Life is full of dreams. Dreams that turn into goals, then into plans, and eventually into a reality. Of course, not everything will always go as smoothly as we had planned, but that makes the ride more exciting.
When you decide to take a leap and start your own business, you know a lot of hard work will have to happen to achieve success. Long hours, endless meetings, and all that become part of your day-to-day, and that's ok. It's part of the process. Having that in mind can sometimes make you think twice before going on that adventure. We are likely to expect things to line up perfectly before we take the next step, and that's not necessarily how things are going to happen, or how you make them happen.
One of the things that many people conflict with when trying to start their own business is parenthood. It's not uncommon for new parents to feel like it's not the right time to start a business, or for new entrepreneurs to feel like they need to wait a while before becoming parents, and although there are valid reasons behind that thinking, it doesn't mean you can't do both.
The truth is raising a child is a lot like building a business. So if you can handle one, you can certainly handle the other. It just takes more planning and multitasking. Here are a few tips that can help you achieve some balance.
Some may consider multitasking a risky thing to do, but when you're a parent and an entrepreneur, you need to find ways to do both. If you're not a multitasker, start taking small tasks from both the parental and the entrepreneurial fronts that you feel you can easily combine. Can you answer emails at home while you watch your child play? Can you take a call while you prep your baby's bottle? It's a matter of finding what works for you.
As a business owner and the leader of your independent insurance agency, you need a capable team by your side that you can trust and is empowered to make decisions. If that is happening, you will have no problem delegating some of your responsibilities to others. Having a team of professionals that you can count on will alleviate the burden and give you some free time to spend with your family.
One of the most important things that need to be implemented is a set of roles and responsibilities between you and your spouse, to prevent duplicate efforts so you can split between parenting tasks, home tasks, and work, and find some time to spend with each other.
You can live both dreams at the same time.