Wednesday 17 October 2012

Work/Life Balance For Traders

In a recent comment to one of our posts, a trader wished for the same number of public holidays as city office workers so that more time could be spent with family. A seemingly contrary view was recently indicated by Boost Juice founder, Janine Allis, who said - "Understanding that there is a time in your business life that to be successful you need to throw the idea of "work-life balance" out the window and commit everything to the success of your venture."

Traders sacrifice many "creature comforts" to operate their businesses at the QVM. We start our working day very early, we have to actually physically set up our shops each morning, and, although most of us have a roof over our heads, there are days, both hot and cold, when Mother Nature severely impacts on our comfort. In addition, we are slaves to public demand and work most weekends and public holidays. This is particularly applicable to General Merchandise Traders who largely service tourists on holiday.

All this doesn't mean that family life has to be neglected, although it certainly does have to be re-arranged. Let's face it, like most office workers we actually work 5 days per week so there is time for family life even if the timing can be a little inconvenient. There are hundreds of examples of successful family stories at QVM.

One distinction is important here. We are not workers. We are small business entrepreneurs who sacrifice "creature comforts" for the benefits that come with the independence of operating our own business's including freedom of choice and the opportunity to make our fortune ( I know, "fortune" seems a little distant at present).

The point is that you can't have the entrepreneurial freedom and a normal office worker's lifestyle at the same time, at least not in retail. If you want both, you are probably in the wrong industry.
 
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COMMENTS:
18/10/2012 19:18:32 work/life balance "You have written this piece so well!! Congrats. Now yell it out for all to hear!!" rosalie