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!

Ronald Tjung

By Ronald Tjung

Creative Dutchman Limited - Ideas in Development. Visit dutchman.co.nz for more info

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