Issue #82 - The mental health issue 🧠

How to spot burnout in you and your staff | Health and well-being tips | How to manage staff | How to tackle your to-do list | The Little Green Pet Shop | Words | Tunes | More

Apr 18, 2024

Don’t ignore the signs of burnout 😩

Welcome to Issue #82 of The Backbone - the fortnightly newsletter from Bionic.

80% of small business owners struggle with the most common symptoms of poor mental health - inability to focus, anxiety, disrupted sleep, panic attacks, and symptoms of depression - at least a few times a year.

It’s a staggering statistic that highlights just how stressful running a business can be.

The study from Mental Health UK and iwoca, the small business lender, also found that despite the high instances of mental health struggles among small business owners, 44% of those affected have never looked for mental health support.

As April is Stress Awareness Month, we thought we’d make this issue about how to keep a check on your mental health and the well-being of your employees.

We regularly chat with small business owners to find out how they got to where they are, see what makes them tick, and find out what they’re struggling with.

Big issues like Brexit, Covid, and soaring inflation have all had an impact but other common struggles include balancing cash flow, a lack of information about the practicalities of starting a business, and difficulties knowing how to market themselves.

If you think any of your employees could be struggling, look out for the 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A change in their normal behaviour (irritable/withdrawn/unpredictable)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 staff uniform)
Late to work more often
Sudden lack of concentration or commitment
Taking a lot of time off work

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to dealing with mental health issues, but it’s important to identify the signs, whether in yourself or your staff and take the necessary time and steps to get back on track.

And remember that it’s always good to talk.

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.

For more ideas on health, wellbeing, and how to beat burnout, check out our extended READ 🗞 section below. And have this stress-busting joke on us 👇

🗯 COMMUNITY

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 where they can 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 leave us your email address.

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🗞 READ

🗣 SHOUTOUT

#SmallBusinessStory - The Little Green Pet Shop 💚

Bionic spoke to Reece Ashdown who runs an environmentally friendly online business The Little Green Pet Shop. We discovered his biggest wins and how he set up his business.

Bionic: How did you start your business?

Reece Ashdown: I'd worked in pet shops for about eight years in various positions. I started as a Sunday boy, cleaning fish tanks and packing bags and I just absolutely loved it. I worked my way up until I got to be the manager. I drove that store to be one of the busiest within that company and I think we turned over about £1.5 million in the first 12 months of me managing it. But having a business was always something I wanted to do, I wanted to prove it to myself and I just thought ‘I'm going to try this out’, and here we are!

B: What is unique about your business?

RA: We sell a range of different products, primarily pet treats and toys at the moment. But you’ll find that every single product in our store is responsibly sourced.

B: What has been your biggest achievement so far?

RA: When I first started The Little Green Pet Shop, there was a particular retailer I’d always admired, they have a small chain of stores and I really love their ethics. The products they sell are great quality and they give great customer service. We have now secured that chain of stores as a wholesale customer, so I'd say that was probably my biggest achievement so far.

B: What has been your biggest struggle?

RA: As a small business it's quite easy to compare yourself to the larger companies. There's always going to be someone you think is better than you. You know, they’re more active on social media or their products have nicer packaging. I think comparing yourself to other businesses can be a big struggle.

B: What is your main avenue of marketing?

RA: Generally it’s social media we use for our marketing. We have a 50/50 split of organic search on Google and Instagram, Tiktok and Facebook. We’ve also done quite well in Facebook groups of local communities. A lot of the communities are based around us so we're able to provide word of mouth through that. When people use our products, they go on the local gossip page and talk about their experience with us.

Head over to Bionic to read more of this small business story, watch the full interview at the Bionic YouTube channel or below 👇

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📊 BUSINESS

Get your business costs sorted 💷

Bionic - the business price comparison experts - 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 🦾

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🔊 LISTEN

Playlist 🎵

Money Mark is a producer and keyboard wizard, probably most famous for being the (unofficial) fourth Beastie Boy. Mark’s Keyboard Repair was his first album, but barely any of his music is available to stream*. A playlist called Money Mark’s Keyboard Repair is though, and it’s about as funky a playlist as you’ll find anywhere - featuring Shuggie Otis, De La Soul, Nightmares on Wax, Lafayette Afro Rock Band, William Onyeabor, Roy Ayers, and loads more.

*go and treat yourself to Money Mark’s work on CDs, vinyl, or tapes - you won’t be disappointed.

Podcast 🎙

It’s been quite the podcast run for Glyn, Chief Customer Officer at Bionic, whose latest suggestion is BBC Radio 4’s When It Hits the Fan. This podcast goes behind the latest news stories from a PR and spin angle to find out how, where and when it all began to hit the fan.

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🏡 HOUSEKEEPING

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🚫 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.

The Backbone