28 Sep 10 Ways Business Therapy Can Help You
How Can Business Therapy Help You?
Have you ever wondered if business therapy can help you? Business therapy is best delivered by someone who understands business from a theory and best practice viewpoint, as well as having the experience of running a business. It can help you defeat patterns of behaviour that might be holding you back, and get over fears and anxieties that are preventing you from moving forwards. More than just coaching, business therapy looks at deeper layers, undercurrents and even relationships that are impacting you, and should be delivered by someone with psychotherapy experience and qualifications.
I have helped hundreds of business owners and managers from all over the world. Here are the ten most common issues we work on. Our work tends to be online, via Zoom, so perfect for fitting in within the business day. What’s more, you can use the time you might have spent travelling to appointments to start on your homework, or just ponder and process the session. This makes it all the more powerful.
Business issue number one: imposter syndrome
It’s fascinating to see how this can arise everytime a business owner is moving towards a new level. Imposter syndrome is best described as that feeling that you’re going to be found out or caught out. Many of us experience it at one time or another. I like to reframe it as keeping me sharp, prepared and less likely to become complacent.
My work with business owners is to help them to use this feeling in a positive way. At the same time, we work with how to reduce those symptoms, whatever they might be for them. These could be anxiety or panic, for instance. Finally, we check in on whether there is something deeper going on. This could be a past trauma, for instance. I have some really effective and gentle tools for helping with this.
Business issue number two: procrastination
You might imagine that anyone who starts a business is not going to suffer from procrastination. Wrong. When I had my own PR company, this was one of the first behaviours that inspired me to get more involved in psychology. I noticed many clients were procrastinating and I wanted to help them.
The reasons behind procrastination as a business owner can be many. It could be down to habits, personality traits, or a learned behaviour that we just need to unlearn. Or, it could be something deeper like a fear of being judged, trauma, or even pinned down. Whatever the reasons, this is something that can be changed.
Business issue number three: not charging enough
Hmmm. Charging more is scary. If you need the work you can always persuade yourself that accepting a lower fee at least keeps the cash flowing. However, there are always consequences. These might be a feeling of resentment, or burnout (because you will have to take on more work to reach the same income level). It will also impact how you see and value yourself.
Money therapy often involves looking at the family of origin and behaviours and beliefs around money. This can be fascinating and powerful work.
Business issue number four: making decisions
You need to make decisions in business. Often, there isn’t one right decision and that can make things difficult. Therapy around decision making is usually needed for one of two reasons. The first is that you have a decision to make and, somehow, you are finding it difficult. You may have already been through all the pros and cons and spoken to others about it. Perhaps you are considering an investment, like taking on a new member of staff or premises, or maybe it’s about choosing an avenue to focus your attention upon. I have some excellent tools that can help make this easier for you.
The second is when you are finding it hard to make decisions, any decision. This can happen when we are feeling stressed and overwhelmed and our cognitive capacity decreases. Therapy can be invaluable in these situations.
Business issue number five: motivation
If your drive and motivation for your business seems to have dwindled lately, there could be a few culprits. The first, and very practical one, is that you may have found that your business idea doesn’t work, or doesn’t work in the way that you want. Perhaps it involves a brush up against your values, or takes you away from the other things you want in your life.
It may be a physical thing. If your energy levels have plummeted in general, I’ll be encouraging you to look at your health. However, it can also be a sign of both depression and burn-out, and these things can be serious for a business owner. Luckily, there are things that can be done about both of these, within therapy. My work as a solution-focused therapist is to get you feeling better as soon as possible, and we can measure this as your motivation increases again.
Business issue number six: asking for money
Back to money again! This is often related to setting too-low fees, but not always. Being able to ask for money due to you involves a deep sense of worth, confidence and good business processes. We explore and work with all these to help you set up your business so that you can avoid situations that involve you chasing payments, as well as be able to do this when necessary.
Business issue number seven: life stuff
Business owners are just ordinary people. We have relationship issues, suffer bereavement and worry about our kids. Handling these while running a business can be tricky, however. Good business therapy will help guide you through these whilst retaining motivation and energy for your business. Or, putting in processes or plan-Bs that can help in the short term.
Think of it as your own personal board member focused entirely on you and your mental health. After all, you are your business’ biggest asset.
Business issue number eight: other people
Your new client really pushes the boundaries and you end up doing more work that you can afford. You’ve taken on a new member of staff but they just don’t have the same attitude to work as you. Your business partner works all hours and expects you to do the same. The people isde of business can be a huge stressor. Learning how to navigate relationships is a key skill that can be challenging with many of our colleagues and customers.
This is not to mention when some people trigger a mismatch of values, or remind you of someone with whom you’ve always had difficulties. This, along with therapy around money, can be one of the most powerful and enriching business therapy work you can do.
Business issue number nine: stress and overwhelm
All business owners go through this at times. However, if this is becoming your way of life it’s likely you’re in a business that’s running you, and not the other way around. You may find yourself turning to unhealthy ways of coping, like eating too much, too little, drinking or just making bad lifestyle choices. Perhaps your sleep is deteriorating, or you can’t seem to stop worrying?
My work with stressed and overwhelmed business owners includes ways to help them tackle those feelings, and bring them to a more manageable level. We also look at systems and processes that will make life easier, or changes in behaviour that may make managing staff less stressful, for instance.
Business issue number ten: loss of faith in yourself
This can happen after a trauma or during an existential crisis, and may feel very disconcerting. Business therapy can help by looking not just at your identity as a business owner, but who you really are. It often points to something deeper going on for you, and therapy can help bring that to surface and will help you work through it.
Is business therapy for you?
I regularly work with all of these issues, and others. My business therapy sessions are one hour long and cost £150 per session. As a solution focused therapist, my aim is to get you feeling better as soon as possible, so our work is practical and grounded in your business. Do book a call with me to discuss here.
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