Coping with Stress: Lessons from the Fast Lane of B2B Tech

Working in fast-growing B2B tech has a way of testing you. There’s the constant pressure to deliver, the pace that feels about three notches above sensible, and the unspoken rule that everything is urgent until proven otherwise. And somewhere in the middle of all that, I somehow became the unofficial “fix-it man” — the person people come to when the wheels have come off, the dashboard is flashing red, or someone’s lost the metaphorical keys to something important.

It’s a lot. Stress is woven into the job like stitching. But I’ve learned a few things that make the load more manageable.

The Stress You See Coming vs. The Stress That Ambushes You

Working in B2B tech gives you both, usually before you’ve had your morning coffee.

The predictable stress:

• Product launches that move faster than the speed of sanity
• Large projects where every dependency is a domino waiting to fall
• Quarterly targets designed by someone who clearly hasn’t slept in months

The ambush stress:

• Getting a frantic message during dinner that a demo environment has exploded
• Being pulled aside at DattoCon because “you’re good at fixing things, right?”
• Being added to a meeting with only the words: We need your help

I’ve walked into more crisis rooms than I care to admit. And every time, someone looks at me like I’m carrying a magic toolbox. Spoiler: I’m not. I just carry calmness reasonably well — mostly because I’ve learned to cultivate it.

DattoCon: The Peak Test of Stress Levels

If you’ve ever worked an tradeshow event, like DattoCon, you know exactly what I mean. It’s equal parts excitement, chaos, and caffeine.

One minute you’re chatting to a someone about strategy; the next you’re under a table fixing a cable someone tripped over, or rewriting a slides because something changed five minutes before the presenter goes on stage.

Stress at events hits differently — it’s loud, public, and relentless. But here’s the thing: it also teaches you exactly where your limits are. And what you do just beyond those limits is where resilience is built.

The Fix-It Man Problem

Being the “fix-it man” is flattering until it isn’t.

People come to you with:

• Broken processes
• Broken access
• Broken integrations
• Broken morale
• Broken timelines

And the tricky bit is — because you can solve things, people assume you should. Constantly.

The stress here isn’t the work. It’s the expectation. If you don’t manage it well, you quickly end up carrying problems that were never yours to begin with.

I remember snapping at a team mate once saying - my name is George, not Google!

• A - That wasn’t nice of be to say to them, they just wanted help
• B - They chose to came to me out of everyone for help
• C - I needed to help educate them on to fix there issue weeks before rather than have them come to be for every fix.

Doing things yourself might save 5 mins at the time, but it will cost you in the long run.

Three Things I Do to Cope with the Pressure

Here’s what’s made the biggest difference for me:

1. Slow the pace, even when the pace won’t slow down

In the middle of chaos, it’s weird how something as simple as taking 10 seconds to breathe, sip water, or reset your posture can stop your brain spiralling. I sometimes call it micro-calm.

It’s not Zen. It’s survival.

2. Create “off-limits” pockets of time

If I don’t protect certain parts of my day, they vanish. Even 15 minutes where no one can book me into anything can reset my entire afternoon.

During heavy project cycles or event season, these pockets are the difference between coping and combusting.

3. Stop trying to be responsible for everything you can fix

This is the hardest one for me. Just because I can solve the problem doesn’t mean I’m the one who should solve it.

I’ve had to learn to ask:

“Is this mine?”

“Is this actually urgent?”

“Am I the right person, or just the available person?”

Saying no isn’t rude. It’s self-preservation disguised as boundary-setting.

Stress Isn’t the Enemy — Ignoring It Is

The B2B tech space rewards speed, flexibility, and being the person who steps up. But it rarely rewards burnout.

What I’ve learned is that coping with stress isn’t about eliminating it — that’s not happening unless I move to a cabin in Wales and live off-grid (tempting on some days). It’s about noticing it, managing it, and staying human while everything around you tries to accelerate.

Because the truth is, high demand doesn’t mean you have to run yourself into the ground to meet it. You can be reliable without being a martyr. You can be helpful without being consumed. You can be the fix-it person without fixing yourself last.

Finding Balance in the Fast Lane

If you’re working in fast-moving tech — especially in B2B, projects, partner events, or anything that involves explaining complicated things to lots of people — stress isn’t a sign you’re failing.

It’s a sign you’re carrying a lot.

The trick is learning which parts to put down.

And honestly, I’m still learning that every day.