The best ways to maintain work-life balance with starting a startup or small business?
Starting a business can take many forms, and not every way is best for every entrepreneur/industry/situation. We've gathered together an ever-growing list of entrepreneurs, and they have agreed to share the how they maintain a work-life balance while pursuing a startup or small business.
Invest In Yourself
Shadi Atassi - Milonga
"Running a startup is demanding, but I've found that making time for non-work activities like exercise and mindfulness practices is crucial for my overall well-being. These aren't just breaks for me; they're investments in my physical and mental resilience that make me a more effective entrepreneur. Just like I schedule important business meetings or deadlines, I make sure to block out specific times in my calendar for these healthy activities. This approach helps me maintain a more balanced life, contributing to both my personal happiness and professional success."
Don't Quit Your Day Job
Vinny Williams - Address Me
"Don’t quit your day job. You never know how long your journey will be before you’re invested in or making sufficient income with your startup to justify not working. Structure your weekly meetings where you’ll have meeting days and also days free from meetings throughout the week to focus on the things you enjoy uninterrupted. Enjoy the journey and try not to stress about the destination."
Take Care Of Your Team
Brett Story - Brite Horn
"I have been able to strike a great work-life balance by surrounding myself with partners who share my values and my vision for our business. High achieving business owners can often be tempted to go at it alone by wearing many different hats - and in some cases this is absolutely necessary. However, our business broke through a plateau 5 years ago when we all learned to really trust each other which brought more business success and, equally importantly, more balance to our personal lives."
Take Care Of Your Team
Matthew Tompkins - Curiate
"I am not a good example of work life balance. I work until I can’t, but for my team, I make sure to incorporate no communication days, no work days, and I do not give big projects with deadlines on Monday. For team morale, I continuously remind our team to understand that the struggles will come so that the emotional quotient of everyone is prepared to endure the whole process. Being super encouraging always helps too. Being of service to your team really helps them to be most productive."
Set Clear Boundaries
Chuck Leblo - Interact One
"At Interact One, we've found that the key to work-life balance when launching a startup or managing a small business is setting clear boundaries. It's essential to prioritize tasks, delegate when needed, and always allocate time for yourself and loved ones. Remember, a well-balanced entrepreneur leads to a thriving business."
Know Your Limits
Andrew Denton - Join Prosper
"Understand what you can accomplish and what you can't. If you are overworked, you will become over stressed and unable to effectively accomplish the tasks you need to accomplish. Find ways to cut back, leverage the human capital of your team to take on responsibilities so you can focus on what you do best. If everyone is overworked and stressed out, probably a good time to bring on additional help, or raise prices."
Schedule Time In Your Calendar
Julian Harris - Lonely At The Top
"One of the best ways to maintain work-life balance is to schedule time in your calendar for lunch (yes, really!), exercise, time to think (or “white space”, as I call it). Once scheduled, you’ve got to ruthlessly protect those boundaries. Unless it’s an emergency, do not let anyone schedule something in your calendar for when you’ve blocked it out. I see this happen so often! Learn how to say ‘no’ to your team. Your time is your most precious commodity and so you need to use it in a way which is going to serve you most effectively."
Always More Fires
Devin Miller - Leading To You
"Each day you go into the office there are fires to put out. Many days you can't put out all the fires before the end of the day. For the days you can't put out all the fires, realized that most of those fires will still be there tomorrow for you to put out. Put out as many fires as you can each day and then at the end of the day go home and enjoy your life/spouse/family."