Your Family and Your Business Copyright 2004 by Kevin Bidwell All-In-One-Business.com Your family can be the greatest asset to your success in business--they can be your motivation, your cheering section, your comfort and encouragement. They can also be your greatest liability. Your family is important--more important than any business-- so here are some tips for keeping your family together while you grow your business. FIRST: LISTEN AND COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR FAMILY An old story reminds me that "no prophet has honor in his own home." My boys have never been all that impressed with my Internet success, they've seen me try to surf. If your spouse is discouraging you from the latest BizOpp that comes along, maybe (s)he has a point. Maybe it isn't a very good opportunity. Maybe this looks to them like all of the "other" can't lose opportunities that have put both of you more in debt and have taken time away from your relationship and your children. Maybe she wasn't prepared for you to be up half the night--every night--on the computer while she begged you to come to bed. Maybe he wasn't ready to start doing all the cooking. Taking time to talk about what you want to do, listening honestly and openly with one another, admitting your past mistakes and trying to find common ground will do wonders for both your business and your family. If this seems beyond you, then maybe you need to spend your time working on your marriage rather than a business. Your marriage is much more important than any business you will ever have. SECOND: SET UP SOME GROUND RULES There was an old sit-com here in the US called "WKRP". It was set in a Cincinnati radio station which had a very compulsive news director named "Les Nesman". Les wanted an office, but all he got was a desk. So, he made a "pretend" office by marking out the lines on the floor with tape. Whenever someone wanted to talk with him, he made them actually go through the routine of knocking on and then opening the "pretend" door and he would throw a fit if anyone walked through one of his imaginary walls. While I don't advocate having a "pretend" office, I do think that if you are going to be successful you need to create some rules to follow to make sure that work is work and play is play. Those "imaginary" walls will help keep both you and your family sane. Here are some walls that I would recommend establishing: 1. The hours you are working. Your spouse and children need to understand that just because you are home does not necessarily mean you are available. You also need to have that reminder that work begins at 8 am--not "when I get around to it." You also need to know when your work day is done. This alone will contribute much to your success. 2. Your "Office" Space. If you can reserve a room--great. That's your office. But if you don't have a room, reserve a desk or other workspace just for "work". Let your kids know that it is "off limits" and you make sure that you "leave" your office when you are done with that day's work. 3. A day or two "off" If you work from your home, it is easy to make every day a work day. Make sure to take a day or two completely off each week. This may seem impossible, but I have never seen a business that couldn't survive a one day a week break. In fact, I think you will be more successful by taking the break. 4. Sharing the Chores When you started your business, unless you quit a job to do it, you added responsibilities to your life. Now might be a good time to negotiate with your spouse and children who is going to do the things you once did. You are NOT superwoman or superman. Business is trying enough without the added pressure of more to do than a human being could possibly accomplish. 5. Dating Your Spouse. OK, this is not just for your business. I think that anyone who is married needs to constantly date their spouse. This will do more to make your marriage strong than almost any- thing else. Take a day or two a week just to have an evening alone. This brings us to our final step in keeping both your business and family strong: THIRD: Don't Take This Too Seriously You will fail miserably often in business. Those of us who succeed do so IN SPITE of failure. Don't get so wrapped up in your business that you can't laugh at your failures.

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