By Jason Eisenberg
Community Program Manager for Office Depot

You may or may not know that stress can really hurt your business. It can reduce productivity, create unhealthy workplace relations, produce a high staff turnover rate… the list goes on. [Coggno]

The sheer nature of starting and/or running a business is stressful – whether you’re setting out on your own for the first, second, or even fifth time.  One of the greatest causes of entrepreneurial stress may be the fake it 'til you make it culture. According to an award-winning article in Inc. Magazine, The Psychological Price of Entrepreneurship, many founders put on a strong face while juggling many roles and facing countless setbacks.

Maybe you’re a very good juggler and can handle it. But consider this: a lot of entrepreneurs are in startup mode, meaning they push themselves harder than average and may be neglecting healthy habits such as sleep, exercise, food intake (too much or too little). The easiest way to relieve stress as a business owner?  

Automation and subscriptions

Having too much of a workload and not enough time to do it is the one of the top offenders for workplace stress, according to The American Institute of Stress. Sound familiar? Do you look at your days like I do? Columns of blocks of time on your calendar with maybe 15 minutes to get to your next block of time? One of the best time savers, for business and personal life, is signing up for subscriptions of what you know you’ll need on a routine basis. That leaves another item you don’t have to constantly remind yourself to do. A few perks worth noting here:

  1. You won’t run out of specific supplies you always need.
  2. Subscription-based purchases generally save you money (10% off for many cases).
  3. Set your subscription(s) and don’t think twice about it until you need to change it.

Office Depot offers subscription services for your business so you don’t have to make a random supply run at 9:27am before the staff meeting. By the way, we’re not just talking office supplies. Office Depot can load up your break room with snacks, water, coffee & tea, cleaning supplies and more. If you have kids in college, you can also send them subscription boxes of snacks and beverages (to make sure they’re drinking enough water!). 

24/7 Services

Another key component to work stress includes dealing with technical errors because, for some reason, it always seems to happen right before a project is due. Have peace of mind with affordable 24/7 computer and network monitoring for your business.

It’s not cutting corners – it’s being smart with your time. And successful entrepreneurs know: "time is money". Learn more about how you can spend more time on your passion while Office Depot handles the tasks and services needed to help your business succeed.

References and Resources:
The American Institute of Stress – https://www.stress.org/workplace-stress/
The Psychological Price of Entrepreneurship - https://www.inc.com/magazine/201309/jessica-bruder/psychological-price-of-entrepreneurship.html
​Why Your Employees Need to Feel Stress Free at Your Workplace - https://blog.coggno.com/employees-need-feel-stress-free-workplace/

About the Author
Jason Eisenberg is the Community Program Manager for Office Depot, specializing in small business and entrepreneurship. Based in one of the most exciting cities for startups — Austin, TX — Jason is plugged into the business community, often connecting with thought leaders, entrepreneurs, and strategists to help identify and find solutions to common pain points all business owners share.

All content provided herein is for educational purposes only. It is provided “as is,” and neither the author nor Office Depot warrants the accuracy of the information provided, nor do they assume any responsibility for errors, omissions, or contrary interpretation of the subject matter herein.