For most small business owners, there is no such thing as work-life balance. Did you know that 44% of small business owners believe that the stress of running their businesses has damaged their health? Did you know that one out of two small business owners only take major holidays off, and two out of three work more than 40 hours per week with one in 10 working more than 70 hours per week?
Given these statistics, it’s not surprising that small business owners are stressed, their health is deteriorating, and they have little or no balance between work and life. Small business owners are losing time to exercise because they work so much, and as a result, they report gaining weight and becoming short-tempered.
Finding work-life balance is challenging for most business people, and small business owners are definitely feeling the effects. The infographic from Bolt Insurance below offers more statistics and some tips to take your life back. How realistic are these tips for small business owners? I’ll leave that up to each entrepreneur to decide for herself.
Via: BOLT Insurance
Share your thoughts in the comments below. I’ll start. Most of these tips describe my life accurately, and actually following these tips is unlikely to happen. What do you think?
Susan Gunelius
Susan Gunelius is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Women on Business. She is a 30-year veteran of the marketing field and has authored a dozen books about marketing, branding, and social media, including the highly popular Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing, 30-Minute Social Media Marketing, Content Marketing for Dummies, Blogging All-in-One for Dummies and Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps. Susan’s marketing-related content can be found on Entrepreneur.com, Forbes.com, MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, and more. Susan is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She has worked in corporate marketing roles and through client relationships with AT&T, HSBC, Citibank, Intuit, The New York Times, Cox Communications, and many more large and small companies around the world. Susan also speaks about marketing, branding and social media at events around the world and is frequently interviewed by television, online, radio, and print media organizations about these topics. She holds an MBA in Management and Strategy and a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and is a Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC).
Follow Me:
While these statistics are sad, they don’t surprise me at all. In my experience, many women start businesses because they desire more flexibility – and you get that, but you also acquire a huge task load that is hard to manage. The first thing that goes is regular exercise, followed by sleep and decent food, at a time where you need to be building your energy reserves. It’s like navigating those first days with a new baby – you need a shower but you’re afraid to put the baby down. This is a good wake-up call. Thanks for sharing!
Sarah, You’re 100% correct! Exercise, sleep, and decent food — I’m not sure I remember what those are.
This is a great visual for a topic I share all the time with business owner those with an entrepreneurial vision. As Sarah Says the business of “you inc” usually goes belly up. 🙂 when in pursuit usually out of a lack of planning and understanding that the latter half of the infographic is so needed. ( even if you are outsourcing) I am going to share this with clients and friends alike. Thank you for Sharing.
Marrian, Glad to hear the infographic will be useful to you!