Starting a business can be stressful enough for entrepreneurs with all the details involved. But starting a business when you already have the pressures of maintaining your recovery and preventing relapse on top of the business issues? That’s quite a challenge. When you’re in recovery and wanting to start a business, it’s going to add extra stress on you that most people won’t have. Below are some factors to consider when deciding to start your own business.
The Stress of Managing Staff
Staff management is one of the greatest sources of stress for many entrepreneurs. If you keep your employees happy, they will often keep you happy, but there may be a few bad apples in the bunch that cause you headaches. One bad employee can be a real drain on your psyche and increase your stress levels; it’s crucial to find and retain the right people.
Then there is the elephant in the room of your recovery. Do you want to be open about your history of substance abuse, or is it best to keep certain aspects of your personal life private? Perhaps you want to start a business around recovery or aimed at those who are in it. Many rehab facilities are run by people in recovery who want to give back to the community and, because of the nature of the business, they can be open about their history. Whether your business is about recovery or not, being able to talk openly about your past with employees can reduce one form of stress. It’s important also to choose your staff wisely because they can be a real blessing to you as a budding entrepreneur or they can be a real burden.
Know When to Outsource
Starting a business involves a ton of paperwork, from registering your business to getting a sales tax license. Unless you have a knack for that kind of thing, sometimes it’s better to simply hire it out. Unless you’re independently wealthy, it’s understandable to balk at spending money on things like this; just remember that outsourcing could take a huge burden off you and free you up for more direct work throughout the business launch.
This applies to any task that is mundane or takes away from the creative side of whatever business you’re going into. Specializations like website design or technical issues that are done online can also be hired out to what are known as virtual assistants. These assistants can come from all over the world so the pricing can be quite friendly and take a huge burden off you. Many budding entrepreneurs hire virtual assistants from places like the Philippines where they can get their services at a bargain.
Get a Good Accountant
Businesses deal in money, and a good, freelance accountant is worth their weight in gold. Most entrepreneurs don’t enjoy bookkeeping, filing taxes, tracking expenses, and managing overhead. Your time is valuable to your inspiration in starting the business in the first place. You must have time to do visionary things to navigate the success of your business and to keep clients happy. Many accountants and bookkeepers work on a freelance basis from their homes. These professionals can relieve a lot of the stress you feel at starting a business.
Many people who start a business want to do everything themselves and stretch themselves too thin as a result. This is one area where hiring help can relieve a lot of your stress and they’re probably better at crunching numbers than you. A reliable accountant is good for business, good for relieving stress, and good for maintaining your recovery. This is probably one of the most essential things you can do to help reduce your stress when starting a new business.
Avoid Taking on Too Much Responsibility
The huge responsibility of starting a business is probably pretty new to you. Avoiding responsibility might have been familiar to you when you were using drugs or alcohol. Now that you are managing employees, trying to stay compliant with regulations, figuring out how to market your business, you may be feeling a lot of weight on your shoulders because you are responsible for the success or failure of your company. Even if you can hire helpers, you may feel stressed about your responsibility to them. It’s important to develop strategies for coping with stress at any time in recovery, and especially if you are trying to start a business. You want to be successful in your recovery as much as you want to be a success in your business.
Many people are getting in on the trend of starting their own business with the technology available that can make anyone, anywhere a business owner. That doesn’t mean it’s easy. In some ways, starting your own business reduces stress because you don’t have to worry as much about a job or telling a potential employer about your history of substance abuse when you’re the boss. You do have to figure out how you’ll handle it if you have people working for you, but that’s a much better position to be in. However, managing all the responsibilities and details of a business can send you into stress overload and an increased risk of relapse. At Everlast Recovery Center, we can give you the tools you need to manage that stress and reduce the risk of a relapse. We offer aftercare services and many of our programs at our Riverside, CA facility can teach you how to cope with all of life’s stressors in the real world. Give us a call today to see how we can help you reduce stress and maintain your sobriety. Call (866) 338-6925.
