Issue #108 - Business Owners Against Burnout ✊
A bit about you, your employees, and mental health 🧠 | Download the Bionic Small Business Insights Report 🦾 | Health and safety at work 🤕 | 5 businesses, 1 question 🤔 | Words | Tunes | More
Don’t burn yourself out 🕯️
Welcome to Issue #108 of The Backbone - the fortnightly newsletter from Bionic.
Can you spot the signs of burnout? Would you know if you were feeling burnt out? How about your employees?
This week is Mental Health Awareness Week in the UK - as good a time as any to look more closely at some of the biggest symptoms of poor mental health.
This issue has also been brought sharply into focus by the Bionic Small Business Insights Report (more on that below), which found that 81% of business owners have felt some level of exhaustion in the last 12 months.
The three industries where burnout is the biggest concern are Retail and Wholesale (86%), IT and Communications (84%), and Construction (83%).
But what is burnout? And how can you spot the signs in yourself and your employees?
🕯️What is burnout?
Burnout is when you feel completely exhausted, stressed, and overwhelmed, usually from working too much or for too long without enough rest or support.
🔎 How to spot the signs of burnout
If you think any of your employees could be struggling, look out for these common signs of burnout:
A change in their normal behaviour (irritable/withdrawn/unpredictable)
A change in their appearance (they may begin to look unkempt or not bother with the staff uniform)
Late to work more often
Sudden lack of concentration or commitment
Taking a lot of time off work
Burnout isn’t the only symptom of possible mental health problems, so keep an eye out for the following - inability to focus, anxiety, disrupted sleep, panic attacks, and symptoms of depression.
❤️🔥 How to tackle burnout
🕒 Set work hours—and stick to them - When you’re your own boss, work can eat into everything. Protect your time like you would an important meeting or event
❌ Just say no - Not every opportunity is worth your energy. Learn to prioritise your own time as much as work time
🤯 Delegate what drains you - It’s natural to want oversight of everything, but you can’t do it all alone. If something stresses you out (or you just need some time back) hire someone or use a tool that makes it easier.
☕ Take guilt-free breaks - You’re not slacking. You’re recharging. Even 10 minutes away from the screen or the shop floor can do wonders.
🎉 Celebrate small wins - You're building something from scratch. Acknowledge your progress, not just the to-do list.
🤝 Connect with others - Running a business can be lonely. Join a local network or online community to share the load and swap ideas.
📵 Switch off properly - That means logging out of work emails, DMs, supplier websites and calls after hours. Your brain needs true downtime.
❤️🔥 How to tackle burnout for your team
🧠 Encourage regular breaks - Breaks boost focus and reduce stress. Even a five-minute pause can help reset the brain
⛔ Promote healthy boundaries - Respect working hours—no pressure to reply to emails at 10 pm, work through lunch, start early, or stay late
🗣️ Encourage open communication - Create a culture where it's okay to say, “I’m struggling” or “I don’t know” without fear of judgement
⚖️ Balance workloads - Make sure no one is constantly picking up the slack, drowning in deadlines, or doing all the work. Have regular check-ins with all staff.
🎉 Celebrate and recognise effort - A simple “thank you” goes a long way. Recognition fuels motivation and morale
🏡 Support flexible working - If possible, allow for hybrid working, flexible hours, or mental health days
💬 Provide access to wellbeing tools - Offer resources like mental health support, coaching, or apps for mindfulness and stress management
And remember that it’s always good to talk, whether to friends, family, colleagues, or mental health professionals.
If you’re struggling with business or personal matters, turn to colleagues, friends, or family for support.
If you need help with business matters, try the government’s Business Support Helpline. Or there are services like MoneyHelper for financial issues.
If your mental health is taking a battering, try Mind, the Samaritans, For Men to Talk or WISH for women’s mental health.
Join our community of small business superheroes 🦸♀️
Small business owners are the superheroes of the high street. But small business owners rarely get their voices heard. Now there’s a place to chat, share advice and help each other through the lows and highs of running a business. To get involved, scan or click the QR code above or click the button below to sign up.
🗞 READ
Download the Bionic Small Business Insights Report 🦾
Running a small business in 2024 wasn’t easy. Rising costs, hiring struggles, and a squeeze on consumer spending made trading tough for business owners across the UK.
