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What we pitched vs. what made the edit – a series looking at our own comments sent to the media, and the article that resulted. 

In response to a journalist looking for comments on founder mental health, an issue Stephen feels very strongly about, we sent over the following:

Stephen Jenkins, founder and managing director, Too Many Dreams:

“As a business owner, the idea you’re ever fully in control is a fiction that provides little real comfort. Whilst there are many areas where you hold the reins, you’re also part of a wider ecosystem – subject to team dynamics, market economics, government decisions, and even just the prevailing mood of the country. If you fool yourself that you’re in complete control, you risk missing the serendipity that life throws your way.

“One of the most difficult things about being a founder is the sheer volume of things you need to be across. Even with the most accomplished leadership team, it’s impossible not to have growth targets, sales leads, marketing programmes, and team welfare buzzing constantly around your head. Usually in the middle of the night when you wish you could get some sleep.

“I’d never suffered from any mental health issues before starting Too Many Dreams. The black dog of depression and anxiety arrived once I had. I don’t think that’s a coincidence.

“The brain of a founder is rarely quiet. It’s processing risk, opportunity, responsibility, and uncertainty – often simultaneously, often without resolution. Add to that the near-constant undercurrent of worry about supporting a family, paying a mortgage, keeping people employed – all without a safety net beneath you – and it becomes clear why so many founders struggle in silence.

“I’m not one for struggling in silence. I know I process challenges best by talking them through. It helps me see the situation more clearly, find the possible paths forward, and make better decisions. So I’ve built a structure around that. An expert adviser I speak to weekly. An executive coach monthly. And a therapist on standby for the occasional, more concerning, wobble.

“They say it takes a village to raise a child. I think the same is true for a business. I’m grateful for the village I’ve managed to build around me. It doesn’t make me any more in control, but it’s stopped me believing I need to be.”

See what appeared from Stephen in the resulting article here: https://realbusiness.co.uk/uk-businesses-face-risk-and-planning-appetite-change/