By Armando “BUTZ” Bartolome
You already know how gratifying it is to be an entrepreneur/franchisor. And just like any career, being an entrepreneur requires a lot of time and energy. What could be more challenging is when you are raising kids and most of your time is spent building and shaping your business, especially meeting the expectations of the franchisees. Some would feel guilty as their hectic schedule has taken their time away from their family. There are instances in that problems within the family occur. One thing that would lead to such as when the spouse, who is mainly with the kids, could not understand why this has to happen and would feel that they are being ignored or neglected. However, a wise entrepreneur will always know how to prioritize his time to balance work and family time to succeed at both.
An entrepreneur may tend to become a workaholic for various reasons. As psychologists would say, a workaholic can be caused by anxiety, low self-esteem, and intimacy problems. While these can be true, I think some people are too perfectionist and cannot delegate tasks. With that, instead of relying on others’ help, he would do it himself to ensure he achieves what he wants. Seeing it in the business sense, it can make things easier when the job is done by a person who has complete knowledge of the task. This would mean a more effortless flow of processes, leading to increased productivity. However, this mindset can affect one’s personal life. An entrepreneur can feel enthusiastic about his business, especially when the company is doing great. But be unmindful of how his relationship with his family is suffering.
You need to know how to balance your work and personal life by creating space for the people who matter to you. Understanding how to organize your business is essential so you can do other things and not be tied to your work 24/7. Both your work and home deserve your attention and with raising a family, having a stable business is essential as it will help you build a better future for your children.
Key Things To Remember
Being an entrepreneur requires much of your time, which is very understandable. But keep in mind that you create a business over which you should have control and not the other way around. Never require yourself to work more than necessary since other people can help you with specific tasks. This is one reason you need to find people whose expertise will be an asset to your company and not let you be a prisoner of your business. Never think your business will collapse because you are not there to control it. Franchisors ensure they find people with skills that are appropriate for enhancing the franchise relationship.
You need to take some time off because you need to recharge. You can create more strategies to accelerate your business when your mind and body are relaxed. You can think more clearly if you sleep at least 8 hours daily. Lacking rest can put a toll on your health. Remember that stress is the number one silent killer. It would help if you did not ignore the signs of stress when you feel you have stiff shoulders, headaches, tired muscles, and the list could go on. Building an empire is no use when it would only mean sacrificing your health.
Don’t hurry to reach your ROI in just a few months because it takes one to three years, depending on the kind of business before that happens. If you are in the early stages of the company, hiring a lot of staff to delegate tasks may not be possible immediately. Hence, you might need to spend some time doing them yourself. When that happens, let your family understand the situation. However, don’t push yourself to do everything all in one day that you miss so many special memories with your family.
Please make it a habit of coming home for dinner as often as possible. Let’s say that the next few weeks will be crucial for the business and that your presence is needed even after office hours. Still, make time to be with your family. Never let them feel they are at the bottom of your list of priorities. Children have school activities that parents may be invited to join. Don’t be an absent father or mother. Let your children feel that you value them. Children feel proud seeing their parents on these special occasions. Children grow up more self-confident when they see that their parents are involved in everything they do.
Hiring people to do tasks will open your schedule, so you can have more time doing other things and, most significantly, spending time with your family. It means sacrificing some control, but that will be worth it. To help you make things easier, identify the areas where you think you lack expertise and hire someone to do that for you. Create a team to help you with everything that needs to be done. That way, you can spend on areas where you are good and concentrate on those. This frees you a lot of time you can pay with your family.
You want to go home and be welcomed by your family. And I think your family can be more supportive if you let them feel they are as important as your business. Even if your business succeeds but you have neglected quality time with your kids, the fulfillment may not be as great. Strive to keep a work-life balance for a happier and more gratifying life.