By now, you should be familiar with the many ups and downs of entrepreneurship. In fact, you may have already equipped yourself with all the necessary measures to survive a fluctuating economic landscape, a lawsuit, and all kinds of major losses.
What entrepreneurs often fail to prepare for, however, are personal dilemmas. This is especially true if you’re the primary caregiver of a differently abled loved one and you have few or no relatives to depend on. The emotional and mental stress that personal problems bring can affect your performance as a business owner, which is why this is a matter you mustn’t overlook.
Above all, you’ll want to make sure that you’re giving your loved one the best care despite your busy schedule. The good news is that there are changes you can make today that will significantly improve your situation.
Invest in Good Technology
You’ll likely be your loved one’s companion during every doctor’s visit, supermarket trip, and other social activities. There’s a lot of idle time during these moments, and you can use them to your advantage when you have a reliable smartphone or tablet.
There’s a large assortment of portable gadgets that you can choose from to improve your productivity while caring for your loved one. You’ll find that video conferencing in the car or finishing up reports in the hospital’s waiting area can help you catch up on work.
The better you’re able to balance both responsibilities, the lesser the chances that you’ll resent your situation.
Know Your Options
No matter how much you want to stay by your loved one’s side all the time, it’s just not possible when you’re running a business. You might have to leave the country overnight to close a deal. Knowing your options beforehand will enable you to make wise decisions about your business trips.
Look into your options for respite care near your area early on. This way, you’re sure that you’re leaving your loved one in trustworthy hands while you’re away.
Since there may be numerous options for care that you can choose from, it’s best to talk to them and visit their facilities while you still have time. Knowing their rates, too, can spare you from any financial burden since you can start saving money for it now.
Hire Help for Yourself
Your loved ones aren’t the only ones who’ll need an extra pair of helping hands. A lot of entrepreneurs today are hiring virtual assistants to oversee tasks that they don’t have time to do. This could be organizing their calendar, monitoring their emails, or communicating with suppliers.
Depending on your business, you might want to hire an assistant you can interact with in person. While their virtual counterparts may be more cost efficient, there are perks that come with personal interactions that you’ll want to take advantage of. This includes increased accountability for their work and a sense of ownership for the business. You may also use their help in dealing with personal errands, such as picking up the laundry and buying medicine. This depends entirely on the job description you offer them, so it’s best to decide early if you want a strictly professional assistant for your business or a personal assistant who can help you with matters outside of work.
Outsource Specialized Tasks
Reducing your workload without compromising the quality of your output is key to a successful small business. Through this, you’ll get the work done while still having enough time to spend with your loved one.
Some of the tasks you’ll want to outsource include accounting, bookkeeping, copywriting, graphic design, IT management, and social media marketing. With the technology available today, it’s easy to coordinate with all of these different companies to make sure that your needs are being met.
In the long run, opting to outsource these specialized tasks may also be cheaper for your business. You won’t have to retain a huge staff, and you can always switch to a new one if the need arises.
Take Care of Yourself
Juggling business with caregiving will take its toll on you. To prevent burnout, identify self-care methods you can try. This could be going for a weekly massage, trying a new workout, or refurbishing your home office. If you need to attend counseling to manage your stress, then don’t let anything hold you back. Know that caregiving is never an easy task, no matter how much you love your parent, sibling, spouse, or child. With the right support and attention to self-care, however, you improve your chances of succeeding in business as well as in caregiving.
