Do you dream of building a business, working for yourself, being your own boss, & having the freedom to only take on clients and projects you love?

Do you want to build a business that will not only bring in the income that you need but provide you with a creative outlet for your passions?

[clickToTweet tweet=”There is a huge difference between building a business & being self-employed. ” quote=”One thing you may not realize is that there is a huge difference between building a business & being self-employed.” theme=”style1″]

Business owners scale their income. Self-employed people trade dollars for hours.

Business owners leverage the skills and talents of others. Self-employed people rely only on their own skills.

Discouraged yet?

Don’t be.

Every business owner starts out self-employed. But you don’t have to stay there.

These tips will help you build a business instead of just another job.

Don’t Try to Do It All Yourself

Building a sustainable business requires that you leverage the talents & time of others. While it might seem cost-effective to simply do everything yourself—except in the start-up phase when you likely have more time than money—it’s a path to burnout and stress.

As you grow, separate your tasks into those that you love & are especially suited for (such as marketing) & those you dislike or aren’t good at. Then make a solid plan to get those tasks off your list of things to do. Fiverr anyone? If you feel like you can’t afford to outsource it all at once, start with what you tend to procrastinate the most on, even if it’s just a few hours each month.

Don’t Allow Yourself to Work All the Time

The trouble with working at home is that you live at work. That means that there’s no clear line in the sand between your work day & your home life – especially once you throw kids into the mix!

Since there’s always work to do, it’s easy to find yourself working every available moment—often to the detriment of your family.

You can help avoid this by:

• Setting—& maintaining—clear work hours or time blocks
• Having an office with a door you can close when you’re done (if you’re lucky enough to have an office!)
• Scheduling time into your calendar for family & other activities
• Taking time for yourself each day

I am in LOVE with my Carpe Diem Planner – this is the one I have, & I also added the “home” insert set… & stickers because 🙂

Vacations and Downtime Are Important

Don’t create a business that requires you to be “in the office” every day. At the start, you may need to be available more, even if it’s just to respond to comments & emails, but you should definitely be planning for the day when you can be “off the grid” for extended periods of time. Isn’t that the whole point of starting your own business anyway?

• Have trusted contractors who can handle things when you’re not available
• Leverage automation tools such as autoresponders and autowebinar systems
• Create repeatable & scalable systems so you’re not always re-inventing the wheel

While you might not be able to hit the road with no internet access for weeks at a time, at the very least you should be able to reduce your workload to a daily check-in.

Sound impossible? It’s not.

With some forethought and planning, you can create the systems you need to successfully run & grow your business without becoming overwhelmed & overworked.

What Is More Important Than Money?

Understanding Why You Really Do What You Do Will Lead You To Find Your “Why”- Your Passion And True Calling.

What do you think super-successful people all have in common?

It’s not experience.

It’s not extraordinary skills.

It’s not even a powerful drive.

Although all of these things can definitely help you succeed, they’re not a prerequisite.

After all, no one is born with experience or skills, & plenty of successful people lack drive.

The one thing that does make a difference in your level of success, though, is being able to identify your “why.”

• Why did you decide to become a ________?
• Why do you spend so many hours at your job every week?
• Why do you stay up too late & get up too early, just so you can work on growing your side hustle into a business?

“Why” is what ultimately drives us to success, but here’s the thing: it’s different for everyone.

Your why is not my why, & my why is not her why.

It’s a deeply personal choice that can have great meaning…or maybe not.

For example, a survivor of domestic abuse might happily spend 60 or 70 hours each and every week mentoring other victims of abuse, or counseling couples on how to break the cycle. Her big why is a strong desire to prevent other women from suffering in the same way she did.

A mother of small children may be saddened at the thought of sending her kids to daycare just so she can go to work to (barely) pay for it. Her big why is a drive to spend as much time with her kids as she can, while still supporting her family.

A young entrepreneur might resist taking the same path her parents took, working for a big company for 40 years, only to retire & find themselves with barely enough to live on. Instead, she dreams of having the income (& the time) to see the world while she’s still young enough to enjoy it.

So what’s your big “why”? It’s not money, is it?

It might be the freedom to travel, the ability to spend time with your family or to earn enough money to be able to live debt-free.

Whatever it is, make your “why” the driving force behind every action you take.

When you’re deciding whether or not to take on a new responsibility, ask yourself if it’s aligned with your “why.”

When you’re setting goals for the year, ask yourself if those goals are moving you closer or further from your big why.

Thinking of branching out into a new business venture?

If you ensure that it’s in alignment with your big “why” success is suddenly much more attainable.

Think about what your biggest wants & needs are – is it money or something deeper? What will it take to get you there?

In an upcoming post, I’ll break down the best ways to set your goals to align your actions with your “why.,” but for now, decide what is more important than money in your life.