How to Create More Time For Your Family As An Entrepreneur

You want to spend more time with your family, but you also want to make sure your business is doing well. It can feel impossible to balance work and family life, especially if you're feeling like you're not meeting your potential in either area. I've got four tips for how you can predictably generate more profits in your business, so that you can have the peace of mind of knowing that both areas of your life are taken care of.?

It’s a common theme in the entrepreneurial world that you have to sacrifice your freedom now so that you can EARN more of it later.

I believed it, my clients believed it, and pretty much everyone I’ve met through business has believed it, too. It’s the trap that keeps so many of us tired, and burnt out and ultimately leaves us disconnected from the passion that got us started in our journeys in the first place.

Luckily, I’ve learned over the years that there’s another word for this “common theme” we’ve all believed in for so long, and that’s “lie.”?

THIS. IS. A. LIE.

You CAN earn the profits you deserve AND have the freedom to spend precious time with family and friends. It doesn’t have to be one or the other.?

And I’m here to show you how in this article.

1. Focus on what drives profits

I know this sounds like an obvious and over-simplified solution, but it’s easy for us entrepreneurs to get so caught up in what we want that we forget what steps we need to take in order to actually get there.?

That being said, focusing on profits first in a business is the first way that you can find more time to spend with your family. It’s one of the ways that you build financial security, both from a business perspective and a personal perspective. When you feel secure, you start giving yourself more freedom.

2. Be picky with your time

Time is the one resource you cannot produce more of, can’t save, bank, or return.

When you study highly successful people, you’ll notice that they are incredibly picky with their time. They don’t spend a lot of time lollygagging, questioning their choices, or? doing things they either don’t like or things that don’t move the needle in their business. This is a fantastic mindset to adopt!?

Your best results have a lot to do with you, what you focus on, what you choose to do, and what you choose to let go of. It’s okay to leave things undone. I am not telling you to say “sayonara” to the major tasks that take up a lot of your day. If those tasks are helping you make sense of your “big picture” business goals, then they must be completed. What I AM saying, though, is to eliminate those little tasks that aren’t.

Find the places within your business system where you can delegate the things that have to get done…and then remind yourself that you DON’T have to do everything! In fact, you shouldn’t. And that’s where the magic of DELEGATION comes in!?

After you’re able to do that, it’ll be time to use technology for the good that it was created for: to make our lives easier! That means automate, automate, automate.?

Take processes that you find yourself repeating constantly and leverage software to help you codify them.?

It’ll be that continual analysis of what you can automate versus what needs to stay personal that will keep you using your precious time wisely. It’s amazing what a little bit of tech and planning can do.

3. Protect Your Boundaries

Sticking to our word is not only important for our clients and our teammates, but for ourselves as well. If we can’t even trust ourselves, how can we expect anyone else to?

If you say you’re going to be picking up your child at 3, then protect that boundary (for your child and for yourself) by picking them up at 3. When you make sure that boundary is protected, it’s easier to be where you need to be. And, because I know sticking to your word is a lot easier said than done, I’ve included a couple of ways you can help yourself do this.

• Say ‘NO’ more than you say yes.

When you say “yes” to something and haven't fully considered the ramifications, you’re saying “no” to something else. Oftentimes we are saying “yes”? to other people's desires and needs and saying “no” to our own, and in that way, we’re not setting ourselves up for success.

Wildly successful entrepreneur Warren Buffet once said: “People need to say no more than they say yes.”

• Keep yourself in check.

Here’s the cold, hard truth: Oftentimes in business, the person who violates boundaries the most is the business owner.

They create rules, regulations, and boundaries in the hopes of creating a safe, reliable, and productive environment. Unfortunately, business owners often bend every rule in the book trying to get everything they need to get done, despite being the ones that created the rules in the first place.

That being said, the only way to ensure that your team is successful in following and abiding by boundaries is by doing the same. It all starts with you.

• Practice presence.

But we must begin training ourselves in shutting off our overactive brains and being (and I mean really BEING) wherever it is that we’re at.

I know how it goes, friends. When you’re working, you’ve got family on the mind. And when you’re with your family, you can’t help but start stressing about your business. It feels like there’s no winning in all of this.

Practice mindfulness, implement grounding techniques, do whatever it takes. It will take repetition to really get it down (and you won’t always be perfect at all), but, with time, you’ll find that you finally feel alive in your own body and mind again.

Final Thoughts

We are nothing without our freedom. The time to do the things we love, the things that fill us with joy and meaning and pleasure – such as spending time with our loved ones.

And many entrepreneurs will say that choosing the business life means choosing a life without these things, but I say – no, I KNOW – that this is simply untrue. I’ve made it happen in my own life and I’m so excited to see how you make it happen for you.?

Implement (and PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE) the tips mentioned in this blog and, with time, you’ll find that you’re more available for the moments that matter most more than ever before.?

And if you need a little guidance along the way, just know you’re not alone. Contact us today and we’ll get chatting about how we can best support you in the journey towards the life of freedom and flexibility that you so deserve!?

About Leslie Hassler, Small Business Scaling Strategist

Leslie Hassler is a dynamic author, speaker, and business strategist who helps women-led service businesses produce predictable profits, fund growth, stabilize cash flow and enjoy more freedom. Business owners come to Leslie seeking a way to strategically scale their businesses, stop money leaks, and get in control with confidence.

With over 15 years of experience in business, finance, mindset, and more, Leslie takes multiple 6 and 7-figure businesses from cash-strapped and struggling to profitable and thriving through her unique Profitable Growth Incubator.

Leslie is the founder of Your Biz Rules business coaching. Her genius has been featured on stages across the United States, including the National Association of Women Business Owners, SCORE, the Texas Conference for Women, and publications such as Entrepreneur.com and Business.com.

If you are looking to create more predictable profits so you can grow and scale without burnout, find time to chat at www.yourbizrules.com/chat.