Shared from a post on a New Zealand Small Business Owners Networking & Ideas Forum by David Roberts:
As business owners quite often we put our mental & physical health right at the back of the to-do list.
Yesterday I found out something that left me sad & wishing I’d done more. It also hit home that COVID may continue to torment society
Being an entrepreneur can be rewarding & exciting but it can also be really hard!
It’s a bit like surfing the ocean swells with their peaks and trophs. Sometimes you catch a clean powerful wave and are vibing high & other times you get smashed around in the whitewash & eat a mouthful of sand.
When you do come off your board you’ve got to get back on & paddle furiously to get back out the back. It’s hard work but rewarding.
I’ve been working with a great kiwi manufacturer for over 5 years off and on. Last week I fired him an email regarding an upcoming project. He usually gets back to me same day so when I was still waiting a week later I thought that was a bit odd.
Yesterday I gave him a call to check in and his phone was disconnected. I called his office to get his new number & his admin person told me the awful news. He had decided to end things several months ago. I couldn’t quite believe it. 4 months ago he had called me and was his usual cheery self. He had asked if I had any projects on the go and at that time I didn’t. I thought he was just being a thorough businessman but as I now know he’d been struggling financially & mentally. COVID had affected his business severely & a newly upgraded facility had put him under intense financial pressure. He was a proud man, in chats we’d had over the years he was excited & proud of the team he was building & jobs he was creating for his region. With over 30+ in his team at last check I can only imagine the guilt he would have felt in letting them down.
He leaves behind a wife and a young family which breaks my heart.
As entrepreneurs/business owners & good people we need to check-in, support & encourage people to share their struggles. We celebrate the wins & that’s great but it’s those times when you get knocked off the wave where you need a little help getting back on your board so you can paddle to your next wave.
It’s easy to get caught up in your own world. I know I regret not checking in and asking R U OK? on that call a few months back.This post is to honour an old friend, raise acceptance& awareness for an area of business that is often overlooked & encourage you to check in (or reach out for help) with your community.
Money comes & goes but it’s family, friends & connection that truly matters.
If you’re struggling don’t be ashamed, seek support. Call or message a friend. Drop me a message.
Arohanui x
If you want to reach out to David or comment on the original post check out the Facebook group here.
Hope you are ok, stay safe!