People decide to start up their own businesses for all kinds of reasons. For some people setting up a business is a lifelong ambition and finally getting the chance to do so is a real test of their abilities. For other people building a small business is much more about defining the terms around their working lives.
Though you might assume that all business people are willing to make lifestyle changes for their business, you should also consider things the other way around. What if you could change the way you do business so that you could improve your lifestyle?
In an age where our working lives are changing rapidly, anything feels possible. A new generation have entered the workplace and demanded more balance and now it is your turn to capitalize on their bold moves. Here’s how you can make some changes to your business to improve your lifestyle.
Fit Your Business Around a Career Change
There are many reasons for a career change from realizing that you will never reach your full potential where you are to suffering a life changing injury in an accident. Whatever your reasons are, you can certainly create a business that will give you the chance to do exactly what you want to do.
In the case of those who are starting on a new journey after an accident, you should focus on what will make you feel better soonest. So, let your lawyers take care of the legal stuff (Craig Swapp and Associates come recommended) and set your mind to whatever you have on the horizon. The beauty of setting up your own business is that you can take your time and set your hours, days and even weeks according to your preference. So if you need to take time away for treatment – carry on. You only have yourself to answer to now.
If you are starting your own business as you want to try something new, this is a good time to educate yourself. Though many courses will take up a lot of your time, there are plenty of business ideas or side hustles you can do on the side without too much trouble. Then, once you have completed your education and you are confident in what you are doing, you can put more time into the business. This is a great way to support your studies and vice versa.
Make More Time For Your Family
Though many people think of setting up a business as a huge undertaking, if you are sensible, you can let your business grow or shrink naturally to the size you want. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to spend long hours away from your family in order to achieve what you set out to do.
There are a few compromises you can make when you own your own business. For a start, you can choose a location as near as your spare room to run your operations from. This will give you a much smaller commute time and mean that you won’t be stuck in traffic until about 5 minutes before the kids go to bed. It also means that you can pop home/ into the kitchen to do other things while you are on a break.
Working from home is a brilliant way to make more time for your family but do be careful that you maintain the balance. It can be all too easy to merge work and play when you are at home and get your priorities muddled. Try to set out clear working hours for yourself and be determined about keeping them. It won’t always work, but it is worth a go!
Set Time Aside For the Things You Love
For many workers with limited holiday, there is only so much they can ever do. Though you might have the money you need to go travelling, you don’t have the time – or at least you can’t take it all at once. When you work for yourself, you get to make the rules and decide what works for you.
In reality jobs are mainly for making enough money to achieve the lifestyle you want. It makes no sense, then, that you would sacrifice the life you want in order to earn the money to get you the lifestyle you want. So really, you should think twice before you end up working long hours with no reward.
When you set up your own business, you can give yourself much more time to do the things you want and you can even decide to take a few weeks or months off at a time if you can afford to. In some trades like building, this is quite common as there is less building work going around when the days are short and cold.
To work out what you can afford to do, you will need to go through your finances and add up your baseline number. This tells you how much you need to earn just to survive on a day to day basis including things like food and phone bills. Then, you should add on how much it will cost you to pursue your other interests. For example, travel and hostel costs or activity prices.
Once you know what you need to earn to achieve your lifestyle, you will know how much you need to work and be able to manage your business around your goals. This way you can earn what you need and enjoy the things you love too. Plus, you will be much more able to plan your finances once you are more aware of what you really need.
Making your business work for your lifestyle is one of the most important things you can do for yourself and for your family. There is no reason that your working life should impose upon the things that will really make you feel happy and fulfilled. All you need to do is have the determination to say what you want and go and get it.
