Project Life Mastery

Work Life Balance For Entrepreneurs: What It Actually Means & How To Make It Work For You

Stefan James — Mon, 21 May 2018 14:00:06 +0000

Work life balance is a challenge that many entrepreneurs face. Knowing what it actually means & how to make it work for you is key.

When people think of an entrepreneur, the image that comes to mind is a super ambitious, Type A personality who works 24/7 to manage every aspect of his/her business. It's very rare that an entrepreneurs' personal life is talked about, but they matter.

There is a stigma in the entrepreneurial world that there is no way to maintain a sense of balance while running a business. This isn't necessarily true. Let's face it. Being an entrepreneur is no walk in the park. Oftentimes, it can feel like having a life doesn't come with the territory.

It begs the question… is a work life balance even possible for an entrepreneur?

It starts with debunking the work-life balance myth and finding what works for YOU. In the words of Zig Ziglar, “I believe that being successful means having a balance of success stories across the many areas of your life. You can’t truly be considered successful in your business life if your home life is in shambles.”

In the video below I talk about how to stay healthy and fit while traveling:

(Click here to watch on YouTube)

Do you want to learn how you can achieve work life balance as an entrepreneur? CLICK HERE to join my Online Business Mastery Accelerator program!

As an entrepreneur, do you struggle with work life balance?

If so, join the club! Here lies the problem. I think people get caught up with the word, balance. In many ways, it feels like an unattainable standard to strive towards. When people can't achieve it, it can make them feel like a failure.

Everyone secretly craves work life balance, but not everyone knows what it looks like. It's important to realize that work life balance feels and looks different for everyone, based on one's personality type, commitments, careers, priorities, and goals.

When you are an entrepreneur, it can never feel like there is never enough time in the day to accomplish everything. Research shows that people at all career levels suffer from the emotional and physical damage of workaholic expectations; destructive, stifling management practices; and a lack of sufficient vacation and leisure time — all in the pursuit of “success.” Typically, we frame such damage as products of not having a balance between work and life.

Don't get me wrong, I know that running a business requires hustle and hard work, but it's also equally important to take care of yourself.

Gary Keller said it best, “Work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. The other four balls—family, health, friends, integrity—are made of glass. If you drop one of these, it will be irrevocably scuffed, nicked, perhaps even shattered.”

The concept of work-balance implies that work is something external to our life. However, when it comes to being an entrepreneur, this is far from true. If you think about balance as a scale, eventually the pendulum needs to swing, and that's exactly how life works.

When you are first building a business, perfectly balancing every area of your life is not an option. In many ways, you may need to abandon the idea of work life balance altogether. I remember in the early days of my business. In the early stages of my business, I would work hours on end. I sacrificed time spent with friends and family. I didn't spend money on going out or buying things for myself. Everything I had was invested in my business.

I knew how much time, effort, persistence and hard work it was going to take in order to achieve success. However, I always knew that it was a short-term sacrifice that I was making, for the long-term vision that I wanted to create in my life. Once my business started to grow, I was able to devote more time to other areas of my life.

It comes down to finding OUR true balance and not feeling like we have to fit into a box of what everyone thinks balance looks like. I think that finding your flow is even more important than work-life balance. The goal of living in a state of flow – whether it's emotional, mental or physical – is acting in alignment with your true self.

When you find your flow, work life balance becomes less about getting everything “right”, and more about tapping into your unique rhythm that serves your work and life. By making this simple shift in perspective, I believe that our lives become happier and our businesses flourish.

Let's face it, we are all just trying to do our best.

When we put too much pressure on ourselves to be perfect, we get stuck and feel more out of balance. The entrepreneurial journey is one that requires business owners to constantly evaluate and re-evaluate what is best, from one moment to the next. When the world changes, we need to change alongside it.

In his talk, Off Balance On Purpose: The Future of Engagement and Work-Life Balance, Dan Thurmon says that, “We beat ourselves up in the pursuit of this idea of balance, thinking if we work hard enough, or we are smart enough, or long enough, that we can get to this moment where it all evens out.”

Let's explore 7 ways that you can redefine what work life balance means to you and find your flow.

1. Determine What Success Means To You

Have you ever asked yourself what success means to you? If not, now is the time. Make a list of all of the things that make you happy and fulfilled. Success means different things to different people. When it comes to entrepreneurship, it is crucial that you define what is important to you and your business, and then act on it.

