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Owner-operators: Tips to beat isolation
Being a solo operator can be isolating, and it can sometimes feel like your work is your life. It doesn’t need to be like that. Read on for tips to help you feel more connected.
Tips for beating isolation
Being a solo operator can be lonely, and it can feel like your work is your life. We have caught up with a solo operator who has been through the stress and isolation that comes with running a business alone. Find out how this businesses owner overcame this by connecting with others and sharing in his experience.
Video transcript: Tips for beating isolation
[Audio: Soft instrumental guitar music plays.]
[Visual: The camera opens on a wide shot of a business owner sitting on a stool centre frame in a mechanics garage area.He is placed at an angle, looking toward the right of frame. Behind him is an array of tools, cables, work surfaces, cabinets, draws and products. He is wearing navy blue overalls and dark green outdoor jacket. He nods his head.]
Business owner: Running a small business you know, and especially working by myself, mate, it can be stressful. Sometimes I’d often feel like there’s just not enough hours in the day to do the jobs I need to do.
[Visual: The business owner puts his hand to his chest and closes his eyes as he speaks. The camera cuts to a medium close up. The business owner shakes then nods his head as he reflects on what he’s saying.]
[Audio Instrumental guitar music continues.]
[Visual: The camera cuts to a medium shot. The business owner sits in profile waist up and faces the right side of frame. He lifts his hands and counts on his fingers as he lists off each task]
Business owner: Things like the accounts, the taxes
[Visual: The camera cuts to a medium shot. The business owner is centre frame. He continues to count on his fingers as he lists the final task]
Business owner: the work orders
[Visual: The business owner rests his hands down on his lap, then lifts his left arm to gesture as he speaks]
Business owner: I would take the stress home with me.
[Visual: The business owner shakes his head]
Business owner: I would.
[Visual: The business owner gestures with his hands]
Business owner: I would lie awake at night just thinking about work the next day.
[Visual: The camera cuts back to the medium profile shot. The business owner is facing the right side of frame]
Business owner: I was like that for years.
[Audio: Instrumental guitar music continues.
[Visual: The camera cuts to a close up of the business owner resting his right hand on his lap.
Business owner: I was having a korero with
[Visual: The camera cuts to a high angle. The business owner is sitting slightly left of frame and on a slight angle looking to the right of frame]
Business owner: one of the bros and he was telling me how stressed he was getting at work. I thought to myself ‘damn man’
[Visual: The camera cuts back to medium shot. The business owner is now in the centre of the frame waist up]
Business owner: ‘this fella is reading my mind’ you know but
[Visual: The business owner puts his right hand to his chest and pats himself twice]
Business owner: I wasn’t the only one feeling it.
[Visual: He takes his hand off his chest and gestures outward]
Business owner: There’s others out there that were feeling it too.
[Visual: The camera cuts back to the medium profile shot. The business owner is waist up, facing the right side of frame]
Business owner: There’s actually a bunch of us that get together and we talk about these things and we listen to each other.
[Audio: Instrumental guitar music continues.
[Visual: The camera cuts back to the high angle looking slightly down on the business owner. The business owner is in the same seated position but is positioned on the left side of the frame]
Business owner: And it feels really good to spill it all out.
[Visual: The business owner shakes his head]
Business owner: You know, there’s no shame. No shame at all. Because
[Visual: The camera cuts back to the medium wide profile shot. The business owner is facing the right side of frame]
Business owner: it feels good to talk to other people about it.
[Audio: Instrumental guitar music continues]
[Visual: The camera cuts back to the opening wide shot. The business owner sits on a stool centre frame. We see him from the knees up. He looks down and waves his fingers in a pointing motion]
Business owner: One of the boys you know, we were sitting there and he says ‘Hey, have you ever thought about a business mentor?” And I thought,
[Visual: The business owner puts his right hand to his chin]
[Visual: The camera cuts to the medium shot. The business owner is positioned centre frame from the waist up]
Business owner: oh bro
[Visual: The business owner shakes his head]
Business owner: nah, not at all because
[Visual: The business owner lifts his right hand up to eye level and gestures as he speaks]
Business owner: I don’t want to build a big business. But
[Visual: The business owner puts his hand out]
Business owner: when I met him,
[Visual: The business owner brings his hand toward his chest]
Business owner: and he got to know me and what I wanted
[Audio: Instrumental guitar music continues.]
[Visual: The camera cuts back to the high angle looking slightly down on the business owner. The business owner is in the same seated position but is slightly left of frame. He nods his head]
Business owner: he really gave me some good pointers.
[Visual: The business owner looks down]
[Visual: The camera cuts to the medium profile shot. The business owner is shown in profile, facing the right side of frame]
Business owner: There’s a few things that I do in my routine now.
[Visual: The camera cuts back to the wide angle. The business owner is now placed in the centre of the frame in the same seated position from the thighs up. He looks down and waves his fingers in a pointing motion]
Business owner: I always make sure that I stop for lunch. And sometimes I’ll even finish work early
[Visual: The camera cuts to a medium shot. The business owner is in the same position and smiles]
Business owner: and I’ll go home and I’ll get my waka ama and I’ll go for a paddle in the evening.
[Visual: The camera cuts back to the wide shot. The business owner is seated on the stool and we see him from the thigh up. He gestures with his right arm]
Business owner: One thing I’ve also started doing is I’ve really started connecting to my church community.
[Visual: The camera cuts back to the medium shot. The business owner puts his hand on his hip and gestures with his left hand]
Business owner: You know, it feels really good to be a mentor and help younger ones, guiding them along.
