So you want to start up and create the business of your dreams, do you? Well, it’s essential to know that it can be much more challenging than it may appear at first. Finding funding, implementing your vision, creating the proper organizational structure, hours of development, iterations, and strategy just to get to launch can weigh on the founder’s shoulders.
That said, the benefits of launching a successful startup far outweigh the negatives. First, however, you must understand the reality that it will be more challenging than you may think. And all those factors weigh on the founder much more than anyone else in the organization, so taking care of your own physical and mental health is crucial for your startup to be healthy as well.
Starting Up Can Be Hard To Do
For startup founders, the difficulties don’t end just when you get an idea for your business. As Elon Musk was thought to have said, “starting a company is like eating glass and staring into the abyss.” The stress associated with startups, the long hours, and the lack of guaranteed success can explain why founders are more likely to suffer mental health issues than over 50% of others.
In addition to establishing the pillars for a successful company, founders have the added challenge of being emotionally involved. The startup is, in essence, a baby of the founder’s energy, time, and dedication. As a result, it can add tremendous pressures that others may not experience. The pillars for a successful company are a good starting point for potential success in a startup.
- Mission Statements
- Brand Objectives
- Organization Structure
- Business Models
- Product Strategies
- Product Positioning Strategies
As your startup moves from idea to implementing your ideas and taking action, founders must focus on their well-being.
5 Pillars to Personal Wellbeing
Attendants routinely go through the safety protocols before every flight in the event of an issue that may occur when flying. For example, one of the main things they tell passengers is to fasten their masks first before helping others with cabin pressure issues when the oxygen masks drop. The point is that you can’t assist others if you are at risk yourself.
And as a founder of your company, you must take care of yourself to provide the assistance and guidance needed for your startup. There are some pillars to maintaining your wellbeing that every founder should focus on to be the best leader for the organization possible. There are five crucial areas to focus on personal wellbeing. These five areas are the five pillars of emotional wellbeing. These pillars are:
- Eating Right
- Sleeping Well
- Vigorous Exercise
- Personal Relationships
- Enjoyable Career
Eating Right: Nutrition is the centerpiece of personal wellbeing. Eating right is a balance of consuming the best sources of nutrition you can while also keeping portion control in mind. Additionally, the benefits of a healthy diet are added energy, and some foods are known to help alleviate the effects of stress on the body.
Sleeping Well: Getting enough sleep helps the body and mind recover and repair itself, alleviates stress, boosts moods, and improves the immune system. Yet, too often, sleep is the thing that people are quick to sacrifice. The downside of not getting enough sleep can be increased heart and other health issues, additional stress, and deteriorating mental health. Whether looking for therapists online or in person, finding a person to speak with can help if you cannot get the proper amount of sleep.
Vigorous Exercise: In general, it’s thought that adults should get 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week or up to 150 minutes for moderately vigorous exercise. Benefits to exercise are improved sleep quality, appetite regulation, and stress regulation.
Personal Relationships: Aside from sleep, the entrepreneur and startup founder often sacrifice personal relationships. Maintaining personal relationships provide emotional outlets and are crucial to overall happiness and wellbeing.
Enjoyable Career: Just because you’re the founder doesn’t mean that you enjoy your career. Keeping your startup’s success with what you want in perspective is essential. If you start to see some success in your startup but aren’t enjoying the slog and process that is often the founder’s experience, it may be time to consider alternative career choices.
Taking care of your physical and mental health is essential for success in any startup, especially for someone such as the founder.
