While effective marketing is the main key to business growth, a proper work-life balance is the key to good health and long term prosperity and content.
In his book “So You Want To Start a Business?”, Alan Williams wrote that the reason for about 55% of Australian small businesses failing is due to their owner's ill health!
A healthy work and life balance is vital to your physical and mental well being.
Perhaps the following story I received recently will make the point more eloquently…
The Tale Of The Fisherman
A tourist boat docked in a tiny fishing village. A vacationing business executive complimented one of the fishermen on -the-quality of his fish, and asked how long it took him to catch them. “Not very long,” answered the fisherman.
“But then, why didn’t you stay out longer and catch more?” asked the executive.
The fisherman explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.
The executive asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”
“I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs... I have a full life.”
The executive interrupted: “Hang on here, I have an MBA and I can help you! You should start by fishing longer every day. You can then sell the extra fish you catch.”
“OK, what would I do with the money?” asked the fisherman.
“With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat”, enthused the executive. With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one, and a third and so on, until you have a whole fleet of trawlers...
“And then, instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can negotiate directly with the processing plants … maybe even open your own plant. Then you can leave this little village and move to the big city! From there, you can direct your huge new enterprise.”
“How long would that take?” asked the fisherman.
“20, perhaps 25 years,” replied the executive.
“And after that?”
“Afterwards? That’s when it gets really interesting,” answered the executive, laughing. “When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!”
“Millions? Really? And after that?”
“After that you’ll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta, and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends!”
Why Work Life Balance Is A Serious Issue For Small Business - To learn more about this author, visit Susan Regier's Website.
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Susan Regier
(Visit Susan's Website)
From new business startups to national ad
agency accounts, Susan Regier helps
businesses to get their message
understood. Since 1997, she has provided
professional copywriting for a full range
of marketing material through her company,
Vantage One Writing. Plus she is the
publisher and editor of www.Network
ingToday.ca an online ezine, which is
a valuable resource for businesses.
Susan leads marketing and networking
workshops for new business start ups at
the Small Business Centre in London and in
Sarnia. She is a Creative Writing
instructor at Fanshawe College and has
instructed numerous corporate
professionals in writing and networking
workshops. Susan can be contacted at
519.471.8726 or by email at susan@va
ntageone.ca. Visit her Web site at www.vantageone.c
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