Owning your own business is no piece of cake. I can’t say I’m new to the game and I can’t say that I know everything there is to know either. I grew up in a world of late working nights and random trips to the beach on a Tuesday afternoon. My dad, mom and step-dad all own their own individual businesses. I’ve never known a parent who worked 8-5 which is probably why every 8-5 job that I’ve ever had, even if I really enjoyed what I was doing, made my skin crawl. There is a huge piece of freedom that comes with being your own boss and creating your own schedule, though it’s curtailed by loads of responsibility, self motivation and drive.

Technically you’re working two jobs, you produce your product (for me it’s photography and graphic design) but you also have to manage the business/employees, market it, balance the budget, etc. It’s like you wear 100 different hats. The hardest thing for me to do is focus on wearing one hat at a time, I’m a multitasker and I’m honest enough to say that often I fail horribly at it. As I write this I’ve got at least three other things going: streaming the first season of Glee as background noise (I just finished 30 Rock), keeping track of e-mails/returning client inquiries, answering a phone call, day dreaming on pinterest, updating my instagram, reorganizing blog posts, and creating a new vimeo account to post our fusion videos. (Ok so 7 other things going.)

It’s not a life for everyone.

I often question my sanity.

I haven’t figured out the perfect balance yet. It’s a work in progress. I mean toss in maintaining a house hold and a husband and a very very needy black lab and my life is full. I have no idea how I’m going to do it when we throw kids in the mix, but I know it can be done. It’s reading blogs like Smile And Wave, Dana Made It, Wildflowers Photography, and Farrah Braniff Photography; strong, awesome, crafty, creative, successful women/moms who somehow make it happen, that gives me hope that one day I can do it all too. I mean, my parents did it, and I turned out pretty good.

Basically what I’m saying is that I L.O.V.E what I am doing right now, this stage in my life and my business, even with all the insane hats it includes, and I’m looking forward to figuring it all out.

  • I’d love to hear any tricks you have for balancing business and life. How do you make it all happen?
  • What are your strategies for juggling 100 hats?
Posted in Business & Marketing and tagged ,

1 Comments

  1. joannegarcia on January 25, 2012 at 12:32 am

    Things that help me:
    – to do lists galore, broken down in bite sized chunks
    – deadlines, if i don’t have deadlines they don’t get done
    – delegate if possible / outsource if needed
    – networking / collaborate is key
    – limit distractions (tv, email, phone, etc) and get your game face on when you get stuff done. like i’m going to do email correspondence for the next half hour straight. boom.
    – work toward your strengths / get an intern for your weaknesses or to help you with smaller tasks (this will help when you have kids)
    – white board / calendar with overall strategy in mind … so you don’t get lost in the busyness

    i’m pretty sure there’s more but that’s what i got so far.