As I look back, I think one of the biggest reasons I’m where I’m at in my career is because I moved to Green Bay as a young professional, coming to a city where I didn’t know anyone. I had zero distractions, and that allowed me to fully immerse myself into learning the industry, morning, noon, and night.
I would get calls from my old college roommates who lived in Milwaukee, telling me it was softball night or volleyball night. It was tough missing out on that fun, but I believed I was creating something bigger for myself and my future family.
These are some of the hard decisions that business owners need to make. What are you willing to give up? You may decide that certain sacrifices, such as missing school plays and sporting events for a short term, are worthwhile when compared to benefits and the flexibility that successful entrepreneurship can offer. Or maybe you’re not okay with that, but that means you don’t have the capacity to build something or take your business to the next level.
Faced with constant pressure and competing demands, it becomes essential to reflect on your personal values and determine what is really important in your life. Every individual has unique priorities, and there’s no one right choice to make.
Teaching commitment: My kids are learning these lessons right now. My 13-year-old daughter is on a club basketball team, and her game wasn’t where she wanted it to be. So even though she’s definitely not a morning person, she’s been getting up two to three days per week and getting to the gym at 6:30 a.m. before school. After just a couple weeks of work, she upped her average from 12 to 30 points per tournament.
My 10-year-old is also making trade-offs as he works to build his first app. He’s taken a deep dive into coding and has a live, online class two nights a week. Sometimes it’s hard to come in when his friends are still playing, but in the end, he’s excited about what he has the opportunity to create.
Redefining balance: I don’t think there’s any such thing as perfect work-life balance. When you’re a business owner, balance is more like a seesaw. There are days I’ll work late and miss dinner, and there are other days I get to sneak out early or go on field trips. Because of the team I now have at Cornerstone I was able to coach De Pere booster basketball for all three of my kids, which was around 30 hours a week. GO BIRDS!
Either way, you can’t be on one side of the seesaw for too long. If you spend too much time solely focused on your business, you may miss out on important personal moments or burn out.
It’s important to find a balance that makes sense for you, your family, and your employees. Pick your timing and choose the moments when you can truly go all in.
