The mad rush to succeed as quickly as possible and the image of
start-up entrepreneurs working 18-hour days and living at the
office became much more common during the dotcom boom of the late
'90s. Flush with venture capital, entrepreneurs frantically
struggled to get established in what was a brand-new marketplace.
To be sure, some succeeded. Many more burned out before their 30th
birthdays.
Is it still necessary to work hard to start a business?
Absolutely. Is there sacrifice involved? Most likely. But do you
have to sacrifice everything for it? No. There are a whole spectrum
of things to consider when making the transition to entrepreneur,
and they're not all business-related. You must take friends and
family into account. And as I always remind people, whether
entering into an entrepreneurial venture or moving into a new
career, you must be sure to take care of your own health and
spirit.
Keep in mind that whatever sacrifices you make, your family also
makes. If children are in the picture, then their physical and
emotional needs must still be met. This need not be complicated;
much of what they require is simple in nature. Being present to go
to school engagements, for example, is a simple thing but still
gives them emotional support. You have to make certain you
don't let this sudden rush of energy you'll inevitably have
as an entrepreneur seem wrong to your children. Make sure they feel
it in a positive sense, and let some of that enthusiasm and energy
spill over to them.
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Another important factor that often leads to entrepreneur
burnout is the ability, or the relative inability, to put aside the
burden of work at the end of the day. As an employee, because you
work with others in an office environment, you can talk about
office politics, projects and frustrations, at least in a passing
way, with co-workers. Even if it's not a dedicated
conversation, it still allows you to "dump" some of the
frustrations of work so you don't take everything home to your
family. But as an entrepreneur, you may not have the luxury of
doing that as casually as you would as an employee. And what's
more, as an entrepreneur, especially if you are a company of one,
the burdens of work become much more personal to you, and you may
be less likely to leave them at the office. Separation of work and
home may become fuzzier, and if you're not careful about it,
you'll find yourself "on duty" 24/7.
Remember, your cell phone has an "off" switch--use it
to give yourself a little precious time to yourself and your loved
ones. You most likely have voice mail, e-mail and fax capabilities,
so people can relay messages to you when you're not available
and get a timely response once you've taken some time away and
re-energized your spirit. It may seem as though you need to devote
every minute of the day to your new business, but in the long run,
this sort of fanatical devotion will actually hurt the business
when you start to run out of steam. If you work hard and take time
for yourself and your family on a regular basis, you'll find
yourself succeeding to even greater heights than you had ever
imagined.
Janice Bryant Howroyd is founder, chairman and CEO of
Torrance, California-based ACT-1 Group, the largest woman
minority-owned employment agency in the United States, with more
than 70 offices, 300 full-time employees, 65,000 temporary
"stars" and annual revenues exceeding $500 million.
Founded in 1978 around Howroyd's personal philosophy of
"Keeping the Humanity in Human Resources," ACT-1 is today
a multidivision conglomerate serving such clients as Ford Motor
Co., Gap Inc. and Sempra Energy and meeting demands for
well-educated and well-trained temporary, full-time and contract
employees. She has twice been honored by the Star Group as one of
50 Leading Woman Entrepreneurs of the World.