Interviewing Albury business owners about their mental health, James Smith has had varying reactions.
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The Personnel Group and Albury Northside Chamber of Commerce hope to connect with at least 600 businesses in October, and initial surveys have been telling.
"Whilst they're completing the survey, we're able to ask some questions about how they're feeling and how they feel their business is going to survive," Mr Smith said.
"I've had people complete it in tears, and I have some people who tick that they're fine.
"The main thing is starting that conversation.
"We're getting some really good data back."
Mr Smith said the Better Place Project was spurred by conversations with ANCC general manager Carrick Gill-Vallance.
"We do a mental health program, so I talk to a lot of businesses and have heard they are struggling," he said,
"I could see the inquiry escalating, and Carrick was getting a lot of businesses coming in saying, 'We need help', so we came up with an idea to get out there and tell them where the support is.
"Part of that was surveying them about their mental health.
"The government's really fixated on fixing the economy, but if the people working in the economy aren't positive enough to see a light at the end of the tunnel, it doesn't matter whether there's $5000 or $10,000 grants available."
Richard Brown of Step Psychology completed the survey.
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"It's interesting, because it made me stop and actually think about it," he said.
"We've had our challenges too."
Dr Brown has also been supporting clients through unknowns.
"We're certainly getting more people that are unable to operate their businesses, or their partner has lost their job," he said.
"The other thing we need to get ahead of is what is going to happen when JobSeeker and JobKeeper changes.
"I think that we're only at the start of it."
A big part of the initiative is to raise awareness of support, but the data will be used to push the government to do more.
It's hoped a large survey sample can be captured.
"I'd like to think a byproduct of the awareness is the community can get around each other," Mr Gill-Vallance said.
"They're so fatigued by the constant change, the poor communication and the uncertainty.
"Mental health first aid training for any business is critical."
Surveys are open throughout October and data will be given to Albury Council, which has supported the project, in early November.
