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Akim Vann is the owner and founder of The Bakery on Bergen, a very popular and busy spot that’s known for its delicious and creative cookies, cakes and pastries. The Bakery on Bergen just celebrated its second anniversary and Vann couldn’t be more proud. But as a busy mother of four energetic children, Vann knows firsthand just how difficult it can be for small business owners to achieve a healthy work-life balance.
Watch this quick video, and you’ll see that Vann’s attitude toward work and family is a big part of the reason why The Bakery on Bergen is so successful:
Set boundaries for yourself, and respect them. You should have set work hours, and if you say your going to have dinner with the family three night a week, mean it. You should also set aside time for yourself. Schedule workouts or your yoga class just like you schedule a critical sales appointment.
Leave work at work. But if you’re like many people and work from home, try to work only during pre-scheduled times, and create a workspace that’s separate from the rest of the goings on in the house. By setting and respecting boundaries, you’ll reduce stress and your family will always know when it’s work time and when it’s play time.
Remember your life partner needs attention too. As a business owner its easy to get caught up just focusing on your kids and your business. But you have three full time jobs, and your life partner wants to feel like a priority too. Try to remember to plan surprises, create a weekly date night, where you get a babysitter to watch the kids. And if there’s an event that’s really important to your partner, make sure you are there ready to go, so he or she is not waiting on you to get home again.
Try to maintain a positive attitude. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by your new business and your family life. Cut yourself some slack, and be present wherever you are —just like Vann does—because that will always benefit your business and family.
Keep Calm and Carry On. Yes, it is true that a majority of businesses fail in the first year. To beat the statistics, you must remain absolutely convinced that you will emerge victorious. Just as Vann says in the video: Keeping a family going and keeping your business healthy in your first years can seem scary. But, you must show no fear! There will be bumps in the road. So, your mindset is absolutely critical. Do everything you can to protect against threats you can control, and, remember that while you can’t control all the circumstances you will face, you can control how you respond to them.
Note: This post was written and sponsored by Carbonite Watch more of Carbonite’s “Small Business Storytellers.”
About our sponsor
Carbonite (Nasdaq:CARB) is a leading provider of cloud backup and restore solutions for small and midsize businesses. Together with our partners we protect millions of devices and their valuable data for businesses and individuals around the world who rely on us to ensure their important data is secure, available and useful. For more information visit https://www.carbonite.com/
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