Being an entrepreneur seems exciting on the surface: pursuing a passion, setting your own schedule and, hopefully, making lots of money. But the responsibility that comes with getting a business up and running can cause immense pressure. Running your own business can be hugely rewarding, but for many  business owners having sole responsibility for the company’s success or failure can take its toll. Entrepreneurs are more likely to experience mental health issues than the general public.

While it can be tempting to focus all of your time and attention on your business, it’s also essential that you take care of yourself. As an entrepreneur you can face a range of unique challenges that can affect your mental health and the mental health of your staff.

These are seven ways to maintain your mental health while running a business:

Understand that you’re not alone: 32 percent of entrepreneurs struggle with two or more mental health conditions. One of the most important things for you to realize is that you’re not alone, and support is closer than you think

Put your mental health above everything else: Finding at least a small amount of time for yourself every day is an important part of self-care. It could be as simple as gardening, drawing, reading a good book, taking a hot bath, or going for coffee with a loved one—anything that relaxes you

Learn how to ask for help: With the stigma surrounding mental illness and the effects it has on our society, taking a stand and being open and vocal is necessary.

Avoid unhealthy comparison: Comparison on social media is unavoidable, and psychological research has shown that this kind of comparison leads to a list of mental health concerns. Taking breaks from social media (aside from business purposes) can be very helpful for both your mental health and your focus and productivity.

Create a support network: You can connect with like-minded individuals in person at networking events or through online communities as a way of building collaboration and for a positive effect on your day-to-day well-being, it’s important to maintain your relationships outside of your business as well.

Sleep well, eat well, and exercise: Force yourself to go to sleep by a certain time every night so that you’re getting the right amount of sleep. Make sure to set aside even 30 minutes of time a day to get in some quick cardio or a short one-hour class at the gym. And don’t neglect your diet!

Don’t be afraid of therapy: If the stress of being an entrepreneur becomes overwhelming, get professional help from your family doctor, counselor, psychologist, or other mental help expert as soon as possible.

Growth + Change = Opportunity!

The pandemic eases in the U.S., and offices around the country commence reopening plans.
Businesses are finding themselves in a constant state of transition with each county and state being in different phases of reopening, and then considering the new customers they’ve gotten over the last year.

In its most-recent guidance, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said that employers can legally require workers to be vaccinated against the coronavirus, with exceptions for those who have a medical or religious accommodation.
Some epidemiologists continue to recommend following the golden rules of coronavirus safety.

The Biden administration has been weighing changes to sweeping travel restrictions that bar much of the world’s population from coming to the United States, but has reached no decisions, government and industry officials.

Biden administration agencies have been holding meetings for more than a month and reaching out to industry officials about when and how they could begin to unwind the travel restrictions first imposed in early 2020 in response to COVID-19 that bar much of the world’s population from entering the United States.
The U.S.-bound imports and shipments remain solid.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told a news conference on Wednesday that any decision to lift restrictions “ultimately is a public health decision and there is an interagency process and obviously the CDC (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)” is taking a leading role.

Growth + Change = Opportunity! 

US shippers in the Southeast face several additional days of truckload service disruption, with the potential for missed deliveries and pickups, as the region recovers from sporadic fuel shortages caused by the Colonial Pipeline shutdown. 

Fistfights and long queues have been reported at petrol stations in the south-eastern United States as people panic over a fuel shortage sparked by a cyber attack last week.

A ransomware attack on the Colonial Pipeline last week halted 2.5 million barrels per day of fuel shipments.

The pipeline stretches 8,850 kilometres from US Gulf Coast oil refineries to consumers in mid-Atlantic and south-eastern states.

The outage and resulting shortages of gasoline and diesel tightened already tight truckload capacity as the spring produce season ratcheted up truck demand across the South, compounding pressure on shippers and carriers already strapped by high volumes of freight arriving at ports such as Savannah and Charleston, as well as inland hubs such as Atlanta and Memphis.

Colonial Pipeline Co. said in an update on Wednesday that a restart of its system has been initiated: “Following this restart, it will take several days for the product delivery supply chain to return to normal. Some markets served by Colonial Pipeline may experience, or continue to experience, intermittent service interruptions during the start-up period,” the company added. “Colonial will move as much gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel as is safely possible and will continue to do so until markets return to normal.”

