If this is your first time tuning in to Toast Talk, welcome! I’ve partnered up with Entrepreneur Magazine to bring you this new series featuring actionable advice by and for female founders. The first topic we’re tackling is overcoming the obstacles of launching a business.
One of the questions I always ask the young women I interview is, what has been the hardest part about building your business. Not too surprisingly, the answer has to that question often revolves around the sacrifices that have to be made. “I don’t have time for my friends or family. I don’t time to do the things I used to love to do. I give everything I have to my business.”
So the question is how do you build a business and a life that you love? I want to share a few principles that if you follow, can help keep that fire that ignited you into action from fizzling out.
- Follow Your Passion
Ask yourself, am I building a business around something I love to do? Are you genuinely excited to wake up and get to work? If the answer is no, ask yourself why you’re doing it and if there’s a way to pivot the business into something you’re truly passionate about.
- Build the business you want to run.
There can million ways to accomplish the same task. Choose the direction that makes you happy. If you want to build a billionaire dollar brand and have a thousand people working for you that’s great. If that sounds awful and you’d rather maintain life as a freelancer. That’s great to. Build the business that’s right for you.
- Delegate the parts you don’t love.
Let’s face it, no matter what business you’re in, there will be parts of it you don’t like. If you’re really creative, the thought of keeping track of inventory and balancing the books might make you nauseous. Find help from people who like to do that work and delegate those tasks so you can be your best at what you’re best at.
- Outsource your to-do list
You have enough on your plate to worry about without having to think about your personal to-do list. There are hacks for nearly everything that can make your life simpler and exponentially lessen the time you spend on personal errands. Amazon Prime, Instacart, Uber, TaskRabbit, are a few of my favorites. Depending on your budget and your location there will be different options available to you but I challenge you to take some time to look into them because they time they’ll save you in the end will be worth it!
- Make time for the things that matter.
When you free up the time you spend on your to-do list, you’ll have more time for the things that matter. Take advantage of this. Find a workout class that you love and make it a part of your routine. Spend the time you would have in the grocery meeting a good friend for a coffee date. Schedule these into your calendar in the same way you would any other meeting and commit to making time for yourself.
Now the question’s on you. Have you built a business and a life that you love? How have you managed to do it?
Leave your answers in the comments below and keep the conversation going over @ToastMeetsJam.
Cheers!
Jen
