Let's get real for a second. We all have learned a distaste for the term "COVID" over the past almost year. What do we dislike about it? People dying is the obvious answer, but there's more. This pandemic has created a new paradigm where we can no longer, as business owners, neglect part of our life in exchange for our businesses. Everything is out in the open and authenticity is forced. Whether you have been diagnosed with COVID, or a family member has, or maybe you have small children who are now doing virtual or hybrid schooling, you have been impacted in your personal life by this. There is no avoiding it. So, the question becomes, "how do we cope?"
A friend of mine calls it "finding work-life harmony". Using the term balance implies that there is a way to spin all of the plates at the same speed, at the same time or to give equal weight to personal and business life. We all know this is impossible. Being a small business owner or franchisee means a constant struggle to find time with friends, your spouse or partner, and children or family. It means staying up late and getting up early to care for and cater to your business. It means texting for your business and toggling over to take pictures of events you are attending with friends.
So what kinds of things are the "real life" that happens to business owners? It can be a change in COVID restrictions that directly impact your ability to do business, or your business volume. It can be a child's class getting quarantined on one of your busiest weeks of the year. It can be a car accident, an unexpected home move, or an injury or surgery. It can also be GOOD things which are tough to find harmony with, like the birth of a new baby, visiting relatives, travel, vacations, or large events in both your personal life and your business.
So, what do you do when you know that "real life" will happen while you own your business? You develop a strategy! Do you have a plan to scale your business with the changing environment, simultaneously taking care of your employees and yourself? Do you have a strategy to retain your best employees through the ups and downs of their lives and yours? There are points of leverage that you can use by employing a strategy that will help your business survive and thrive.
Clearly budgetary issues can come into play when hiring someone, like a consultant, to help you with business strategy. If you want a brainstorming session, some Q&A time, or some help getting started on strategy planning, we are offering a free 30-minute consultation if booked in the month of December to help.
Remember, running a business should be easy and fun. We want to help your small and mid-sized business or franchise and help you work more on the business, and less in the business. Our mission is to serve businesses with creative, tailored solutions to their challenges and empower business owners and managers to run their entity as efficiently and effectively as possible. We strive to create a better overall lifestyle for our clients.
Be well!
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