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Work-Life Balance Is Essential for Entrepreneurs If your life is out of balance, you won't be able to excel in any area.

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Work-life balance is critical for entrepreneurs. Why? Because being an entrepreneur is tough. You have a lot of highs and lows, and not a lot of other people to help you grow the business. If your life is out of balance, you won't be able to excel in any area. Working longer is usually not more productive, but the temptation to overwork is always there. You must find a way to integrate the things that are important to you while growing your business.

Be mindful that work-life balance, or integration, is something that you must define for yourself. The things that are meaningful to you will not necessarily be meaningful to others. It's your responsibility to oversee the balance in your life. Take control by setting clear goals and boundaries. Be sure to schedule your time for each area that is valuable to you and commit to it. Let others know where you stand by communicating with key stakeholders. Eliminate time wasters and take care of your health and wellbeing. The more you balance your life, the more your business will thrive.

Need some help with this, or have other questions? Book a consulting session with me on Entrepreneur's Ask an Expert platform. My schedule is always up to date, and you can even record the meeting if you'd like. Hope to speak with you soon!

Charlene Walters, MBA, PhD

Entrepreneurship Coach, Business & Branding Mentor, Author, Speaker, Executive

Need a mentor, accountability partner or co-strategist? Charlene Walters is a Business/Branding expert who developed a Digital Entrepreneurship MBA program. She is also an entrepreneur and has held a variety of sales, management and marketing roles at startups and larger corporations. Charlene enjoys combining her knowledge and love of marketing and business strategy with her passion for innovation and desire to help others succeed. Her biggest fulfillment comes from working one on one with entrepreneurs to launch their startups, hone their personal brands and further their business strategies and entrepreneurial goals. 

Charlene is also the author of Launch Your Inner Entrepreneur: 10 Mindset Shifts for Women to Take Action, Unleash Creativity and Achieve Financial Success,  a guidebook for entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs to develop the mindset needed to successfully launch and grow their businesses, and Own Your Other, a memoir about overcoming tragedy/loss and moving forward in life based on her own personal experience. As part of that, she serves as a speaker and mentor to others, and writes and contributes to numerous publications on business and motivational topics.

Charlene also specializes in consulting, curriculum and content creation, thought leadership development, and social media and business startup/growth strategies. She has created and taught numerous business/marketing courses and workshops and mentored many entrepreneurs and innovators.

Charlene completed a BA in English at The University of Connecticut, an MBA/Management at St. Thomas University, and a PhD in Business Administration/Marketing at Northcentral University where she researched Consumer Internet Behavior and analyzed why consumers choose to make purchases on one site versus another.

Charlene lives in Charlotte, North Carolina and is a writer, entrepreneur, life enthusiast and mother of two. She looks forward to helping you achieve your business and personal goals. 

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