Shippers may have difficulty finding carriers and drivers willing to go to the Southeast while the fuel shortages persist.

Growth + Change = Opportunity! 

Current market restrictions on trucks and international container capacity are expected to last through 2023.

Shippers are moving to a stronger for a longer pricing cycle, many retailers are increasing their transport cost projections and retailers are already starting to raise prices by 10% to 20%.

The hot market continues to affect truck load carriers ordering new trucks and paying attention to driver recruitment and retention to keep up with customer demand, these issues are also starting to affect another actor in the supply chain: the freight broker.

The transportation hiring data is not following the same trends as shipment volume, something that commonly trended the same in the past.

Candidates leverage their power: As trucking volumes continue to rise, freight brokers have struggled with their own internal recruiting strategies and have started reaching out to industry recruiters.

Charlie Saffro, founder and president of CS Recruiting said “The demand is now greater than ever”, “The way we can judge this comes from companies we have never worked with before. … Lots of companies that start brokerage and don’t even have a name or website, [even] You want to hire freight brokers. “

“Currently, there is a war over talent”, “It’s a candidate market and it’s 100%.” Brent Orsuga, founder and president of Pinnacle Growth Strategies, explained.

Contrary to the trucking industry, in which barriers to entry are becoming more difficult, making it less attractive for potential drivers, the brokerage space is dealing with candidates who understand their qualifications and want a better experience than they currently have.

Growth + Change = Opportunity! How are you going to capitalize on the opportunity as a freight broker, agent or dispatcher?

Truck drivers may qualify for tax deductions for meals under the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) rules governing travel away from home. To be eligible, it must be necessary for the driver to stop for “substantial sleep or rest” while traveling away from home. The meals also cannot be deducted if they are overly expensive or extravagant or if the meal costs have been reimbursed by the company. There are two basic methods for taking tax deductions: actual cost and standard meal allowance. Truck drivers qualify for special consideration within these deductions.

Fifty Percent Limit
The first method for claiming a tax deduction is by calculating the actual cost of meals. Typically, people may only deduct up to 50 percent of their unreimbursed cost for meals. If a company does not reimburse for meals at all, that would be 50 percent of the total cost. Otherwise, an employee can only claim a deduction for half of the amount paid personally. Any meals that are covered by a company are not eligible for tax deductions.

Standard Meal Allowance Rules
The second method for taking a tax deduction is through the use of the Standard Meal Allowance. Under this method, a driver has an average set amount for daily meals and incidental expenses. Instead of charting actual costs, a driver keeps a record of dates, places, and times of travel and can deduct a set amount based on the length and destination of the business trip. However, a driver can only take a meal allowance for unreimbursed meals. If a company pays for the meals, a driver is not allowed to take the standard meal allowance deduction on her taxes.

Standard Meal Allowance Rates
Truck drivers and other transportation employees have their own rates for reimbursement under the IRS code, and they are higher than those for other employees. In 2009, drivers are able to claim a standard meal allowance of $52 for each day of travel within the continental United States ($58 outside) from January 1 through September 30. The rate rises to $59 a day ($65 outside of the continental United States) from October 1 through December 31. These rates are re-evaluated yearly. To claim the deduction, a truck driver subtracts eligible allowances from his taxable income at the end of the year.

Beginning and End of Trip
For the first and last day of a trip, a truck driver must pro-rate her allowance using one of two methods. The first method allows an employee to claim 75 percent of the standard meal allowance. The second is to use any method that is consistent and reasonable under standard business rules. A driver cannot claim beginning and end-of-trip meal costs as a tax deduction if they are reimbursed by her company.

A freight train struck a garbage truck in Wright County shortly before dawn Tuesday, and the truck driver was taken from the scene by air ambulance, authorities said.

The eastbound Canadian Pacific train collided with the truck about 6:30 a.m. at 5th Street SE. in Rockford Township, according to the Sheriff’s Office.

The driver was taken to Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids, and “we are being told that he is in stable condition,” Sheriff’s Capt. Greg Howell said. No crew members were hurt.

The 119-car train was heading into the Twin Cities from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, and remained at the scene for several hours while investigators collected evidence, Canadian Pacific spokesman Ed Greenberg said. No cars derailed and none had hazardous materials, Greenberg added.

The train’s crew spotted the truck but could not avoid a collision. “It takes a mile or more to come to a complete stop,” Greenberg said.

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