to sort out my diet. I get too involved in certain things and find it difficult not to get involved or to say no. I am sure you can easily recognise what you do that is detrimental. As the leader of your business though you need to set an example, but in a good way. Firstly, talking about well-being and creating an open environment at work where people can air their feelings and concerns is crucial. I have a saying at work that I can only sort what I know about, so I want my staff to tell me what is good and bad and what they are enjoying and what is challenging. Secondly, the way you organise and work sets the tone for others (perhaps me sending out emails at 1am is not the right example!) Flexibility in work and hours is great if this is something that you can offer. Keep in touch and make sure your staff know what you want and how they can achieve the tasks you set. Share the pressure and let them know the difficulties you face. It will help them understand if things do get tough. Thirdly, create a physical environment that is conducive to good work - good lighting and air flow; proper food and drink breaks; music in the work environment; positive reinforcement of tasks at hand. Mental health doesn’t and isn’t all about your mind being in distress and then trying to fix it. I have learnt over these last five years it means constantly working and maintaining it like a good engine. There are loads of different possible solutions online, and one called WRAP (not giftwrap made by Deva or Glick) caught my attention. Wellness, Recovery, Action, Plan. WRAP gives practical solutions to many mental health problems. Of course what works for one might not work for another. What is key is that we listen to ourselves, and others, and admit when we are struggling. That is without doubt the first positive step to helping you recover and to take care of your mental health. To contact David email: jppozzi@btconnect.com PROGRESSIVE GREETINGS WORLDWIDE
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