Better Balance, Better Business - Stop the Guilt Cycle!
As women, most of us are masters at putting our own needs last.
Many of the business owners we spoke to talked about feeling guilty. Guilty about leaving their children if they left home early for business reasons and guilty about leaving their employees if they left work early to be with their children. They felt stretched thin between their family and what many referred to as their ‘other family’ at work.
It’s all too easy to get caught up in a cycle of guilt when you don’t set limits on how much you can give. Remember to set realistic expectations for yourself. Define the boundaries between your business and your family and take good care of yourself.
CASE STUDY: Practice what you preach
Jennifer Bailey (right) enjoys taking time out for a round of golf with her mum. Photo: Gabriella Favretto.
After experiencing difficulty in achieving work life balance in the corporate world, Jennifer Bailey is now running her own recruitment business, Jennifer Bailey & Associates, and is practicing what she preaches. Jennifer employs three part time staff who job share two administration roles. They have children and aged parents to care for and appreciate having a flexible employer who offers them encouragement, acceptance and support. “We all have a life outside the office,” says Jennifer. “My clients all know that I like to make the time to play golf with my 80’s plus mother. I tell them I will be out of the office, and they know their service won’t suffer because of it. They’re always interested to hear how we played! You can be your own worst enemy if you assume what people expect or how they will react. You might be surprised by how accepting people can be.”
Planning for the future
“Starting a business is like having a baby. You give birth to it and then it takes on a life of its own.” ~Diane Gibney, Ballarat Family Pet Care Clinic
The opportunity to grow your business is exciting. It’s proof of your business savvy and all the hard work you’ve put in. But if you feel like your business is a runaway train that you’re struggling to keep up with, maybe it’s time to put on the brakes while you think about how expansion will affect your work family balance?
If you do decide to grow your business, think about how you will build family friendly practices into your business, so that you and your employees can continue to care for your families.
CASE STUDY: This business is just right
Carole Anderson, owner of Strataway, has set client load goals and limits for her business as a means of strategically keeping it small to medium sized. Photo: Gabriella Favretto.
Carole Anderson was asked by a friend to help establish Strataway, a body corporate management business in 2004, due to her many years of experience in the industry as an employee. After two and a half years she was offered the opportunity to buy her business partner out, which she did. “It is important to me that my staff are happy and enjoy their work environment,” Carole says. “All my employees are mature women; it’s just developed that way. It’s good because we can talk things through and resolve things together. Good communication is the key in this industry and all of my staff are excellent mediators in difficult situations.”
To cope with a steadily increasing client list, Carole has had to employ and train additional staff and relocate from her home office to new premises. Carole realised that she needed to strike a balance between maintaining a positive work environment and her desire to grow the business. Strataway therefore has a well thought out growth strategy.
“I have set my goal to reach a certain client load, as we wish to remain a small to medium boutique business that continues to offer a high level of service to our clients. We enjoy working with clients who take pride in maintaining the value of their investment.”