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What’s Next For Your Micro-Business
Small-Business Owners Struggle To Balance Work And Life
A recent poll from Discover Small Business Watch revealed that small-business owners work more and play less than people who work for someone else.
The survey found that 15 percent of entrepreneurs work every day of the week. And about 31 percent of small-business owners work at least 10 hours or more per day on average.
“Small-business owners are the backbone of the American economy and among the hardest working people in America,” says Sastry Rachakonda, director of Discover’s small business credit card. “Theirs is not a 9-to-5 job. It is more like a 5-to-9 undertaking, meaning 5 in the morning to 9 at night.”
Long hours don’t stop on holidays either. Nearly half of small-business owners surveyed said that they always or mostly work on official holidays.
Even a day off is hard to find for small-business owners. The poll found that 59 percent of survey respondents define a day off as being available for calls and e-mails, working some of the day or even working all day at a remote location.
“Small-business owners are really focused on serving their customers every day. Our survey found that 40 percent of them carry wireless devices to keep in touch with their customers and clients when off work,” Rachakonda says. “Being a small-business owner often means that you are always open for business.”
What You Can Do
Remember why you started your small business? It wasn’t about working 24/7 and losing your personal life. It was about pursuing your passion. It was about creativity, freedom and fun.
If the simple rewards of fun and freedom have disappeared, you could be jeopardizing your small business. The success of your business depends on you – your health, your resiliency, your creativity.
To stay in top form you need to play as hard as you work. Try these tips.
Take A Vacation
Vacations are serious business for entrepreneurs, providing mental rejuvenation and creative renewal. If your business is seasonal, take some days off during your predictable slow time. Make a deposit on a beach house, mountain cabin or cruise. The financial commitment will help you keep your vacation date.
Play Hooky
Take a few extra days off before or after long holiday weekends, like Labor Day. Many of your clients will likely be out of the office during that time, too, so you won’t be missed. Or tack an extra day onto a business trip and go sightseeing.
Make A Quick Getaway
Liberate yourself from the same old grind by simply varying your work schedule. Sleep in one morning and arrive in your home office an hour later. Take off a couple of hours early one Friday afternoon and hit the movie matinee.
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(Posted August 2007) |
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