It’s no surprise that running your own business comes with a lot of freedom and flexibility. But does that mean you get a personal life too? Many people think that when you own a business, you’re all work no play, and at your desk 24/7.

Or maybe you’re the opposite and think that people who run a business have it easy because of that freedom and flexibility. 

But what’s the truth? Do you really get a personal life as an entrepreneur? I’m here to set the record straight!

https://youtu.be/CNoslwpptwk

Your personal life as an entrepreneur

Do you have one when you run a biz? Yes and no.

It really depends on so many different things, but mainly where you’re at in your biz. Many new entrepreneurs are going to find themselves working a lot more than maybe they’ve ever been used to, even at a high-stress corporate job. 

Because when you own a business, you have to also factor in the amount of time spent thinking about your business. No one ever really talks about how much of your mental space it takes up, even if you’re not at your desk all the time.

Everything relies upon YOU, so even when you’re at family parties, out to dinner with friends, or trying to relax and watch your fav TV show with your spouse, your mind is elsewhere. You’re constantly thinking about what did or did not get done.

And ultimately, yes, you do end up putting in a lot of hours. Again, a team of one. Someone’s got to be the designer, decision maker, and customer service rep.

It gets better 

But the more you do it, the more experience you get, and the easier things become. And here’s what changes as it does. 

You feel less pressure to be online 24/7

As a fresh-faced entrepreneur, I was constantly checking my inbox. And not only was I selling digital products, but I was also working with clients 1:1. Both of those things combined took up a lot of mental energy and space. 

I was always so worried that if I wasn’t available, things were going to go south (when in reality, probs not. This wasn’t exactly rocket science).

And it was hard to stop because my clients loved me for always doing the most. I didn’t want to let people down, but eventually, you learn your limits. 

You can start trading money for time

When you’re just getting started in your business, you don’t have a lot of extra money to spend. You want to throw what money you do have into operations to make it all run and then maybe give yourself a cut of what’s left over. 

So you’re the one wearing “all the hats.” In my early years, I had a lot of graphic design work to be done, especially for my digital products. I was no designer. It’s just not something I’m good at or really care to do. 

So eventually, I hired a graphic designer. And it ended up saving me 40+ hours per week. No joke! And because of that, I got to spend more time being the business owner, which took things to the next level. 

You recognize your triggers for burnout

Every business owner struggles or has struggled with burnout in some capacity. And when you’re new to this, it’s hard to recognize when you’re headed straight for it.

But as you get more experience, you start to recognize times when you’re more prone to becoming burnt out.  

For example, launches are stressful. 

My first few were, whew, a lot. I would end them and be absolutely exhausted and want to burn my entire business to the ground. I didn’t know what to expect, how much money I might make, etc. It was a lot to process. 

But now, I know what to expect. I’ve had more than a few launches in my day, and because I’ve been able to outsource ops help, I know more than likely I won’t want to run away when a sale is made. 

What it costs to run a business

None of these things happened overnight. And it was far from easy to get to this point. But if you stay at it, it does get better. You learn what you like, what you don’t, and how to make things run faster and more efficient in your biz. 

But I know you might be thinking…how much does it cost to get there? Well, it’s not cheap. I can tell you that much! Between paying for contractors, software, and taxes, you will be using some of your revenue to cover it. 

That doesn’t mean it’s not worth it, though! 

If you want to see the real cost of running an online business and take a look at the payout you get for the money you spend, check out the video below!