Women's Life Link Be Well, Be Happy, Be YOU!
Owning a business usually means hard work and long hours, particularly when you are first starting out. However, striking a healthy work/personal life balance is an important part of running a successful enterprise.
Women, in particular, can find it difficult to balance work and home responsibilities, especially if they have children. Not to mention, finding time to take care of themselves and have a social life. If you own a business or you want to launch a startup, take a look at these tips to balance work and home life.
Set Realistic Goals
As a business owner, you’ll want to make money and grow your company. However, it’s important to be realistic about what you can achieve at any given time. While your business can certainly become a viable force in your industry, try to plan your growth strategies to line up with your lifestyle. As well as protecting yourself and your family, this approach protects your business while it is growing into a thriving company.
Create a Professional Network
In the early days of running a business, you might find yourself undertaking admin tasks, facilitating sales, completing tax returns and fixing a broken printer. Small business owners are used to this scenario. However, doing so likely won’t be sustainable in the long-term. It will be necessary to create a professional network by hiring employees, outsourcing, or utilizing temp agencies.
Having professional assistance will free you to focus on core business projects. By outsourcing some tasks, like IT solutions, accounting, and customer service, you set yourself up for growth and consistent profit. What’s more, outsourcing could help you bridge the gap between doing it all yourself and hiring a full-time staff.
Prioritize Your Relationships
Unfortunately, entrepreneurs often find it difficult to maintain personal relationships and friendships while growing their businesses. While the responsibilities and pressure of running a business can be all-consuming, it is essential to prioritize the relationships that matter most to you.
Set aside time each week and put it in your schedule. Whether you spend your time Facetiming with the family that doesn’t live nearby or going on a date night, the time away from work will be good for you and your loved ones. Let your family and friends know that they are important to you by doing small things like sending cards or making time to chat regularly. Making quality connections will help to keep relationships strong.
Protect Your Health
Being a small businesswoman means taking on a lot of responsibility, which can inevitably lead to higher stress levels. Striking a good work-life balance can be a good way to cope with this stress and to stop it from having a negative impact on your health. When you work long hours, it can be tempting to grab fast food and skip a full night’s sleep. However, it is essential to make time to eat well, exercise regularly and practice mental wellness, too.
Implementing a good work and home life balance from the start makes it easier to maintain this throughout your career no matter how hectic things get. By making your personal life and your health major priorities, you’ll find that running your own business becomes more enjoyable, sustainable and rewarding.
