Something a bit different this week

After 22 years of making e-stim products, I wanted to talk about something that doesn't usually make it into product videos.

It's the start of Mental Health Awareness Week, and I've been thinking about the stuff that happens in your head when you run a small business for a long time. The 3am panic when a competitor launches. The troll that lands at exactly the wrong moment. The internal voice that constructs a perfectly logical argument for why everything is about to fall apart.

I made a video about it. Not in the studio. Not polished. Just honest.

It covers what triggers it, what helps (and what sort of does), and why - after 22 years - there are still 34 new product ideas in the notebook.

You can watch it on our YouTube channel, or listen as a podcast - Episode 4 of I Make Sex Toys is out now on all major platforms.

If any of it resonates, I'd love to hear from you.

And if you're going through something harder than a bad business day — please talk to someone. Samaritans: 116 123. Free, confidential, 24 hours a day.

— Wayne

source https://estim.store/blogs/news/the-3am-thoughts

The 3am Thoughts - What Nobody Tells you about running a business|Mental Health Competitors & Trolls

I’m not in the studio today. Deliberately. This one’s different. No product launches, no tech talk. Just me, a phone, and something I think founders and creators don’t say out loud often enough. After 22 years building E-Stim Systems, I still have moments where my brain constructs a perfect, logical argument for why everything is about to fall apart. A competitor launches. A troll hits. The orders go quiet. And the spiral starts. In this video I talk about what actually triggers it, what helps (and what sort of does), the coping mechanisms that work for me, and why — after 22 years — there are still 34 new product ideas in my notebook. This is about male mental health, running a small business, and why the spiral is lying. This video is publishing during Mental Health Awareness Week 2026. It wasn't planned that way - but it felt like the right moment to share it. If any of this resonates, I’d love to hear from you. Find us on social media @estimsystems or come and say hello at an event. If you’re going through something harder than a bad business day — please talk to someone. Samaritans: 116 123 (UK, free, 24/7). Or just ping us on social media. We’re real people. 00:00 Introduction 00:01 The 3am panic — what it actually feels like 00:05 What triggers it — competitors, trolls, Reddit 00:08 Why we don’t compete on price 00:09 A bigger market is a better market 00:11 Having your designs copied 00:13 The cash fear — coming close 00:21 Plan A through F — when planning becomes its own spiral 00:22 The Trading Standards story 00:24 The black book 00:25 Talking to people — sort of helps 00:26 Please talk to someone 00:27 A friend I lost 00:28 Why I actually do this 00:31 We don’t have the sole right to create e-stim 00:32 The spiral is lying #estim #estimsystems For purchasing direct from us visit https://estim.store We also have a free user support forum at https://www.e-stim.net You can also follow us on Social media https://www.twitter.com/estimsystems https://ift.tt/yfqIFjk https://ift.tt/eCL6Erf https://ift.tt/uK6fWSx And we also have a Podcast "I make sex toys" available on all major players https://ift.tt/GgwAIxD

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