Is your work in alignment with your values?

It's possible that your values may shift over time, but make sure that you are always taking into account what matters to you. I believe that true fulfillment in life is achieved when we make the conscious decision to honor what matters to us and live and work in alignment with that truth.

2. Find Your Purpose

As challenging and difficult as your entrepreneurial journey may be, it should never feel like work. When you are living ON purpose, you are able to find meaning in everything that you do because you are passionate about it. You have a higher vision for your life, and that is what propels you forward.

Lori Greiner once said that “Entrepreneurs are willing to work 80 hours to avoid working 40 hours a week.” She couldn't be more spot on. As an entrepreneur, I resonate with this message. There were times in my life when family and friends didn't understand why I was working SO hard at something that I wasn't making any money from.

My purpose trumped any criticism or judgment because I believed so much in what I was creating. When you make your purpose your profession, you experience the ultimate form of balance. Your work simply becomes a natural part of who you are.

3. Build A Support Network

As an entrepreneur, it is so important that you have a solid support network, both at work and at home, who is committed the vision that you have for your business and your life. There were many times in my life when I may have derailed if I didn't have friends and family that there were to lift me up and remind me of my “why.”

This is why I highly recommend that all entrepreneurs find a mentor, a coach, or a mastermind group that can help them navigate the storms that entrepreneurship brings with it.

Business can be a rollercoaster ride of highs and lows. You have to be ready and willing to strap yourself in be prepared for anything and everything. However, when you've got a team of people in your corner, cheering you on, it helps the ride feel a lot less bumpy.

4. Unplug

When you are constantly ON, you are never really OFF. It may feel like you are going above and beyond, but making the choice to never unplug from technology could actually be a detriment to your productivity.

Research suggests that being distracted by email and other messaging systems may functionally lower your IQ. Your judgment may become clouded, and you may switch to a more reactive approach to information.

How can you focus on anything else if you are constantly online? You may be sitting there thinking, “Stefan, how do you expect me to remove myself from technology?” As an entrepreneur, I agree that being online is a necessity. However, there comes a point when you need to walk away from it and take a break.

In order to unplug, you need to set boundaries for yourself. Determine how and when you will work and stick to that plan. Doing so will ensure that you live a happier and healthier way of life.

5. Become A Master Delegator

Sometimes it can be hard for entrepreneurs to delegate tasks to other people because they get stuck in the story that, “Nobody knows my business better than me.” While this may be true, it's not a working smart mentality. At all costs, avoid doing everything because it is the surefire way to experience burnout.

You are only setting yourself up for failure if you think that you are the only one that can achieve your business goals. Delegating work can significantly help you work on your business instead of in it. Successful entrepreneurs know what their weaknesses and they delegate accordingly.

When you hire the right people, it allows you to stop wearing so many hats, so that you can focus on what matters most to your business success.

6. Set Healthy Boundaries

When I first started my online business, I thought that success meant that I needed to be available 24/7, and I would feel guilty if I wasn't. Over time, I started to realize that this wasn't a healthy way to live.

In order to find your flow, you need to establish healthy boundaries so that you can stay on course with your business, while still feeling like you are taking care of yourself. Sometimes setting boundaries is about saying no when people want you to say yes. It comes down to knowing your limits; deciding what is acceptable for you and your business.

By communicating your boundaries to others, not only will you be respected, but it will also free up your time to do things that matter to you and your business.

7. Schedule YOU Time

We live in a world that encourages a work hard attitude, even if that means at a cost to our physical, mental and emotional health. People wake up, slam a coffee, rush to work, check their emails and live and work on autopilot. It has become normal, but it's killing people.

It may come as no surprise to you, but studies show that entrepreneurs are at a high risk for burnout.

Knowing this reality, I promised myself from an early age that I was going to do whatever it took in order to prevent against this, which is where my passion for morning rituals come in. I have been practicing them since I was 17 years old.

This is my time to find my center and get grounded for the day ahead. It is one of the reasons why I have been able to achieve so much success in my life. Creating a consistent morning routine, like meditating, reciting positive affirmations or going for a walk in nature, will ensure that you start your workday on a high vibe note. Trust me when I say that it works.

Work life balance is all about finding your flow.

Instead of obsessing over attaining work life balance, redefine what balance means to you and your life. What does that look like for you?

