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each entrepreneur can prove that starting and running a company is an incredibly stressful endeavor. Long hours, financial insecurity, and the weight of responsibility for employee livelihoods create a perfect storm of ever-present stressors that can significantly affect a founder's mental and physical well-being.
At the same time, the leader cannot waver. The ultimate responsibility for the survival and success of the company rests on their shoulders, which unfortunately means that the clear answers – take it slow, don't let work intrude on your personal life, go on an extended vacation – rarely are considered realistic options.
As the founder and CEO of a CPG startup operating in the US and Europe and a father of two, I've had to develop strategies that work within the constraints of reality rather than idealistic advice. The truth is that there is no magic solution that completely eliminates it entrepreneurial stress while maintaining the pace and dedication needed to succeed. Instead, I've found that it's about building sustainable practices that help you bend rather than break.
Here are three key practices that help me maintain my sanity. I recommend them to anyone looking to manage entrepreneurial stress more effectively.
1. Write everything down
With reporting comes clarity of mind and purpose. Most entrepreneurs know how easy it is to get caught up in the daily whirlwind of busy work and meetings and feel like you're slipping away from what's really going on. That is until a report lands in your hands, and suddenly, the high-level vision returns, priorities become clear, and you're back in control of the ship.
You can achieve this effect through journaling – think of it as an anchor that keeps you grounded, no matter how rough the seas.
Journaling doesn't necessarily mean keeping a personal journal, although if that works for you, then great. Its main purpose is to keep your targets in sight and constantly review where you stand. For me, journaling takes many forms: formal business reports that force strategic reflection, LinkedIn posts that distill key learnings and eventsInstagram Live discussions with clients that provide unfiltered insights and other methods of documentation that get me out of the daily trenches.
Every report, post and reflection becomes a timestamp of your journey. You're not just documenting what happened, you're working out why it happened and what it means. In this sense, it is not just record keeping – it is a continuous form strategic thinking that helps keep stress at bay and has a direct positive impact on your business.
2. Take care of your health
For me, health is a daily, non-negotiable commitment. This means two basic practices: taking the right supplements and constant physical activity. I'm not talking about extreme fitness regimes or complicated nutrition plans. I'm talking about consistent, practical approaches that keep me functional and sharp.
Every day, I make sure I'm supporting my body's basic needs. Supplements are not a magic solution, but they are a necessary layer of protection against the inevitable wear and tear of entrepreneurial life. Most importantly, I have made movement a non-negotiable part of my routine. I even went so far as to install a minimalist gym space in our office so that exercise can be squeezed in when possible. Some days, it's a quick bike ride to work, other days it's a 20-minute workout between meetings.
The goal is not peak performance, but consistent, sustained power. If you're running on empty (literally), no amount of motivation can compensate for physical depletion.
3. Practice mindfulness
CONSCIOUSNESS it means different things to different people, but it usually converges on living in the present. As entrepreneurs, we are planners, risk assessors, reporters, who force us to constantly think about the future and reflect on the past. This, in turn, makes us worry about things to come and lose sleep over past mistakes.
Forward thinking is inevitable, healthy and critical to running a business. But it's easy to get off track, where you're constantly worrying about everything that could happen—and did.
Be mindful. Realize that you can't do anything about the past and don't worry about the future, as this creates anxiety. Take one day at a time and try to do your best every day. If you put in your best effort and work, things tend to fall into place.
I know that's easier said than done. I'm good at letting go of the past, but I still struggle to not live in the future and worry about it. But by making a conscious effort to keep yourself grounded, you'll gain a healthier perspective on your business and better handle your stress.
To each his own
This is a combination of active practices that I have put together over a decade of my intense entrepreneurial journey. These work for me, and part of the reason for this is an enabling environment – I have an extremely supportive husband and highly motivated business partners.
While I recommend these to anyone in a high-stress position, they are not a silver bullet. Take what works for you and your specific situation, personality and environment and discard the rest. The goal is not to play a healthy entrepreneur. The goal is to be one.