How to Build Businesses While Enjoying Life
Posted On 15/04/2016
One of the hottest topic in town = WORK.LIFE.BALANCE.
How to achieve WORK.LIFE.BALANCE. when you are in business?
Some said, it’s impossible to achieve WORK.LIFE.BALANCE., simply because it takes a lot of effort to build businesses (which is ‘somehow true’).
Some said, yes, it’s possible! We just have to adjust our lifestyle and schedule our time accordingly (which is ‘somehow true’ too).
So, what’s NEXT?
I have been working with many individuals, business owners and entrepreneurs who always ask me this BIG question.
To me, this is easy to achieve, if you know how.
In fact, there is no proven formula to strive for WORK.LIFE.BALANCE.
But we can always ask for TIPS from those who managed to get there. There are many people out there who have figured out how to build businesses while enjoying life.
If you are in business, let me ask you, “What’s your biggest challenge when setting up a business?” Every time I throw this question to my clients, they normally said that they have challenges in promoting their products, sales seems to be stagnant, and some blame the economy. Last but not least –> “I think I have less time with my family and friends now.”
Most of us who are in the business world will know that during setting up or the first few years of the business; we may have to sacrifice our time with family and friends. We will still have the time for them; it’s just that we may have to ‘rush’ a little or ‘find time’ for them. That’s where we will start to think of striving for WORK.LIFE.BALANCE.
In this article, I wish to share some tips that you may use immediately; so that you can enjoy life (more) while building your businesses:-
1 – Fix the number of working day (I learnt this from a very successful businessman; he will work for 3 days in a week – for meetings with clients, discussion with his team and decisions making. The balance of 4 days – he will allocate time for his family, his hobbies (which are golf, photography) and meeting his associates or friends. This is not ‘fixed’ but makes him happier and his business seems to grow faster (with no time wasted).
2 – Fix the number of appointments per day (e.g. I only see 3 clients a day; whether they are existing or new). This has given me more time to ‘massage’ my working schedule and I can have time for exercise, meeting friends and do things that I enjoy.)
3 – Having a Business System – most people start business without a proper system; therefore, along the way, they struggle and they couldn’t maximize their income. An efficient Business System is essential for all business, unless you are not serious in making money out of your business. Business System is where you have your Marketing & Sales strategies ready in place while you have team looking into the areas of Finance and HR of the business. Periodically, you can make changes because you can’t do the ‘same thing’ every day and expecting different results.
4 – Be Creative – People who worked with me before used to say that I am very creative. In fact I am an Adaptive Perfectionist. I love to learn, I even learn from my competition. I don’t mind to keep experiencing new ways of doing things, because I believe in creativity. When you do things differently, you will see greater results.
5 – Have plans to work “ON” your business, not “IN” your business – Some people who are in business for years and they are still working ‘in’ their businesses. This is not healthy because you are allowing yourself to be another ‘employee’ in your business.
As a business owner, you may want to re-structure your business and make it your passive income and you just work because you ‘CHOOSE’ to work; NOT because you ‘have’ to work. That’s where you have more time doing things that you enjoy.
Cheers, hope the above helps.