Do you want to learn how you can achieve work life balance as an entrepreneur? CLICK HERE to join my Online Business Mastery Accelerator program!

Do you want to know you can achieve more flow in your life? CLICK HERE to read the article that I wrote on Medium!

The post Work Life Balance For Entrepreneurs: What It Actually Means & How To Make It Work For You appeared first on Project Life Mastery.

The Solopreneur Checklist: Are You Ready to Quit Your Day Job?

Stefan James — Sat, 20 Jan 2018 18:00:06 +0000

Do you have a desire to be a solopreneur? Solopreneurship is a business strategy and lifestyle that is gaining popularity in today's world, but it's not for the faint of heart.

I have first hand experience being a solopreneur, which is why I wanted to invite Josh Elkin, the founder of Best Coast Marketing, to share his solopreneur checklist with you.

This checklist will help you determine whether or not you are ready to quit your day job and dive into the world of solopreneurship.

Take it away Josh!

Coming up with a business plan can be exciting, especially when you find yourself in a less than interesting day job. You start to imagine all the benefits of being your own boss, doing the work you want to do, and making your own hours.

The more you plan and take steps to start your business, the more real it becomes, and you realize that this isn’t just a dream. This is something you can actually do. Which leads you to the tricky question: are you ready to quit your day job?

To someone working in a dead end day job, the idea of starting a business and becoming a solopreneur is appealing…and quite possible if they know what they’re doing.

You can even run your business on the side to supplement your day job income. But as your business expands, balancing the two can be difficult, to say the least. The trouble is knowing when you’ve reached your breaking point.

Are ready to become a full-time solopreneur?

It may be easy to supplement your income with your business, but until you devote yourself to it full-time, it’s hard to say whether you’ll be able to fully support yourself that way. Business always involves risks, but you can minimize those risks with careful planning.

Here is a checklist of questions to determine whether or not you are ready to quit your day job and become a full-time solopreneur:

1. Do you have 3-6 months of savings?

In the beginning stages of building a business, don't expect to make money right away. It will take time to build the foundation and establish credibility in your industry. There’s also the feast-or-famine nature of business to consider.

A solopreneur knows that they have to be ready for dry spells. While you are balancing your day job and your business, start to build up an emergency fund. Most financial advisors recommend that you have 3-6 months of savings in an emergency fund before you go off on your own.

If your business is successful early on, great! Continue saving. It never hurts to have that cushion, in case of emergencies.

2. Have you done your market research?

Before you launch your business, you need to know what you are up against. Take a look at the competition. What do they offer to your potential clients? How does what you offer differ from what you offer? Does it differ at all?

Before you quit your day job, have a clearly defined idea of what sets your business apart, and exactly why clients should choose you over the competition. It’s also important to make sure that you are networking in all the right places.

Figure out what social media platforms your target audience is most likely to frequent and establish your brand there, before taking off on your own.

Run analytics on your social media accounts and your website to see how well you are doing and where you need to improve. Once you feel confident that your brand stands out, you can consider drafting that resignation letter.

3. Do you have a network?

Word of mouth is one of the most effective methods of bringing in new business. Marketing research reveals that the vast majority of sharing of information about brands is actually offline, rather than online.

Have you told all of your family and friends about your business, and are they telling their family and friends? Do you have business cards printed? Do you have a strong social media presence?

Put your business out there whenever you can and get people talking about it. When customers start coming to you, instead of you seeking them out, that’s a good indication that your network is working and you are on your way!

4. Have you planned for unexpected costs?

It’s difficult to plan for unexpected costs, since they’re…well…unexpected. But you can expect that unexpected costs will happen.

Whether those costs are a client closing their own business or shipping the wrong products to the wrong customers, at some point, the unexpected is bound to strike. Again, it’s important that you have a cushion, but it’s also important that you have a backup plan, in case things go awry in your business.

If your computer dies, will you be able to replace it quickly? If you lose a supplier, how quickly will you be able to find another?

5. Do you have a backup plan for yourself?

Failure happens to all of us. It doesn't have to be a bad thing. In fact, it is an integral part of any success story.

Take it from Michael Jordan who said, “I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I've been trusted to take the game-winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

Embracing failure is the best way to ensure your success. Sometimes business plans, even good ones, never take off. If your business fails, you want to have a backup plan for yourself, so that you aren't left stranded. Will you be able to return to your day job if money is tight? Will you have time to pursue another business plan, while working part-time?

