Loneliness at the top

Lonely

at the top

A company director opens up about the loneliness and

isolation that business owners can suffer WORDS BY EMILY MILLER

For the Director of local decorating firm BC Decorators, Ben Curran, the struggle of keeping his head above water with financial and employer responsibilities has been real. “As a new business owner and not having vast amounts of money behind me, with the pressure to pay my staff while I’m still waiting for people to pay me has been incredibly hard.”

There has been work for Ben during the pandemic, but it’s not been easy to be paid on time, which has created huge stress and a feeling of being on his own: “I haven’t felt supported as a business, as I’m out there on my own and new to business. I’m still learning a lot – and sometimes the hard way. One of my biggest worries has been keeping my staff in paid work – it’s a huge responsibility.

“I’m lucky that I have close family I can talk to when it does get too much for my mental health. I feel if you confide in someone, it helps release the pressure and you feel you’re not doing this on your own and you do have people behind you,” Ben explained, further highlighting the need to encourage business owners to seek help when they need it, especially male business owners who may not feel able to share the burden with family.

“With mental health concerns on the rise, I know of so many people who have really struggled in the last year and a half; it’s more important than ever that men start talking about their concerns.”

For more advice and guidance, contact the government’s free Business Support Helpline on 0800 998 1098.

Join us at our two locations: 21 Leicester Road, Blaby, LE8 4GR Everards Meadows, Cooper Way, LE19 2AN

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