---
title: "Building Company Owners' Mental Health: Looking After Yourself When the Business Depends on You"
description: About one in five builders say their mental health got worse in the past year. Why nobody checks on the person running the business, and what actually helps.
image: https://blog.associationofprofessionalbuilders.com/hubfs/shutterstock_563813338.png
---
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# Building Company Owners' Mental Health: Looking After Yourself When the Business Depends on You
[Russ Stephens](https://blog.associationofprofessionalbuilders.com/author/russ-stephens)
8 October 2021 • 4 min read
[mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fblog.associationofprofessionalbuilders.com%2Fbuilding-company-owners-mental-health%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail%20&body=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fblog.associationofprofessionalbuilders.com%2Fbuilding-company-owners-mental-health%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail](mailto:?subject=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fblog.associationofprofessionalbuilders.com%2Fbuilding-company-owners-mental-health%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail%20&body=Check%20out%20https%3A%2F%2Fblog.associationofprofessionalbuilders.com%2Fbuilding-company-owners-mental-health%3Futm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Demail)
> **If you're struggling right now, please reach out:**
>
> - Australia: Lifeline 13 11 14, Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636, or the MATES in Construction 24/7 helpline 1300 642 111 for construction workers and their families.
> - New Zealand: call or text 1737.
> - United States: call or text 988.
> - Canada: call or text 9-8-8.
> - United Kingdom: Samaritans 116 123, or the Construction Industry Helpline 0345 605 1956.
>
> If your life or someone else's is in immediate danger, call 000 in Australia, 111 in New Zealand, 911 in the US and Canada, or 999 in the UK.
*This article is general information, not medical advice. If you're concerned about your mental health, contact one of the services above or speak to a GP.*
When something goes wrong in a building company, it ends up on the owner's desk.
A client who won't pay a progress payment, a supervisor who resigns halfway through a job, a supplier price rise that wipes out the profit on three contracts you've already signed...
You deal with it, because there's nobody else to hand it to.
You also make sure your team is coping, keep the clients calm and make sure there's enough in the account for the next payroll. Often, nobody is doing the same for you...
APB's 2026 State of Residential Construction Industry (SORCI) Report asked builders whether their mental health had got better or worse over the previous year. Among builders turning over less than $1 million, 20.3% said it had worsened. Above $8 million that rose to 24.1%, while builders in the $1 million to $8 million range reported the lowest rate, at 17.8%.
The report also found that most builders whose mental health worsened had signed fewer contracts than the year before, which the report reads as a link between business performance and personal wellbeing.
## Why Are Building Company Owners at Risk?
Running a building company puts a particular kind of pressure on one person. You're responsible for other people's homes and other people's wages, and in a lot of companies every decision still routes through you, so the business stops when you do.
There's also nobody above you. An employee who's struggling can talk to their manager, but a business owner usually has no one in the company they can be fully honest with about how they're going, and many feel they have to put on a brave face for the team.
The SORCI figures point the same way. The report suggests that financial pressure at the smaller end and operational complexity at the larger end both add strain, which is why builders at both ends reported the most deterioration.
## Why Does Your Mental Health Matter to Your Team?
Your team takes its cues from you. John C. Maxwell described a leader as "one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way", and that applies to mental health as much as to anything else in the business.
It matters more in construction than in most industries. Around 190 Australian construction workers die by suicide each year, and male construction workers are nearly twice as likely to die by suicide as other employed men their age. In the US, the CDC recorded 56 suicides per 100,000 men working in construction in 2021, against 32 per 100,000 across all working men.
A business owner who's looking after their own mental health is in a far better position to notice when someone on the team isn't. Our article on [suicide in construction and how to spot when someone on your team is struggling](https://blog.associationofprofessionalbuilders.com/suicide-in-construction) covers that side in detail.
## What Can You Do to Look After Your Own Mental Health?
None of the following replaces professional help, but each of them takes some of the load off.
### Get your hours under control
Long hours feel unavoidable when the business depends on you, but the SORCI data shows they don't pay. Builders working more than 60 hours a week earned $15,000 a year less than those working 40 to 50 hours. Their effective hourly rate fell to $32.05, against $73.53 for builders working under 40.
Some of those hours come from tasks only you can do. Many come from decisions nobody else has been given the authority to make, and those can be handed over. If the hours come from a business that can't run without you, that's the part APB works on with builders, and you can [book a call with our team](https://www.associationofprofessionalbuilders.com/request-a-call) to talk it through.
### Take real breaks
A proper lunch break, away from your phone and your inbox, gives your brain a chance to recover for the afternoon. Regular days away from the business matter too, even a single day at a time. A day off also shows you how the company runs without you, which is something you need to know anyway.
### Have someone to talk to who isn't on your payroll
You're the person everyone else brings their problems to, so it helps to have somewhere to take yours. That might be a mentor, a business coach who understands the building industry, a peer group of other builders, or your partner. If what you're carrying is more than a business problem, it should also be a GP or a psychologist.
### Be open with your team
You don't need a formal program to start the conversation. Asking someone how their weekend was, and whether anything's been getting on top of them lately, opens the door. If you're willing to say when you've had a hard stretch yourself, your team will find it much easier to do the same.
### Keep track of what's going right
Delays, contract disputes, staff turnover and supply problems can fill every day if you let them. Taking time to recognise what's gone well, the job handed over on time or the client who sent a thank-you note, keeps the bad days in proportion.
## When Should You Get Professional Help?
If low mood, anxiety, poor sleep or drinking more to cope is sticking around rather than passing, or it's starting to affect your work or your family, book an appointment with your GP. They can talk you through options and refer you to a psychologist if that would help.
If you're having thoughts of suicide, don't wait for an appointment. Call one of the numbers at the top of this article now, or the emergency number if you're in immediate danger.
## Frequently Asked Questions
**How common are mental health problems among builders?**
In APB's 2026 SORCI Report, 17.8% to 24.1% of builders said their mental health had worsened over the previous year, depending on the size of their company. The highest rates were among builders turning over less than $1 million and those above $8 million.
**Where can a building company owner get mental health support?**
Start with your GP, who can refer you to a psychologist. For immediate support, call Lifeline (13 11 14) or Beyond Blue (1300 22 4636) in Australia, 1737 in New Zealand, 988 in the US, 9-8-8 in Canada or Samaritans (116 123) in the UK. In Australia, the MATES in Construction helpline (1300 642 111) is available 24/7 for construction workers and their families.
**Do long hours actually help a building company make more money?**
The SORCI data says no. Builders working more than 60 hours a week earned $15,000 a year less than those working 40 to 50 hours, and their effective hourly rate was $32.05, against $73.53 for builders working under 40.
## Who Is Checking In on You?
If nobody in your business would know you were struggling, that's worth fixing before it's tested. Tell one person how you're really going, and keep the numbers at the top of this page somewhere you can find them.
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