Many of us wish to become entrepreneurs to become their own boss. But while it sounds exciting and easy to run your own business, entrepreneurship isn’t for everyone. Successful businessmen actually make more sacrifices than any ordinary career person would. One common observation is that founders even of startup businesses experience struggles in their relationships with their loved ones. This isn’t a surprising fact considering that growing a business requires one to commit a lot of his time to it. This shouldn’t discourage you from putting up your own business, though. If you want to succeed in the world of entrepreneurship, you need to learn how to keep the balance between your business and your personal life. Take a look at the tips below.
1. Get disconnected to stay connected
Those who are seriously engaged in their own businesses tend to think that what they’re doing at work is more urgent and important than what’s happening in their own home. As a result, they burn all their energy doing what needs to be done for their business. While it is good to stay committed to your business, it is wrong to think that you matter only to your business. There are other people who are counting on you and want to spend time with you. If you have been spending more time for work than home, it’s never too late to turn things around. All you need to have is a change in attitude. You have to understand that you need to disconnect in order for you to connect. This means you should turn off your mobile phone and computer so that you could focus on what’s going on in your own home.
2. Make your partner feel your presence
It isn’t enough that you go home every night and have dinner with your partner. More importantly, you have to be engaged. This means you have to participate in whatever it is your partner is doing for your family, particularly in decision making. You can start by simply planning what to do over the weekend. This simple gesture from you would certainly mean a lot to your partner.
3. Communicate with enthusiasm
When you are stuck with the many things that you need to do for your business or just anything that relates to your career pathways as a businessman, you will likely have less time to communicate with your family. You may not even be aware that you are no longer talking with your wife and kids. If you don’t do anything about this, chances are you will lose those who mean the most to you. To avoid this, you should use your coffee or tea breaks to perhaps give your wife a call just to ask if everything’s going well. This won’t require much from you, but it could definitely save your relationship with your loved ones.
Cecile Peterkin is a certified career and retirement coach, and a registered member of the Career Professionals of Canada and the International Coach Federation. She is also the Founder and Senior Career Strategist at Cosmic Coaching Centre, provider of career and life management services for middle managers and mid-career professionals across Canada, United States and Europe.