By Tina Zawila

I spoke to three different business owners this week and they all made the following comment during the meetings, “It’s lonely in business sometimes”, it’s a sentiment I’ve heard many times. 

Many business owners are sole-traders,  husband and wife partnerships or small companies and often their closest family and friends are not business owners, or even if they are, ‘business’ is simply not a topic of conversation around the barbeque.  

Business can be tough – financially and emotionally, yet it’s one of those taboo subjects that people just don’t talk about.   However, we should talk about it with people who can relate and help, your business advisor/accountant should be your first port of call.

The common themes that were mentioned this week (that you might relate to) include:

•            Difficult customers and clients.  Unfortunately not every client/customer is easy to deal with and some can be quite difficult.  Think about the recent treatment of the Woolworths employees around the plastic bag decision!  As a business owner, you want to protect your team members from these difficult situations, so you usually take this upon yourself.  Your employee can vent and receive support from you, but who are you talking to, and who’s supporting you?

•            Making big decisions.  Often in business there are complex decisions to be made around business strategy, finances, legal, resourcing and the list goes on.  These decisions can be difficult to make on your own, and there may be alternatives that you haven’t even thought of.  Who can you share ideas with?

•             Passion and Momentum.  Sometimes it can be hard to find people that think and feel about your business and your client’s the way you do.   And sometimes you feel like you are solely responsible for the passion, energy and positive vibe in your business.  Who helps keep you passionate, focused and motivated?

The key message I want you to take away from this is that you are not alone, and it’s important to seek help if you need it.  As business advisors we are here to listen and help.  We understand the challenges you face and can help you formulate strategies for success.

Give the professional team at UHY Haines Norton a call today on 49721300, we’d be happy to be your sounding board.