Finding a proper balance between work and personal life has proven to be a tough task for many over the last couple of years, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic, which completely disrupted daily routines and provided few opportunities for people to feel at ease.

Jan Herzan, Founder of video content creation company LoveMalta, recently shared that after years of working without a break, this led to feelings of burn-out, which eventually left him suffering from depression.

In time, he started to feel like his old self again, and as he looks back on almost eight years from when he started his company from the desert in Oman, while working as a flight attendant, Mr Herzan shares his story in the hopes that others will recognise whether they too need to pause and take stock of their situation.

Speaking to WhosWho.mt, the entrepreneur shared:

“You might have the best business plan, product, or service ever, but it isn’t set in stone that you will become successful in the end. There are thousands of challenges someone will face, and so that’s why it’s important to think of them and plan twice before moving ahead,” he said, before adding that he didn’t consider many of these challenges when starting LoveMalta, which caused him “a couple of failures”.

Two challenges he faced were building a team and making use of limited resources. “For many years, I did everything on my own, starting from creating content, growing the communities on socials, to approaching clients or potential customers. Starting a business from scratch is also usually very expensive so it’s very important to build it step by step without spending money unthinkingly,” he explained.

Having to make such important decisions can take a toll on the mind, and so finding an adequate work-life balance is integral. “In fact, not finding the right balance between work and personal life at the start caused me serious problems in the following years,” Mr Herzan said.

“In the beginning, I started enthusiastically and was filled with splendid energy. Running my own company and having a regular full-time job at the same time did not seem to be a big problem. I was motivated and determined to fulfil my dream, and everything was irrelevant to me at the time. Being a ‘boy from Prague’ whose dream was to build a strong online social media network to promote Malta worldwide was a big challenge from the very beginning. The time flew by, and I was not really realising the serious mental health issues that were developing,” he continued.

Mr Herzan added that “working hard is one of the key elements of becoming successful, but without the right balance, it can also lead to serious health issues and business failure”.

For many years, he thought that he could manage everything about the network on his own, including creating marketing campaigns and running five different channels on a daily basis, which, upon looking back, he realised couldn't it couldn't be done in the long-run without help of taking a break.

“In fact, I was blindly focused on growing the company in terms of increasing the number of users of the platforms, while failing when it came to approaching new clients as I didn’t have the mental capacity to persuade and sell LoveMalta’s services,” Mr Herzan remarked. He added that having to run a company with a large number of followers across social media is a “huge responsibility”.

All these problems eventually accumulated during the pandemic, and he ended up in a situation where he found it “very difficult” to leave his bed, focus on work, or even “enjoy the beauties of everyday life”. “I was struggling to force myself to do normal everyday tasks and I started drowning in my own world. I am a very spiritual person, and it is important for me to be able to express my feelings. However, I was too shy to talk to my family, friends, and especially my ex-partner about what was going on with me,” Mr Herzan explained.

“The thought of failing with my business which I dedicated many years of my life to was just so shocking and difficult for me. I was keeping everything inside of me until the moment when I became completely lost, was not myself, and didn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel,” he continued.

However, he said he is now “back and stronger than before”, before thanking his parents and friends who helped him when he “needed it most”.

“I have realised what is really important for me and chasing my goals at all costs is not worth it at all,” Mr Herzan added.

When asked what tips he would give to those interested in starting their own business, Mr Herzan replied that a “realistic and detailed strategic business plan is a must”.

“There is no substitute for hard work. There’s no such thing as overnight success or easy money,” he said. Mr Herzan pointed out that without his “consistency and doggedness”, LoveMalta wouldn’t have got to the seven-and-a-half-year mark, and it is all “the fruit of saving, skimping and hard work".

He also highlighted the importance of being humble, honest, and helpful, not only to those that will help you in business, but also in real life. “When it comes to business, I do believe, that you do not have to see money or financial opportunity in every activity you do. Sometimes there are bigger aspects which can’t be valued by money such as building good long-term business cooperations based on trust and mutual respect. The majority of your customers and business clients will appreciate it and it will make you stand out from your competitors,” Mr Herzan concluded.