Tradie Mental Health
Tradie Mental Health - Are you ok? But really.... are you ok?
After speaking to Tradies who are at absolute breaking point, I felt it was important to write about this. It breaks my heart to think of how many tradies are metaphorically dying inside. People think they are all rolling in money and laughing all the way to the bank, but overheads are huge, and if you don't know how to manage your business, you can go backwards very quickly.
I've recently had conversations with 3 tradies who are struggling with the pressure of running a business. They haven't learnt healthy boundaries to set with clients, staff, and their workload. It weighs heavy on them that they feel like they need to respond to everything immediately, attend to every job straight away, be there for their family, pay their bills to suppliers on time, do their admin well, get enough sleep, exercise, get paid quickly, etc etc etc. And all this while they keep smiling and saying how great it is to work for themselves.
Well, sometimes it's not great. Sometimes they are not ok.
People never expect me as an administrator to know how to build a house after my admin work is finished each day, so why are we expecting Tradies to be great at business admin as well as being great at their trade. These are 2 separate careers, yet society seems to expect them to be great at 2 careers, as well as doing a full day of physical work before doing their admin at home.
We need to EMPOWER tradies to get the support they need, and let them know that there is no shame in saying "I need to outsource this".
Since starting my business in early 2020, I've supported many tradies to set some boundaries and get their numbers streamlined. Simply having someone around that really has their back, and totally gets it, is so helpful. But also, I know how to change their situation...
We've streamlined their processes so everything is quicker and easier
We've automated customer communication to save them time
We've chased up people who owe them money so their cash flow works
We've caught up on their invoicing
We've sometimes hired an Office Manager or extra tradies
We've got them home to their families at a reasonable hour
Most importantly, I've assured them that they are not the only one struggling, and I've given them real life examples of how things can get better.
I give them HOPE! It is honestly such a rewarding job, supporting tradies in this way, helping them to get their life back and enjoy their trade again. I'm so grateful that they let me into their world, and trust me with everything behind the scenes.
If you know a Tradie who is near breaking point, give them a cuddle, tell them they are not alone, support them in a practical way (if you know them well, maybe drop off a home made meal to their family so they can spend time together without the hassle of cooking), and suggest outsourcing some admin and bookkeeping tasks.
If you're struggling, there is an organisation called TIACS (This is a Conversation Starter) supported by the sales of brightly coloured workshirts from Trademutt - you can call them on 0488 846 988. This counselling service is particularly aimed towards Tradies. Or, reach out to a mate and start a conversation. www.tiacs.org
Call Behind the Boots on 0410 652 641 or email admin@behindtheboots.com.au if you want to know more