FOR MANY TRADIES and small business owners, getting on with the job is part of work culture. This Men’s Health Week is a reminder that ‘pushing through’ doesn’t always mean you’re staying mentally well.
Many small business owners are navigating relentless pressure from rising costs and workforce challenges to constant market shifts and business uncertainty, all while feeling responsible for everything, with little room to step back.
For many tradies and small business owners, getting on with the job is part of work culture. Pushing through is often seen as what it takes to keep things running.
But ‘pushing through’ isn’t the same as staying mentally well and over time, the cost can show up not just in a person’s wellbeing, but in the way their business functions, grows and survives.
This Men’s Health Week is a reminder that behind the pressure of rising costs, workforce shortages and constant uncertainty, many small business owners are carrying more than they let on often without the space to step back or reset.
That quiet expectation to lead, provide and keep all the balls in the air can become part of daily life. Many see themselves as the problem-solver and the one who doesn’t need support.
For Mat Wilk, owner of Ballast Point Architecture and Construction and founder of Buttress a tech platform to mentoring small construction business owners, that pressure had become normal.
“I was in a pattern where I dealt with everything. I don’t complain. I just get on with it,” he says.
But without time to reflect, those patterns can go unchecked.
While more men are seeking support, the gap remains significant. Only 28% of men reach out to a professional, support service or someone they know, compared with 50% of women. When it comes to professional help alone, that drops to just 19% of men, compared with 34% of women.
“While more men are seeking support, they are still far less likely than women to do so,” says Beyond Blue CEO Georgie Harman AO. “That doesn’t mean men aren’t experiencing distress, it means support that feels right is harder to find.”
In work environments defined by change, that matters. Financial stress doesn’t just affect the bottom line, it can shape how business owners feel about themselves and their ability to keep going. And even when support could help, many aren’t sure where to start.
In fact, the biggest drivers of seeking help aren’t willingness alone, but clarity and access, knowing what to do (52%), having a trusted professional or service (46%), and affordability (41%). “I didn’t think I needed any support,” Mat says. “I signed up for the free NewAccess for Small Business program because I intended to share it through my network and I thought I should try it first, I actually thought I was doing fine.”
The experience revealed deeply ingrained ways of thinking that were shaping how Mat dealt with pressure.
“I used to say I’m never anxious – yet anxiety was there, just in ways I didn’t recognise; a constant worry about reaching my own potential and not letting people down.”
For small business owners, that pressure can be constant, and invisible.
For Mat, recognising that was a turning point.
“I found some blind spots,” he says. “Things weren’t obvious to me, but they were still there.”
In a year he describes as “everything flipping on its head” he’s learning that resilience isn’t about pushing through alone.
Sometimes, it starts with making space to recognise you might benefit from sharing the load.
NewAccess for Small Business Owners (NASBO) is a free, confidential mental health coaching program designed specifically for small business owners. It’s a unique service that offers practical tools to manage stress, problem-solve and build coping strategies. For more information about NewAccess for Small Business Owners, visit beyondblue.org.au/NASBO or call 03 9250 8305.
Related:
How the death of a friend prompted Gus Worland to take action on men’s mental health
Therapists explain the surprising depression symptoms for men
