Are you trying to implement work-life integration, yet struggle with it every day? I believe most of you reading this blog are working professionals, entrepreneurs and leaders. And while I have not met you all personally, I do know that many of you are either working on your business or thinking about building one.
If you are thinking about starting a business, you must know that it is the most challenging and rewarding thing at the same time.
It is good to set some goals before you proceed with major decisions related to your business. Before that, make sure you have an effective system to achieve it. How? Let’s see how you can create that system, which helps you build a business around your life.
1. Shift your mindset
You are establishing a side business. You won't go all-in if you consider your business to be simply a side gig. But you must realize that you are creating a real business. You must commit fully.
I assure you this happens most of the time when you are brimming with ideas. Once you have conducted market research and collected all the relevant data you will slow down.
You'll encounter challenges. People would try to bring you down. You need to concentrate. Start putting your company plan into action. You'll reach your destination!
2. Delegate your tasks and processes
Outsourcing has nothing to do with a company's size. It will be surprising for you to hear but I have seen small agency owners outsourcing tasks so that they can focus on priority tasks.
For example - While you establish a personal brand with your business you can outsource the content creation process to a writer or utilize a tool. It all depends on your budget and the amount of work you will outsource. You are just starting, so for various tasks you don’t need full-time employees. You just need to make a wise decision about whom you want to outsource for some time.
These are just a few tasks you can delegate to save time for managing the areas of your company that require your attention.
3. Focus on Building a Remote Workforce
You are exclusively working on building a business around your life. So you understand that you cannot do everything. I understand that it is difficult to trust a new team. So employ people you can trust, and make sure they adhere to your business's flexible and remote work policies. It is not possible to work on your business 24/7. Maybe you are on vacation, maybe you are physically not fit. So in these situations, an efficient remote team is what you need.
One thing is absolutely clear: you need to give your remote employees a strong reason to work with you. In order to achieve this, create a work culture that adheres to your principles.
If you haven't already, define your culture. Make sure it aligns with your passion in either case.
4. Prioritize Your Boundaries
I don’t need to describe this point further. Most of us talk about creating boundaries between our professional and personal life and even successfully stick to it. Here comes a question then, are you prioritizing it? I believe here you got to be honest with yourself. Just think, when you put a fence around your garden - what is your purpose behind it? You want to preserve the efforts you have put into it. Similarly, when you are respecting your boundaries you are protecting your energy and efforts, which will be utilized wisely in the future.
Today's technology can be your companion or your worst opponent. You are always reachable through various modes by everyone. This can easily sabotage your boundaries. Is there a solution? Now, it may sound least effective but YOU are the solution. If you start responding to every work text or call after 9 pm, you are clearly letting people know - “I am easily available at any time.”
Fix your time, and let people know that you are only working and answering calls in a particular time slot. After that, you are not taking any extra work.
5. Create “You” Time
You are your boss as well as an employee of your business. You are the one who decides the holiday list for your team, but who creates that for you? When you run your own business, you must schedule these events just like you schedule with your clients. It is natural for you to take vacations, and have a personal life apart from your work. But I want to ask you - why would you only wait for vacations to focus on yourself? Try taking out time between your business hours.
Put your phone on airplane mode, and let your team and clients know that you are on your digital detox at that particular time. Creating your time is important but also saving yourself from miscommunication is necessary.
6. Be an Industry Expert
You may have been reading these blogs for quite some time. You know now what topics I like to talk about and share my insights with you. I talk about only those topics that I have grown to have a deeper understanding of. And this is what you need to remember. While you are focusing on building a business around your life, focus on learning and upskilling. Reach out to similar industry people, schedule a meetup with them, and interact and brainstorm with each other.
Accountability, assistance, knowledge, and direction are all factors that will boost your company's revenues and move you forward. To advance in your business, be sure to constantly include some form of assistance and/or training.
7. Define Your Success
Your life is as significant as your business. Unfortunately, budding entrepreneurs are distracted from their long-term goals for instant monetary benefit or a big project. Nobody is going to create a blueprint for your business and hand it over to you. You are a better judge of what you want from your business. Tune in to your intuition.
Do not forget the long-term goals for your short-term goals. Elaborate your life’s priority to yourself, write it down and keep it in front of you. Ask yourself today - “what does success mean to me?” Note the milestones and thoroughly review them many times. If you are building a business around your life, isn’t it important to check if your business aligns with your purpose?
Success and failures are external factors that influence your life. It has its importance, but you should focus on other factors that help a business sustain itself in the initial days. Once you have established your business it gets easier to narrow down your priorities. Remember when you give value to your life, you become a better person and an efficient business owner.
Shellye is committed to helping people from diverse backgrounds to achieve their aspirations in careers and life. The content published above was made in collaboration with our members.
Shellye Archambeau is determined to help you with all possible strategies to climb the ladder of success. She values your feedback. Do mention them in the comment section.