Summary:
You’re a woman entrepreneur who wants to balance your growing business with a devoted family life. It can be hard to manage your time and keep everyone happy. Juggling work and family responsibilities can feel like you’re trying to balance on a tightrope.
As a wife, mom and experienced small business owner who has learned how to successfully balance my business and family life, I’m here to share the same tips I used that can help you too!
How do you balance business success with family devotion?
This is one of the biggest struggles I’ve personally gone through in my 15 years as a business owner.
I always knew I wanted to own a business and contribute financially to my family, but I also knew that I wanted the freedom to become a mom and be where I needed to be when it mattered most. Finding that balance and developing the ability to know when and how to make certain choices between those two areas of my life was a journey to say the least.
…And a lesson that I love sharing with other working moms who aim to be able to do the same.
My Personal Experience with A Work-Life Balance:
When my children were one and three years old, I started my own business. At first, I was able to balance work and life beautifully. It was working well, my business was gaining traction, and I had already hired somebody. But, then the great recession hit and my business immediately went south.
At that point, I thought that the right move was to double down on my business now so that I could spend time with my family later. I expected this whole “doubling down” thing would last a few weeks or months, but it eventually turned into years. I found myself in a place where I was working 80 hour work weeks to try and make things happen in my business. I finally hired some help and was able to grow my business back to where I wanted it. You’d think that at that point I would have taken a well-deserved rest, right? Nope. Regardless of the fact that all of my “success” markers were checked off, I couldn’t find it in me to stop working. I was too scared of having to start from scratch again that I didn’t give myself the freedom to step back from my business.
I Was Forced to Step Back from My Business:
Then, in 2012, my husband and I decided to move from Houston to Dallas to help with our family that needed assistance. At this point, I wasn’t really left with a choice. I needed to pull myself out of my business – at least a little bit – in order to make that move happen.
After 6 months of focusing on my family, more than my business, I remember sitting down looking at the numbers in my business and being shocked we grew 25%. I was surprised because the success was not tied to my hours of effort. The goal was never for me to work like a mad-woman, but the problem was– I was too scared to stop. I had kept myself busy in my business and never allowed my team the opportunity to step up and prove that they knew what they were doing.
When I finally saw that the growth was still possible despite my dip in hours, I started playing a little game. A game of “How few hours can I work and still grow in this business?”.
It’s turned out to be one of the most exciting, most fruitful games I’ve ever played 😉 and, now, I want to share some of the tips I’ve learned from the experience and share them with you all!
Check out these FIVE TIPS for balancing success with a fulfilling family life:
How to Balance a Growing Business and Devoted Family Life
1. It’s not about conflict, it’s about harmony.
The phrase “work-life balance” already puts those things in conflict with each other. It suggests that we can only choose one or the other. Instead, it’s essential to understand that these components are two halves of a whole. In order to conceptualize this concept, I like to think of it in terms of how you might raise two children. You will find that what works for one child does not always work for the other. And although the strategies that you choose for each one might be different, their health and well-being is still equally important.
There needs to be harmony in your attention to both without feeling the need to pin them against each other or make either of them feel neglected. This requires a mindset shift that starts with logically evaluating how you can manage both sides effectively…and scheduling. Lots and lots of scheduling.
Write events and to-dos in your calendar, and don’t leave it to chance that you will get this or that done. If you put down that 7am is the time that you’re going to start creating a lead list, then 7 am is the time that you’re gonna make that lead list. No ifs and or buts.
Remember that the same goes for ANY commitment you make, not just the ones you make for clients.
If we are going to have harmony between our work-life and family-life, we need to honor your own commitments, too! When you start making a schedule, it’s important not to be too myopic. It’s not about making more of a balance in ONE day, but creating a balance over time.
For example:
When I am doing a launch in my business, it takes about 7-8 weeks of effort prior to getting to this launch. I work more in my business during this time than any other time of year. That may mean that I delay some things like doctors appointments and check-ins with my friends for a bit. It also means though that I allow recovery time after the launch, both for myself and my family.
2. Delegate
I want you to stop asking “How?” and I want you to, instead, start asking yourself “Who?”..
Delegation can happen in many ways and isn’t limited to the business side of your life only. For example, we had a client this year whose team was still highly reliant on her. She was becoming more successful in business, but she felt like balls were being dropped from the air in her personal life. It was apparent that she needed a house manager or personal assistant because, c’mon, does it matter who’s doing the laundry as long as it still gets done?
3. Take breaks.
You need to take time to rejuvenate from the everyday tasks of your work-life and family life. You need to create the space and time to relax. This time can be used to problem-solve, to start figuring out your “whos” and “wheres” in your personal and business life.
Note: Not only should you be setting aside time daily to charge, but also weekly. You are not a machine, friends. Permit yourself to take the time to reset and recharge.
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4. Find a support group.
Finding the support network, whether personally, in business, or with family, is critical.
One of the conversations we have in my Mastermind Group is about our time management and balance. We discuss balance for women entrepreneurs that have children and don’t have children.
We’re able to ask each other questions like:
Conclusion:
Like with anything else in life, finding balance is a journey of ups and downs and trial and error. With these five tips, however, you can pick up on the necessary skills and strategies quicker than you thought possible and start feeling that much-needed sense of equilibrium again.
Additionally, if you’re having trouble finding some support in your life, whether personally or professionally, we have an incredible group of women entrepreneurs who are waiting with open arms to support you… no matter where you are in your journey.
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