Let’s talk about something most business owners won’t admit: there are days when your mental health isn’t great, but you still have to show up. You’ve had to fake it. You’ve struggled. And you’ve wondered if you’re the only one who feels like their world is falling apart while still trying to run a business. Here’s the truth: you’re not alone, and there’s a way to navigate this without letting everything crumble.
I’ve worked with countless business owners who’ve struggled with their mental health while building their businesses. And I’m not just speaking from a coach’s perspective—I’ve lived it. If you’re in that place right now, you need to hear this: showing up when you’re struggling doesn’t make you a fraud. It makes you human.
The Reality of Running a Business Through Hard Times
Here’s what nobody tells you: there’s a different kind of hard that comes with showing up in your business when you feel like you’re not okay. Some people will tell you to just take a break or pull back. But for most of us? We don’t have that luxury.
If you had a nine-to-five job, it wouldn’t matter what you were going through. You’d still have to show up and function. Your business deserves the same commitment. Yes, take mental health days when you need them. But at the end of the day, this is your business, and you show up whether you want to or not.
Keep Things Simple (This Will Save You)
When you’re struggling, the last thing you need is more complexity in your business. If you already have an offer, an ideal client, and your basics figured out, do not add more things to your plate. This is non-negotiable.
Having a simple business will support you through the ebbs and flows of life. When things get hard, you don’t have 10 different offers to manage or a gazillion team members to coordinate. You have systems. Things can run even when it feels difficult to put in the time.
So here’s what you do: strip it down. For some people, that means not adding anything else. For others, it means actively removing things. If you’ve got five offers, get it down to two. If you’re creating a course right now, stop. Put it on pause. Make money the way you already know how to make money until you get through this season.
Set Your Baseline and Stick to It
Maintaining your business isn’t shameful. You can have the desire to grow, the goals to grow, the vision to grow—but know that right now might not be the time. And that’s okay.
But here’s where people get into trouble: they think “maintain” means working only with current clients and doing nothing else. No marketing. No prospecting. They basically become an employee for their existing clients. Then when a client leaves, they’re back at square one, having to remarket themselves and find new clients all over again.
Instead, set a baseline for yourself that you know you can keep up with. This might not be the marketing strategy you’d love to deploy, but it’s the one you can handle. That could look like two posts a week, an email every other month to your list, or 30 minutes of engagement per week. It’s minimal, but it’s not completely dry.
Think of it like a faucet with a slow trickle. This won’t explode your business, but it will be enough that if somebody falls off, you have some leads to reach out to. It keeps your online storefront active and keeps you in front of people. And that matters.
Get Organized When You Can’t Think Straight
When you’re in a bad place, write things down. Make lists. Get organized. You need all the help you can get, especially if you feel like you’re living in a fog.
Walk into each week or each day knowing exactly what you need to do. This isn’t about motivation. It’s not about wanting to. It’s about having a list and getting those bare minimum things done. Period.
Bring on Support and Use It
If you have the revenue with some wiggle room, bring on support. If you already have team members but haven’t been showing up the way you’d like, tell them what’s going on. You don’t need to share everything, but you can say, “I’m going through some stuff and appreciate you doing X, Y, and Z. Can you take this off my plate?”
Get the right people in your corner.
Get Professional Help (Actually Do It)
If you’re going through a tough time and you’re not okay—in a lot of ways or even just one way—and it’s affecting how you show up in your life and business, get help. Go to therapy. Find a mentor. Get on medication if you need it.
A lot of people say, “Yeah, I know I should do it,” but they don’t actually do it. Especially now with the way insurance works, most mental health care is considered normal care. It’s worth it. You might have to weed through a couple of therapists to find the right one, but you deserve to be supported.
There’s no shame in getting help. The people who would potentially shame you are probably struggling themselves.
You Can Fake It and Still Be Authentic
This might be the most important point: you can show up and fake it, and that doesn’t make you inauthentic. That makes you a professional.
Every single day we hear about being authentic, which is fine. But if you’re running a business that requires you and you don’t want to necessarily be in the business right now but you have to be, you can fake it. It’s no different than a customer service rep showing up at an office and smiling at people who come in or answering the phone politely.
Showing up in a way where you can still make money and still honor the life you’re trying to build for yourself isn’t lying. It’s surviving. It’s doing what needs to be done.
Remember: This Season is Temporary
Whatever season you’re in, it’s temporary. Don’t make permanent decisions based on temporary circumstances. Don’t blow up your business because you’re having a hard month or year. Create your bare minimum plan and stick to it.
If you’re struggling right now, you’re not alone. It’s okay to show up in your business and not feel like it. It’s okay to strip things back. But create some bare minimum rules for yourself—a plan that will help you get through the rough days.
If you need support figuring out how to simplify your business, set up systems that work when you can barely function, and create a sustainable model that doesn’t require you to be “on” 24/7, that’s exactly what we work on inside the Grow Business and Marketing Membership. You don’t have to figure this out alone.
Join the Grow Membership here and get the frameworks, support, and strategies you need to build a business that works with your life, not against it.
