Did You Know: Entrepreneurs Value Work-Life Balance

It sounds obvious enough, doesn’t it? I wrote back in June about finding a healthy life-work balance and then I followed up early this month asking whether we really need to separate work and play. It’s a concern that plagues just about everyone, but it doesn’t hit any harder than with people who own their own businesses.

In a recent report produced by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, 55% of entrepreneurs choose self-employment “for reasons such as independence and balancing work and family.” From the outside looking in, most 9-to-5 workers see their entrepreneurial colleagues enjoying a fair bit more freedom and flexibility in their schedules. They assume that because they may not necessarily have a set work schedule, these entrepreneurs can get up from their jobs on a moment’s notice to take care of a family concern. This simply is not the case. Independence, yes. Balance… that’s a different issue.

I’d argue that working for yourself — especially from a home office — only blurs the lines between what is considered work life and what is considered home life. Managed properly, a healthy work-life balance can be achieved, but it does not come automatically with the territory. This is a common misconception that conventional employees may have and it is one that they have to better understand before taking the plunge into self-employment. This hasn’t stopped the exodus from the office, however, as the number of self-employed Canadians increased a solid 30% from 1990 to 2004. More and more, we’re working for ourselves.

Speaking for myself, the greater value of entrepreneurship is in knowing that every success that you enjoy is wholly yours. If you land a huge contract and put in some fantastic work, the reward is wholly yours because it is your business; you’re not working for someone else, making money for someone else. Bear in mind that entrepreneurship isn’t for everyone. To see how you stack up, check out the self-assessment tool at BDC.ca.

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