19 Mar How outsourcing can benefit your work/life balance

There are many reasons we go in to business for ourselves. It could be that we are sick of working every hour under the sun to make someone else money; perhaps we have a great idea or simply know that we are great at what we do and would really like to do it for ourselves.

But there is one reason that most of us take the plunge. Flexibility and work life balance. We want to be able to take time off to see our children’s play. We want to be able to go away on a romantic long weekend without fighting with others over holidays. We want to be able to be home with our children with they are sick.

It’s exciting but let’s face it, the reality is very different.

Work Stress

Setting up on your own is an amazing experience and I can honestly say, it’s the best thing I’ve ever done. However, I speak to business owners every day who love what they do but the one thing they don’t have is work life balance!

Reality hits early on when you’re a small business. When it’s just you, the days of finishing work at 5pm on a Friday are long gone. The fact is, there is work to be done and if you don’t do it, no one is going to do it for you. It’s no longer someone else’s problem; It’s all yours!

So instead of having all this flexibility and freedom, what you actually end up with is a lot more hours, a lot more stress and a lot more work.

Don’t get me wrong, when you’re doing it for yourself, it’s completely different. You no longer begrudge doing it, you enjoy it. You get a buzz from it. But it doesn’t take away from the fact that you now have less time, not more.

Lack of Time

So, what can you do about it?

I’m sure by now, you are experienced at networking and you will have heard the term “outsource” many times.

As a small business, you are on a budget but there is real value in bringing someone in to help you.

Try to imagine a time where you can go home on a Friday night and not have to worry about going in to a hundred emails on Monday morning. A time where you actually get to spend time with your children and not have to tell them that you have to work.

Family Time

A virtual assistant can help you with all the jobs that are important, but you don’t have time to do but you can start outsourcing. Your priority is to bring in business, so it makes sense to let someone else worry about the back-office jobs. You’re a small business and the chances are you can’t afford to employ someone, so this is the perfect solution!

Take your life back. Believe me, your VA will become your new best friend!