But what does 2025 have in store? We surveyed 500 small business owners across the UK to understand some of their biggest struggles in 2024 and find out what challenges they expect to face across the coming months.
Health and safety at work: How to protect yourself and your employees 🤕
Keeping up with health and safety regulations should be one of your top priorities as a business owner - not only to protect your employees and any visitors to the site, but it’s in your best interests to make sure your workforce is healthy and protected.
But with so many accidents that can happen in the workplace, knowing how to protect yourself and your employees can sometimes be a challenge. Our guide explains all you need to know.
🗣 SHOUTOUT
#BionicBusinessStory - 5 businesses, 1 question 🤔
Oxford Economics estimates that there were 4.8 million family businesses in the UK in 2020, making up 85.9% of all private sector businesses. So we thought we’d find out what makes family-run businesses tick.
Bionic - Are you a family-run business and how does this affect the way you do things?
🧷 “The business has been running since 1991. My dad sold jewellery and my granddad was a pharmacist in those days. Lots of customers would ask if my granddad was able to pierce them with my dad’s jewellery. So, they both saw a gap in the market there. I got involved when I finished university in 2010, I'd been studying for a business degree and was working a 9-5. I saw an opportunity to bring some fresh blood into the piercing shop and take it in a new direction.” Ben Harris, Metal Morphosis
💐 “I’m the third generation working in the shop, it was originally set up in 1949 by my grandad and back then it was more of a general store, he bought a field around the back of the house and grew plants, fruit and veg there to sell. When my mum and dad took over, they also had market stalls and a van that they would take round locally and sell out the back of.” Sue Colledge, Colledge’s Florists
🥓 “I work in someone else’s family business! I would say the only downside is that sometimes disagreements can be brought into work which can cause a bit of tension, especially as you’re not directly involved. But our boss gets involved with the work we do and really feels part of the team. He’ll often tell us at the end of the week we’ve done a good job which is nice. It’s good to feel appreciated.” Drew Stagg, Potter’s Butchers
🐶 “Supporting friends and family and their work/life balance is important to me. For example, my mum would love to run a few cockapoo events when she reaches retirement, so it's all about helping our family and friends adapt to a better balance while supporting them and helping them do what they love.” Marcus Ackford, The Pup Up Café
🍫 “My dad and I started this business in 2003, just after I left university. We’re both very creative and hands-on, so we designed some moulds one day and then started to make the chocolates ourselves. We didn’t have a plan, but we just took our moulds to a few different shows and the feedback was great,” she tells us. "Within six months we had listings in Harrods and John Lewis! What we were producing was so different from other chocolatiers” Flo Broughton, Choc on Choc
Want to read more small business stories? Head over to Bionic 🦾
📊 BUSINESS
Get your business costs sorted 💷
Bionic is the comparison site for your small business. We compare a range of business essentials to help you save time, money, and hassle.
Our tech-enabled team will answer all your questions in simple terms and help you find the best deal on business energy, insurance, phone, broadband, or finance. No jargon. No-fuss. #BeABionicBusiness 🦾
🎧 LISTEN
Playlist 🎶
Chosen by Dan, Senior Customer Experience Manager and regular contributor to the music bit of The Backbone, Mercury Prize: The Winners, is a playlist of songs from each of the competition’s winners (exactly what you’d expect) - from Primal Scream in 92 to English Teacher in 2024, and everything in between.
Podcast 🎙
Picked by Joe, law firm partner from Wirral, One the Mend is a podcast about how anyone can hit rock bottom but still bounce back. Hosted by Matt Willis (him off Busted), it features honest, frank, relatable and free-flowing conversation with people from all walks of life who have hit rock bottom and made it through to the other side.
👩🤝👩🏾 SHARE
If you love The Backbone (or even if you just quite like it), share it with someone who has equally great taste in email newsletters.
🏡 HOUSEKEEPING
Check your folders 📁
If The Backbone isn’t landing in your inbox every other Friday, please mark this address as ‘not spam.’ If it isn’t in your spam folder, it may have been moved to another folder, like ‘Promotions’ or ‘Social’.
🚫 STOP
Thanks for making it to the end of another Bionic small business bulletin 🤝🏻
Carry on the conversation at our Bionic socials 🤳
Please leave a comment and let us know if there’s anything else we should be featuring.
And don’t forget to send this link to all your friends and get them to subscribe ✌🏻