Work-life balance-it's the ever-elusive goal so many of us are constantly trying to achieve. According to Forbes, many women who make the leap into entrepreneurship do so in part because they're looking for more flexibility. However, the irony is that women who run businesses often feel more trapped than ever before. As a female entrepreneur, you don't have a boss breathing down your neck, but now you're the boss who has to make it all happen.
The good news is that as the boss, you really aren't trapped. It's within your power to find an approach to running your business successfully and keeping everything else afloat, in a way that's more effective and more efficient.
Delegate
Most small businesses start out on a tight budget, which is why we often feel like we have to do everything ourselves. The problem is that taking on every single task isn't the best use of your time, and it may even put your business at a disadvantage. This doesn't mean you have to hire full-time staff, but you should consider hiring out some of the necessities for getting your business off the ground.
For example, one of these necessities is having a website that looks professional and has all the features your business needs. If web development isn't your area of expertise, a freelance web developer can create a top-notch website for you. Before hiring someone, it's important to know exactly what you're looking for. Most web devs specialize in either front-end, which is what customers see, or back-end, which is the data management side (basically, what makes the site work). Some developers do both of these jobs, but most professionals focus on one or the other.
Whether you're looking to hire one or both of these roles, make sure to find someone who has all the necessary qualifications, including a thorough knowledge of web fundamentals, frameworks, and basic UI/UX design. Along with these skills, look for a candidate who has positive reviews and a portfolio that demonstrates solid experience.
Hiring the right person to develop your website is just one example of how delegating ensures you're setting your business up for success, and you're also left with more time to focus on the areas that need your attention the most. You can apply this same principle to your home life as well. Consider delegating more of your home responsibilities, perhaps by giving certain chores to your kids, hiring a housekeeper, or trying a meal delivery service.
Streamline
Along with delegating tasks so you aren't responsible for doing absolutely everything, another way to achieve better balance is to streamline your processes. Stop and look at whether you have all the tools you need, such as the right software and apps, to get things done efficiently. Not only do you need to have the right tools, but it's also how you use them that counts. For example, some tools offer automation so that you don't need to repeat the same task multiple times. Take advantage of this useful feature.
Schedule
Whether your business is new or you've been doing the entrepreneurship thing for a while, it's worth your time to be intentional about how you're spending it. Some business owners are more productive when they break up their day, throwing in some exercise or lunch with friends in between work. You may even want to schedule family time. When you schedule everything, you're more likely to meet personal goals as well as business goals.
Yes You, Too Can Be a Successful Female Entrepreneur!
Even with a solid schedule and all the right processes in place, we have to accept that there will be times when something is still out of balance. If you ever feel this way, take a step back and focus on the bigger picture. When you run your business-and the rest of life-with these strategies for increasing efficiency and productivity, overall balance will win out more often than not.
This guest post was authored by Gloria Martinez
Ms. Martinez loves sharing her business expertise and hopes to inspire other women to start their own businesses.Ms. Career Girl was started in 2008 to help ambitious young professional women figure out who they are, what they want and how to get it.