It’s my little girl, Ella’s, first birthday today! And it’s put me in a bit of a reflective mood.
A lot has changed in a year! I’ve got to admit, it’s the fastest year of my life! Nothing seems to speed up time faster than having a child!
And it’s been one in which I’ve learnt a lot about how I want to run my business.
I spent the first half of the past year doing very little work, while I cared for my newborn. Then in the second half, I returned to the working world! I’m so glad for the opportunity to take that 6 months out of the business, as it really turned every around for me. Here’s a few things that have changed:
- The hours I work – I used to work at least a 5 day work, sometimes fitting in a bit of weekend work too. I now work 2-3 days a week. Most weeks, I only work 2 days. On top of this, I do some work while Ella naps, and some in the evening now and again. But mostly, I get to spend the other days with her, being a mum!
- The amount I earn – I thought this would have an impact on how much money comes in to the business, and it has. But the impact is different to what I expected. I now bring more money in to the business working 2 days a week than I did working 5. How mad is that? Why is that…
- My priorities have changed – it’s because I no longer spend time on the things someone else could be doing! I now work smart instead of hard, and I’m so glad I’ve been pushed in to this position. I have to do justice to Ella by bringing in as much money as I can in the 2 days of the week that I don’t get to spend with her. And that’s what I focus my efforts on – marketing and delivery.
- I no longer do admin – I’ve used an admin company (Madson Interim Solutions) for a number of years now, but I’ve really stepped up how much work they do for me. The situation is ideal for me. I don’t want to employ someone, as it doesn’t fit my business right now. But I want to delegate the work I shouldn’t be wasting my time as the business owner on. So I outsource all my admin to Madson. Even my email inbox is managed by them, so I just check in on the emails they can’t respond to. It’s great!
- I no longer represent the Entrepreneur’s Circle – before having Ella, I was a Business Growth Advisor for the Entrepreneur’s Circle. Something had to give to allow me to work fewer hours, so I passed over this opportunity. I’m still an active member, and use the EC to help grow my business.
- Life has got much richer – my life has become richer! I believe I’ve created the right life for me – one in which I’m able to spend more time with my daughter than I do working, while earning a good income. This is definitely something I wouldn’t be able to achieve if I didn’t work for myself without taking a huge pay decrease.
Now, I’m not suggesting you have a child so that you shake up the way your business works. But please do think about whether you are working smart or hard! There’s definitely more to life than work!
