The Great Balancing Act: Successfully Managing Family & Being The Boss

My name is Allie West and I AM every woman, at least that is what it feels like. I am an entrepreneur aka Boss Lady, Boss Babe, small business owner and countless other names associated with owning your own business and creating your own dynasty. My company Allie West Productions, LLC. (AWP) has three main entities, Author Allie West, Allie’s Closet and Coach Allie, the Messologist. There are several components housed under each entity and my Messologist Brand embodies each component. I single handedly oversee all of them which is why I feel like I AM EVERY WOMAN! Now, I do hire 1099 personnel to assist with my projects; however, in the end I am the Queen of the Castle so to speak.

Building, maintaining and sustaining a business and looking flawless while doing it is no easy task; yet somehow, some women do it and make it look seamless. Throw in successfully cultivating, managing and nurturing family relationships in the mix and you have quite a balancing act to keep from tumbling.

Imagine balancing all the moving pieces in building a business and a brand while delivering on my promises to my fans, customers and clients - It’s very time consuming, and I’ll admit once I hone in on a project I develop tunnel vision. Relentlessly tackling each task often without considering the time and energy needed to accomplish all my goals. I work countless hours; seven days a week. My normal bedtime falls between three and five in the morning, as soon as I rise I am at it again. A one woman power house, AWP is my baby and I am here for the long haul.

But wait, what about family time? I am an empty nester, my children are grown and out of the house, one is fairly independent, and the other is rather needy. I am also a newlywed. I admit, at times I miss the target at effectively managing my family life and other obligations when I am in power mode. Maintaining a work-life balance is vital in living a healthy life; even more so for Boss Ladies, as we experience unconventional hours and have to have a dedicated work ethic in order to be successful. I am a work in progress. I am organizing my life! I am currently developing schedules to do everything and I mean everything! Being a boss doesn’t mean I forego all of my other obligations – I am not there yet… (keyword yet!). I clean my own house, all of it; I do the dishes, laundry, mop and even water the plants. I go grocery shopping too!

I am grateful that my husband is a very understanding companion. We have a running joke after we dinner each night (which he cooks daily) he says “OK, I am going downstairs to my mancave, I will see you tomorrow. Though he says it jokingly the underlying message is clear – he knows that it will be the wee hours in the morning before I join him in bed. I am aware that I have to do a better job at balancing family time and business. I now intentionally schedule family time – my husband and I schedule one date night during the week where we dress up, have dinner and enjoy one another’s company (no talking about business). I have begun adjusting my day so before I start my workday, I check in each morning either over a show that he watches, breakfast or lunch depending on what time I wake up. As I stated before I am a work in progress. I know the importance of the great balancing act both family and business are very important to me but I will admit my husband and family are more important than all of it. I can always work on my business but I can’t get the time I miss with him. I’d love to hear how you balance your family time and work life; especially from entrepreneurs . Life hacks, suggestions and recommendations are welcome! Let’s connect!