By Jolene Roelofse, founder of BluDoor Market
As a new mum (yes, after my second child, I still consider myself a new mum), I often battle with finding a balance between my business and my two toddlers. Aged 3 and 1, I feel they still need a lot of my time, especially since their Dad started traveling quite a bit with work again. It seems only fair that one parent remains present for consistency and emotional comfort. But the reality is that my business is also my baby. Also 3 years old and demanding a lot of attention, love and care. But where do you draw the line?
Especially if you have the drive and ambition to build and grow the company to new heights, hire staff to assist with the workload and provide much needed employment in today’s current economic strife, You literally feel like you are being pulled in all different directions with current clients demanding more and better performance of successful campaigns, nursing and growing new clients…the list of demands are endless. Then there is coming home, seeing to kids, making dinner, trying to have a social life, date-night with hubby and of course networking which does not always happen during the day. This meant that the latter part of last year was a whirlwind of activities, overcommitments. deadlines, meetings, disappointments of missed swimming lessons, no gym for self, stress, exhaustion, and not much enjoyment in working for myself.
What happened to the freedom of working for myself where I can dictate my own hours so that I have time to take the kids swimming, have breakfast with a friend, attend networking events and drinks, and have date night with hubby, and have a budding business with ecstatic clients?
I decided to do some reflection over the holidays and forced myself to go on holiday WITHOUT my laptop, removed my email from my phone, informed clients that the offices are closed and will only reopen the 3rd week of Jan. And took my time examining where I went wrong and why I started my own business in the first place!
- To be free to decide who I want to work with;
- To be free to decide which project I want to work on;
- To have time to spend with my kids, within reason, eg: balance.
- To have to me for myself to grow, to learn, to be challenged.
So my vision board/plan for the New Year is to take my time when signing up clients and to ensure that I give them the best of me, at my pace, within reason. To enjoy what I do, because then I deliver a better service to them and to only work with people and projects I can learn and grow from and can have fun working on. The cheque at the end of the project is great, but is not always worthwhile.
Jolene Roelofse is the Head Cyclist at Bludoor Market, a MBA graduate from The Copenhagen Business School in Denmark, and the company specializes in Business, Marketing and Communications Strategy for SMME and start-up companies. The company’s ethos is that they provide the bicycle (strategy) to the client and assist the client to cycle the business in the direction they choose. Jolene@bludoormarket.com www.bludoormarket.com
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