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Work to Live, Never Live to Work

3:39 with Paul Boag

Businesses can be run with different exit strategies in mind. However, it is important for a company to be run in a way that allows for its people to live a positive lifestyle in the process.

[How to Run a Web Design Business with Paul Boag: A Lifestyle Choice Deep Dive] 0:00
So let's move on and look at the crucial thing for me and the thing that we 0:04
discussed right at the very beginning which is this 0:10
idea of building a lifestyle business. 0:13
A business that supports the life that we want to live. 0:16
Work to live. Never live to work. 0:20
There are basically two types of businesses. 0:24
There are those with an exit strategy I mentioned in the last video 0:26
and there are those lifestyle businesses that are developed 0:30
to facilitate the lifestyle that you want to live. 0:34
Now as you have gathered, I'm a huge fun of the second type of business 0:37
and I think most web designers fall into this category. 0:42
They like the idea of building a business that supports their lifestyle. 0:45
People become their own boss for a couple of reasons. 0:54
Firstly, they have this image that if they become their own boss 0:57
and set up their own business, they'll have more time. 1:01
They'll have more money and more freedom in what they do. 1:03
Unfortunately, the reality is not always that. 1:09
I've got to say that a lot of the freelancers and web designers I know 1:12
that who've gone and set up by themselves, they're undercharging 1:16
from their work a lot of the time and they're also at the whims of clients. 1:20
Essentially, all of those things that they wanted from setting up 1:25
their own businesses, they failed to achieve. 1:28
Now they tend to justify it to themselves by saying that things will get easier 1:32
but I have to say to you, don't live for the future. 1:38
Your business should facilitate your lifestyle today. 1:42
And so don't set up the business where you're willing 1:46
to sacrifice those ideas you had when you first set it up. 1:50
You wanted more freedom. You wanted to work less hours. 1:55
You wanted to be your own boss. Hang on to that. 2:00
Ask yourself, what was your perfect job be like? 2:04
And then keep focused on that vision. 2:07
If your perfect job is working less, make sure you work less. 2:10
If you're getting too busy, either hire another member of staff 2:15
or don't take on as many projects. 2:19
If your perfect job is to be your own boss, make sure you don't take 2:22
on that project which you know has got a really difficult client 2:27
who's going to turn into a pain in the neck. 2:31
If something is going to take you further away from your vision, don't do it. 2:34
Stay focused--Remember, you're in control of your business 2:40
and not the other way around. 2:44
It's easy for your business to turn into this monster that you have to 2:46
constantly feed with work and it ends up dictating to you 2:50
but that's not the way it should be. 2:54
Ultimately, a lifestyle business is about facilitating your lifestyle 2:56
but remember this as well, it's not just about facilitating your lifestyle, 3:02
it's also about facilitating the lifestyle of your employees too. 3:08
If you've hired someone, that's not an excuse to dump all the rubbish on them 3:12
because you don't want to turn into one of those bosses 3:19
You're trying to create a business that facilitates the 3:22
lifestyle of everyone that works in it. 3:26
Stay focused on their aim and I can promise you that you will enjoy your work 3:28
so much more and you will enjoy working with your colleagues. 3:33

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