Built Not Born Podcast · 6 October 2023
Is Work Life Balance Really Possible for Business Owners?
Can business owners ever properly switch off? Chris and Helen discuss long hours, family time, holidays, weekend boundaries and why balance looks different at different stages of business.
Episode guide
About this episode
Work life balance is often presented as something business owners should be able to perfect. In this episode of Mr & Mrs In Business, Chris and Helen Butler question whether that is realistic when a business is still demanding time, attention and constant decisions.
They reflect on the years when they worked weekends and late nights to build the business, and why they now try to keep weekends for family time unless there is a genuine business need. Their view is that the right balance changes over time. A boundary that works now may not have been possible during an earlier stage of growth.
Holidays bring the same tension. Helen and Chris discuss the difference between being physically away from work and being able to stop thinking about it. Rather than allowing work to take over the day, they have used set periods in the morning or evening to deal with essential issues. For them, a small amount of controlled work can sometimes create less stress than returning to a backlog or worrying about an unresolved problem.
The conversation also looks at the emotional side of running a business. When founders have built something from nothing, it can feel deeply personal and difficult to separate from everyday life. Add customer responsibilities, production problems, staff questions and family commitments, and switching off is rarely as simple as putting a phone away.
Chris and Helen also talk about the different pressures they each carry. Business decisions, customer communication, parenting, school routines and managing the home do not always divide evenly, so balance is partly about recognising what the other person is carrying and making space for each other when the pressure builds.
Their conclusion is less about finding a perfect split between work and life and more about paying attention to what is sustainable. Long hours may be necessary at certain points, but so is recognising when the workload is affecting family time, sleep or the ability to think clearly. The goal is to make deliberate choices rather than measuring your life against somebody else's version of balance.
Key takeaways
What you'll learn
- Work life balance is not a fixed formula. What feels manageable can change as the business, family and workload change.
- Building a business can involve periods of long hours and weekend work, but boundaries can be reset once the business reaches a different stage.
- Completely switching off is not always the least stressful option. For some founders, dealing with essential tasks at set times can make a holiday more relaxing.
- Protecting family time matters, particularly when work has previously taken priority for long periods.
- Founders need to recognise their own warning signs. When workload starts affecting clear thinking, it may be time to park some commitments and reduce the pressure.
- Balance inside a family business can also depend on how business, household and parenting responsibilities are shared between partners.
Questions from this episode
Frequently asked questions
Is work life balance realistic for business owners?
Chris and Helen do not see work life balance as a single fixed formula. They describe it as something that changes with the stage of the business, the workload and family commitments, with different boundaries becoming possible at different times.
Should business owners work while they are on holiday?
Their approach is to avoid letting work dominate the holiday while still dealing with essential issues when needed. They describe setting aside limited time in the morning or evening so the rest of the day can remain focused on family and the holiday itself.
Do you need to work weekends to build a business?
Chris and Helen explain that they worked weekends for several years while building the business and believe those extra hours helped them move forward. They now generally protect weekends and only work them when there is a genuine need.
How can a business owner know when it is time to slow down?
Chris describes reaching a point where he had taken on too much and was struggling to think clearly. His response was to park some commitments and focus on fewer things. Their wider point is to pay attention to personal warning signs rather than following somebody else's rule about how much work is acceptable.
Why can switching off be difficult for founders?
The episode compares a business to something its founders have built and nurtured from nothing. Customer questions, operational problems and the prospect of returning to a large backlog can make complete disconnection feel more stressful for some business owners, not less.