The Mental Tug-of-War: Cognitive Dissonance in Small Business

"When dissonance is present, in addition to trying to reduce it, the person will actively avoid situations and information which would likely increase the dissonance." ~ Leon Festinger

"What I do is create a lens through my work that corrects my readers' cognitive dissonance and says: you will see all of it - not what you want or what makes you comfortable, but all of it. And you will not erase what displeases you." ~ Chris Abani

Just thinking of some of my friends that own small businesses and issues and stress that they live through can be extremely challenging.

Running a small business can be stressful, to say the least. One core reason for this stress is something called cognitive dissonance. It's when your mind is pulled in different directions because of conflicting ideas or feelings.

For business owners, these conflicts pop up all the time. For example, they might want to grow their business and take risks, but they also want to stay safe and secure. Or they might want to spend more time with family, but they feel guilty if they're not working by trying to build their small business into a more lucrative medium size business. These conflicting thoughts can cause a lot of mental discomfort.

Another challenge is balancing ethics with business needs. Business owners want to do the right thing, but they also need to make money. Deciding how to treat employees fairly while keeping costs low is a tough one. Everyone wants the best employees and to have the best employees. One must pay those employees top dollar. However, being a small business it's very hard to pay employees top dollar when there's so many financial obstacles to pay for, including trying to make profit and earns a standard of living for your family. And trying to create a high-quality product or service without breaking the bank can be frustrating.

All this inner conflict can lead to problems. It can make it hard to make decisions, cause stress and anxiety, and even lead to burnout.

But there are things business owners can do to cope. They can clarify their values, set boundaries, set short-term and long-term attainable goals, and seek support from others. Making small changes and taking time for themselves can also help.

In the end, understanding cognitive dissonance is important for business owners. By recognizing the challenges and finding ways to manage them, they can reduce stress, make better decisions, and build a fulfilling business.