4 Tips To Juggling Parenthood & Business Ownership

We often jokingly say that “Empower is our baby.” That was until we both had actual babies that needed not only our love, care and attention but also for us to be physically present so we could be active participants in their  childhood.

In our early days of business ownership we were working 15-hour days which meant we literally had time for no – thing else.

Then, in true Jessica and Ronda fashion, our lives took a very parallel path when Jessica’s daughter Emery was born in August 2010, and Ronda’s daughter Kendall was born just 6 months later in Feb. 2011.

Thankfully by the time our girls were born we were primed and ready with solid systems in our business so we were both able to step away and spend some time with our new and growing families. 

Since then, our main objective has been how do we continue to nourish and grow our business AND be the mothers we want to be.

Here are 4 tips to successfully juggle both your role as a parent and your role as a business owner. 

1) Understand that there is no such thing as a perfect work-life balance.

There are going to be days where things are very work-heavy, and you may miss some important things that are happening at home. On the flip-side there will be days when your home life is going to outweigh your work responsibilities. Understand that this is part of the deal as a leader and make the best decision you can in the moment. Try to let yourself off the hook and stop striving for a perfect work-life balance. Instead aim for being a strong leader at work and a present member of your family. Let yourself off the hook, and just do the best you can. It bears repeating… there is no such thing as a perfect work-life balance.

2) Systemize every single process in your business.

As the leader you must establish and document the standard operating procedures for every aspect of your business.  By building this strong foundation you will start to create a business or “a successful, profitable enterprise that can run without you,” instead of a sole proprietorship with you at the helm of every decision.

Whether you are growing a family or you simply just need time away from the studio to handle your own health needs or those of a family member you simply must have a playbook for how things get done inside your studio.

There are 4 main areas that you must systemize in your business: 1) Profits 2) Team 3) Clients 4) Marketing.  

3) Invest in your team.

Once you lay down a solid foundation of systems in your business it is important to get out of the way and let your team run your systems.

Take a look at this infographic of what it takes to run a “successful, profitable business.”

In this model you as the owner hire a “world-class team” who runs your “systems” you then allow the systems to run your “business” and finally allow the “business” to support you as the “owner.”

This approach is a very different reality where the “owner does it all” and must be at the helm of every little decision.  Oftentimes in wellness businesses the owner is often responsible for spinning a ton of plates at one time. Every little decision flows up to you, and without systems you have to invest unnecessary stress, worry and overwhelm just to make sure your business stays afloat.

Once you have hired a world-class team remember to let them grow and flourish in their roles. It takes time to teach your team members what is expected and how to adhere to your level of excellence.

Think of this analogy when it comes to leading your team…imagine being the coach of a world-class team of athletes. Despite having all that talent you would never expect the team to just “get it” and be primed and ready for the championship without practicing along the way. 

Essentially, you are that coach.. the one who has the luxury of leading a world class team. Take the time to invest in each team members’ personal and professional growth and continue to teach them your systems as your business grows. As they grow you will find that they start to think of things you never even imagined and as long as you continue mentoring them they will help your business flourish in new and unexpected ways. 

One way we’ve been able to lean into our team and continue to coach them is through our regular Tuesday Team Meeting. This meeting is scheduled every Tues. at 11:30 am and it occurs like clockwork – even if we don’t have much to say.  It is a time where we get face-to-face time with our team and we all get to work on solutions together.

If you’re not yet meeting with your team regularly we implore you to make this change as soon as possible. Maybe you can’t make it work every week, but we do recommend once a month at a minimum.  This is the only way to get everyone on board and primed for the championship (i.e. your business growth).   

4) Master your time.

We know you’ve heard it all before, “work smarter, not harder,” “own the day,” “time-block for maximum efficiency,” and MORE…!

But at a certain point – no matter how efficient you’ve become with your time you must evaluate how effective you are with the time you have. No amount of time blocking or mastering your morning routine is actually going to help you continue to grow your business – especially if you physically have to work fewer hours as you juggle parenthood and business ownership.

Start by delegating your $15/hour and $100/hour tasks and make way for your $1500/hour strategies. Ask yourself if you are addicted to being “busy” and just checking things off of your “to do” list for the sake of feeling accomplished.  Take a good hard look at your business and determine where you can level up and make a greater impact than you currently are.

Trust your team and delegate as many tasks as possible. After all, you have hired amazing team members, and it’s time to get out of their way so they can shine.   

So there you have it – 4 simple (not necessarily easy) tips to implement when you are juggling both business ownership and parenthood.

What is your biggest challenge when it comes to being a leader at both home and in your studio? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Until next time….

Be Bold, Be Free & Live Empowered,