[Audio: Instrumental guitar music continues.]
[Visual: The camera cuts to the high angle.The business owner is in the same seated position but is slightly left of frame. He smiles.]
Business owner: You know, I’ve still got a few years left in me.
[Visual: The camera cuts to the wide profile shot. The business owner is facing the right side of frame]
Business owner: Work is busier than ever, that’s not going to change
[Visual: The camera cuts back to the high angle. The business owner is slightly left of frame]
Business owner: but I’m handling it much better these days
[Visual: The camera cuts back to the medium profile shot. The business owner is facing the right side of the frame. He nods his head and smiles]
Business owner: and I feel really good.
[Visual: The frame transitions into a white screen and reveals the words centred and in pink - ‘Helping businesses succeed’ with the business.govt.nz logo sitting directly underneath in blue.]
[The music fades.]
[Video ends.]
Support when you want it
There’s a lot to be said for being your own boss. Going it alone means you control your business – and all the profits – along with how, where and when you work.
It’s so appealing that around 70 percent of the 400,000 small businesses in New Zealand are owned and operated by just one person.
But running your own business is also a lot of hard work. As a solo operator, you wear most or all the hats in your business, and that can mean long hours and high stress levels. The financial burden can also be extremely stressful.
Research from Business Mentors New Zealand found 80 percent of business owners surveyed had felt a sense of isolation.
“Isolation is a reality faced by most business people, especially in a startup. Not having access to support can have a detrimental impact on those who need to make decisions," says Craig Garner, CEO of Business Mentors New Zealand.
“Poor or ineffective decision-making will impact not only finances, relationships, and motivation, but physical and mental wellbeing as well."
Isolation can mean solo operators:
- don’t get to share their burdens
- have no one to bounce their ideas off
- don’t see themselves as a ‘real’ business, so don’t necessarily look for business advice or support
- lack confidence
- feel social isolation too.
“It makes sense to protect your most important business asset – your mental wellbeing. For your business to be at its best you need to take care of the person driving that success,” says Mental Health Foundation chief executive Shaun Robinson.
“Connection is key. Building connections with the people around you enriches you every day, and also builds a support network for when times get tough.”
Simple ways to connect
Just like physical health, there are lots of things you can do to boost your mental health and wellbeing. These tips may help you feel more connected, happier and more resilient.
Get out of the house
We’ve all heard the stories of how Harry Potter author J K Rowling spent hours writing at her local café. She says the walk to the café put her baby to sleep, giving her precious time to write. Chances are the change of scenery did wonders for her too.
If you’ve spent days cooped up in the house working in your trackpants, getting changed and getting out might help revitalise you. By using your mobile phone as a hotspot, you can do your computer work anywhere – your local park, coffee shop, library, botanic gardens – and there are a number of places that have free Wi-Fi too.
And if you have meetings, offer to go to their place of work, or to meet them at a café.
Working well(external link) — Mental Health
Five ways to wellbeing(external link) — Mental Health
Attend events regularly
There are many events small business owners can attend and groups you can join. Even if you don’t like networking, and even if you only attend now and then, these events can give you support, information and helpful advice for the smooth running of your business. Having a support network is really important.
Local small business meetups happen all around the country – some more social, and some that focus solely on business.
“Connect with local community groups," says Shaun Robinson from the Mental Health Foundation. Your business and expertise may be useful to them. Giving your time to support groups supports your wellbeing and creates a new network of people and businesses who know about your work.”
Find ongoing support
A business mentor can help guide you and provide support. Business Mentors New Zealand provides support to start-ups, established small and medium business owners, and community organisations. There’s a small annual subscription and mentors volunteer their time and knowledge to support emerging business leaders.
"A business mentor isn’t a consultant or a coach. They’re there to provide support and experience by being a sounding board for ideas and help turn them into action,” says Craig Garner from Business Mentors New Zealand. ”A mentor will challenge the business owner to achieve more than they could in isolation, but the mentee must be prepared to accept new ideas and listen to the advice they’re offered.”
Business Mentors New Zealand(external link)
Your local Regional Business Partner Network can connect you with you with the right people and information, at the right time, to help your business grow successfully.
Regional Business Partner Network
If you’re just starting out, Bizezi Training could be a great point of connection. They complement traditional business support by offering interactive, engaging courses to help get people started in business.
Enabling Small Business(external link) — Bizezi Training
There are 30 local Chambers of Commerce around New Zealand that provide training, information, advice, information and support to members.
Consider joining a co-working space
Co-working can beat the distractions and isolation often caused by working from home, and can help you surround yourself with like-minded people who may encourage or help you grow and improve your business. Shared working spaces are opening all over the country, and many offer flexible and low-commitment options at an affordable price.
Even if you only use a co-working space every now and then, it may help you feel supported and part of a community.
Other helpful routines
- Have a dedicated workspace in your home. It’s helpful if you can physically leave your work behind at the end of the workday.
- Set work hours, and set daily goals – no matter how small – and tick them off as you go.
- Get ready for work in the morning. Before heading into your home work space, have a shower, put on work clothes and make yourself tidy for your working day. It may help get you into a headspace for working.
- Take breaks. Making yourself a hot drink and heading outside for some fresh air can refresh and motivate you.
- Exercise can really help. Take a lunchtime walk, hit the gym, and allow yourself to switch off from the business and dedicate time to yourself.
- Make sure you get away from where you work and take time out to socialise with friends and whānau.
