Small Business Owner = No Weekends
How many of you would love to get your Sunday’s back? Just so that you could maybe catch up on your
sleep…perhaps go for a run or even make it to that Yoga class that you so desperately wanted to sign up
for months ago! If you’re anything like me – and you’re just busy busy busy – go – go – go every second of
the day – then you’ll absolutely appreciate getting your Sunday’s back!
Now when I speak of getting my Sunday’s back – I mean it sincerely because running my own
business legitimately started to mean – not getting any ‘weekend time’ or as I used to call it ‘recovery
time’! Instead – you find yourself working what really feels like 24/7 and finding almost no time to just
‘be’ – and to even for a second …’stop and smell the flowers’.
When you become a Small Business Owner – you almost inherit this outlook that has you saying to
yourself – “this business is my baby”…”I am taking care of it…as if it was my own child” and this is great –
it’s wonderful to feel that sense of respect and love for your business – but it also starts to wear away at
you – at some point…you start really feel the effects of the ongoing sleepless nights…the stress…and the
weight of managing what feels like ‘everything’ on your own.
One of the first things that you start to love when you run your own business, is that sense of ‘control’ –
there is nobody else to answer to now – you don’t have to schedule a meeting or give your boss a call – it
all lands on you! All roads lead to Rome and guess what lovelies – Rome is ‘You’ in this case! Surprise!
And there is some freedom and relief in all of that – but at some point you also start to realize that the
only way to achieve any sort of work-life balance is to allow yourself to give up … ‘some’ of that control
and let others take over!
It’s also important to always keep your eyes out for new offerings in the market – new programs or
applications that can work to simplify and cut down ‘processing time’ significantly – as let’s be honest –
those tasks tend to take the longest and they are the most tedious. If there is some way to cut down
process – and save time – you should definitely explore those options!
How? You Ask?
One thing that I started doing to help manage things overall, was to delegate. I have a small team – but
one that is extremely valuable and that can really achieve some great things! You’ll be surprised what
can happen when you ask your team to help out a bit. Generally, you’ll find that people who support
you – really do want to ‘support’ you! We should all really get comfortable with delegating and giving the
job/task to the individual who is best suited for it.
When You’re Done Delegating and You’re Looking For Other Solutions
Sometimes you’ll find that no matter how much you delegate – you just still feel totally strapped for
time! You feel like your team is working in the most optimal way – but things are still not running as
smoothly as you like! This is when you have to start looking for other solutions. There is always
something out there to help you manage things – it’s just a matter of doing your research or well – let’s
say – landing on the Chic Sophistic Blog today ;). Here’s one that I discovered that will totally change your
life:
CIBC SmartBanking™ for Business – What I Learned & What You Need To Know
CIBC’s SmartBanking for Business is an innovative platform that combines powerful CIBC business
banking tools with popular accounting and payroll services – this means you can have everything in one
place.
The digital interface is super customizable – and integrates two-way data exchange with bank accounts
and accounting services…which ultimately:
Reduces manual Data Entry And…
Really Simplifies Reconciliation
Which just happens to make things that much more accurate! Always a good thing in my mind!
Because so much has been pulled into one spot – I can start making more informed decisions – see things
with more clarity and oh yeah – spend more time doing what I really want to do – which is grow my
business and get some more ‘me’ time back!
How Life Improves When You Have More Time On Your Hands OR Just Even Maybe Your Sundays
Back!
There is so much good that comes out of setting some time out for yourself. Sometimes as Small
Business Owners, we forget that we’re actually human. We tend to take on this mindset of – “I am
invisible” and “I can do anything I put my mind to” – which is most definitely a great mindset to have –
but there is a need for some downtime – enough so that you can at least allow your body to catch up
and align with your brain – and just ‘be’ for a minute.
A Few Interesting Facts from a recent poll of 1,005 Small Business Owners
Here are a few things that Small Canadian Business Owners said they would do – if they had additional
time away from work:
- Travelling, with more than half of respondents (52 per cent) choosing to escape
- Socializing with friends/family, a favourite with four-in-10 business owners (38 per cent)
- Pursuing a passion, hobby or activity (35 per cent) and exercising/playing sports (34 per cent)
- Getting more rest (28 per cent) and relaxing or meditating (26 per cent).
Don’t Forget To Do You! Life Is Always Better That Way
In any available time that I have – I personally love to spend time with family & friends and to really set
aside time for some Yoga as well. I have really been getting into Yoga & Mediation lately – it truly helps
me realign as a person and find a sense of peace and balance in life – something that is extremely helpful
to me overall and that has an impact on my day-to-day business decisions and in helping me effectively
manage ongoing relationships with my clients and my team – so it really is a trickle effect. When you
learn new ways to manage things at work – it can positively impact your life overall and change your
perspective on things in general – in such a great way.
