The Cure For Stress Caused By Your Business

Stress. It is the supreme enemy. The cancer of business owners, sapping their energy, creativity, focus and ability to implement. In short, when stress prevails, and if allowed to dwell for too long a period of time, it can become fatal to the business owner and thereby the underlying business. There are many sources of business stress, however, the major varieties that are so common are as follows:

• Stress from operating below break-even.

• Stress from not generating enough revenue.

Both stretch liquidity to the max, requiring skillful manipulation of your cash flow. You stretch every dollar and the time to pay to the maximum limits and then some.

Unfortunately, as we all know, when something unexpected happens and you’re running a business at the level that requires critical cash flow management, there is no room for fall-back. You are already stretched as thin as can be tolerated. When a wrinkle occurs, you are forced into a state of pain beyond tolerable levels, operating beyond your extreme comfort limits and self-determined capabilities. That’s stress!

I have the cure, but first, an observation and then a conclusion: The stress from managing an inadequate cash flow while operating below break-even, or without adequate revenues, can be enormously reduced to manageable levels by better understanding the exact sources, amounts, and timing of all financial and numerical aspects of your business. With clear tracking of all expenses and revenues, one will know exactly how deep the hole is and exactly were the problems exist and thus, what the cure is. Even if you cannot execute an immediate cure, the clarity that numerical and financial tracking and monitoring your business will bring is extremely stress-relieving.

I also believe this is where fear comes from. It is fear of the unknown, impending doom and not knowing what to do to change it. Fear comes from not knowing where you are, where you are going, and thus, not knowing what to do. Add financial clarity, tracking, and monitoring key indicators to your business and you can operate in the red with less stress, greater control, and a clearer path to victory. This is stress-relieving and it establishes the potential for a successful emergence. The problems may still be just as daunting, dangerous, threatening, disturbing, and destructive, but by understanding them more clearly, significant stress is relieved. The fear of the unknown is what is most damaging, creating stress that can be unmanageable. In this case knowledge is everything.