I encourage you to embrace failure. What matters isn't that you fail, but rather, how you are able to transform your failure into success.

Preparedness is key for making the transition to become a full-time solopreneur. Once you have a network, regular clients, marketing research, and a solid backup plan, all that really remains is finally putting in your two weeks notice.

If you have the desire to become a full-time solopreneur, but feel like you are being held back by your full-time job, I hope that my checklist helps you prepare to make that eventual transition. You will never know if you are ready until you actually start taking action to make your dreams a reality.

Josh Elkin is the founder of Best Coast Marketing, a marketing agency which helps increase their clients’ traffic through organic link-building. Josh enjoys writing about entrepreneurship, marketing, productivity and self-improvement.

The post The Solopreneur Checklist: Are You Ready to Quit Your Day Job? appeared first on Project Life Mastery.

How To Make $50,000 in a Month: Passive Income with Amazon

Stefan James — Sun, 08 Oct 2017 13:57:15 +0000

Tatiana and I are back! Today I want to share with you how she went from $0 to $50,000 per month on Amazon at 23 years old.

We had such an amazing response from our first interview together, which has since gone viral, getting over 2.5 million views, that we decided to do a second one. If you haven't watched it already, I highly recommend that you do!

Tatiana is going to share more with you about her success with selling on Amazon, and how she has built her online brand, Luxx Health, to where it is today.

Are you ready to learn how she went from $0 to $50,000 per month on Amazon at 23 years old? In the words of Robert Kiyosaki, “Financial freedom is available to those who learn about it and work for it.”

Watch the video below:

(Click here to watch on YouTube)

[smart_track_player url=”http://www.buzzsprout.com/9299/577211-plm-481-how-she-went-from-0-to-50-000-per-month-at-23-years-old-on-amazon.mp3″ background=”default” ]

Do you want to learn how to build a profitable online business selling on Amazon? CLICK HERE to receive instant access to my FREE training!

Here is a sneak peak of my interview with Tatiana about how she went from $0 to $50,000 per month on Amazon at 23 years old:

For those people who have yet to watch our first video interview together, can you share a little bit about how you got started selling on Amazon?

I was working a 9-5 job and attending school, full-time when I decided to start an online business. I didn't have a lot of freedom at the time, and that became even more apparent when I started to date Stefan, who as you know, works from his laptop and has the ability to travel and work when he wants.

At the onset, I didn't want to start an online business selling on Amazon because I didn't think that I had the skills to do so. There are so many different ways to make money online, so I decided that I would give it a try. I started to sell a product and made some money doing so, but I wasn't passionate about it. Eventually, Stefan and I found a course called Amazing Selling Machine.

From that course, we learned how to build an online physical products business. From the first module of the ASM course, I was hooked. They shared testimonials from people who had been through the course and who had experienced massive success. I wouldn’t have been able to build a physical products business without this course.

What do you see as the biggest struggles that hold people back from starting an online business?

I think that people don't want to invest their money into a business, for fear that something will go wrong. Even if something does go wrong, learn from your mistakes so that you can improve your business over the long-term. People are also scared of quitting their job, but you don't have to, and I don't recommend it. Build your online business in your spare time until you build it up to a place where it is stable and can provide you with an income.

How has your life changed since starting your online business?

My goal with this business was to be able to quit my job and make enough money to live off of and build an online brand. I reinvest a lot of the money that I make so that I can grow my brand. Sure, I am now working a lot more hours than I ever was at my day job, but I enjoy it because it is something that I am passionate about. I'm not just working for a paycheck. Rather, I'm working to build an asset.

That's what is so great about the ASM event, is that you have a community of people that are on the same path as you that support you. Oftentimes, Amazon sellers aren’t as transparent about their success online, which is why the ASM community is so great. My life has changed dramatically since starting my online business, and it wasn't until I attended the ASM event and saw people that were doing phenomenally well selling on Amazon that my mindset shifted and I was determined to make it work.

What advice would you give to those people who want to take a leap of faith and build an online business on Amazon?

Open your mind to believing that anything is possible, work on yourself, find your passion, and take charge of your life. If this is what you want to do, just do it. Freedom has always been a motivating factor for me, and now that I have it, it has changed my life in so many ways. Before I had an online business, I was so time-restricted, but now I have the opportunity to do the things that I love every day. The more that your business grows, the more time that you will have.

