Balancing Act

Working for yourself is a blessing most days! You make your own schedule, right? So you should be able to avoid line-ups at Costco and the bank because you can go during "working hours"; you should be able to take a day trip or an extra long weekend whenever you like; you should be able to avoid using daycare for the most part; you should be able to sleep in when you really want to and work in your pj's some days. Reality is that since I have the job with all the flexibility, I tend to take on the appointments that have to happen during the weekdays. It just makes more sense and is one of the reasons I do work for myself to begin with. But when you have an open schedule like this, appointments can build up - the vet, the dentist, CT scans, puppy classes, staying home for deliveries or plumbers...scheduling in time to actually work can end up being the tricky part! I have learned that if you want a a successful business, you need to make the work a priority, otherwise you end up with a hobby that pays you every once in a while. The great thing about building a business though, is that you can build it to suit your personal needs as much as possible...eventually. In the beginning you are working long hours, networking, building a client base again, getting your name out there, figuring out marketing strategies, balancing your books, checking your bottom line constantly and starting fresh the next day... Discovering the optimal balance that allows you the personal time you need as well as the success that you deserve is the tough part. In the beginning, you tend to scramble a bit. Things that shouldn't be left on the back burner end up there and you can get very bogged down, very quickly! When I was in real estate full time, I worked countless hours to build a client base. I loved what I did, my clients saw this and I started to get more and more referrals. This is the greatest compliment I could have received so I said "yes" to every one of them! Before I knew it I was working 16-20 hour days, my diet was crap, I hadn't seen the inside of a gym in months (no...let's be honest...years) and I was still single with not a lot of prospects because I never made time to get to know them! Things needed to change and I made some hard decisions about my business in order to have all the other things I wanted in my life, such as a family, time to travel, etc. I came into RSDR with much knowledge that I didn't possess back then - I also came to it with a husband, a puppy, an acreage, health issues...basically a whole new set of items for the balancing act! Watch those plates spin!!!