I hope Tatiana’s story of success inspires you to take a leap of faith and start your own online business. This is how she went from $0 to $50,000 per month on Amazon at 23 years old.

If you want to learn more about Tatiana business and the amazing product that she provides, connect with her on social media:

Are you ready to create an online business that will allow you to upgrade your lifestyle?

If you believe in yourself, commit to learning from those who have achieved what you desire, and do the hard work, like Tatiana did. Anything is possible. If she can do it, so can you!

Do you want to learn how to build a profitable online business selling on Amazon? CLICK HERE to receive instant access to my FREE training!

The post How To Make $50,000 in a Month: Passive Income with Amazon appeared first on Project Life Mastery.

How To Develop Habits Of Success

Stefan James — Sat, 29 Jul 2017 14:02:07 +0000

I want to teach you how to develop habits of success. Your success in life is determined, in part, by the decisions that you make on a daily basis, otherwise known as your habits.

Habits are powerful. They define who we are, and in doing so, have the ability to control the direction that our lives take. We are driven to seek routines in our daily lives because they are deemed as ‘safe.’ New habits that pose as a threat to our sense of security can be stressful.

Change isn’t easy, but it’s worth it. Any new habit takes time, commitment and hard work to develop. However, once you do something consistently, it becomes easier to integrate it into your daily life.

A new study from MIT neuroscientists has found that a small region of the brain’s prefrontal cortex, where most thought and planning occurs, is responsible for moment-by-moment control of which habits are switched on at a given time. This study offers hope that it is possible to break bad habits.

In the words of Aristotle, “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.” Are you ready to break your bad habits and replace them with habits of success?

Watch the video below:

(Click here to watch on YouTube)

[smart_track_player url=”http://www.buzzsprout.com/9299/544963-plm-456-how-to-develop-habits-of-success.mp3″ background=”default” ]

Do you want to learn how to develop habits of success? CLICK HERE to join my Morning Ritual Mastery course!

Below are 3 strategies that will help you develop habits of success:

1. Change One Habit At A Time

Changing one routine requires an immense amount of willpower and commitment, let alone multiple ones. A lot of people struggle with building new habits because they make them either too big or too difficult.

There have been extensive studies that show that it’s impossible to change multiple habits because ego depletion kicks in, which leaves our willpower in a mentally weakened state. I believe that the best time to develop new habits of success is the morning, as part of your morning ritual. This is when your willpower is the strongest.

The best way to integrate new habits into your life is to make small, incremental changes every day. In the words of Seth Godin, “Your audacious life goals are fabulous. We're proud of you for having them. But it's possible that those goals are designed to distract you from the thing that's really frightening you—the shift in daily habits that would mean a re–invention of how you see yourself.”

2. Commit To A 30 Day Challenge

Committing to a 30 day challenge is a great way to develop habits of success. Research shows that it requires a minimum of 21 days for an old mental image to dissolve and a new one to jell. It will take the same amount of time for a new habit to develop.

I’ve done 30 day challenges around exercising, waking up early, scheduling my time, and building my business. Every day I practice and develop one habit. By the end of that 30 days, the habit has successfully integrated itself into my daily life.

An accountability partner helps you stay committed to your 30 day challenge. He or she will motivate you to achieve the goal(s) that you set for yourself. Bob Proctor said it best, “Accountability is the glue that ties commitment to results.”

I created a 30 day morning ritual challenge for my Morning Ritual Mastery course members, wherein which over a 30 day period I have them make a daily post on their social media about the one habit that they carried out as part of their morning ritual. Having a support network in place is a powerful way to form healthy, long-lasting habits.

3. Reward Yourself

Every time you do something positive, celebrate yourself. An action needs to be repeated in order for it to become a habit, which is why it’s really important that you reward yourself each time you practice a new habit.

When you take time every day to acknowledge the small actions that you took towards your goals, you strengthen those actions. Whatever you reward, gets repeated.

In the words of Jonas Salk, “The reward for work well done is the opportunity to do more.”

These are 3 strategies that will help you develop habits of success. Positive habits create the energy that fuels success in life. Commit to having daily morning rituals. One positive change in your life will motivate you to implement even more habits. It all begins with one small win!

Do you want to learn how to develop habits of success? CLICK HERE to join my Morning Ritual Mastery course!

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