Cost Benefit Analysis of Small Biz Life Choices

I chose not to go “all in” to my small business four years ago – and some would tell me that’s a poor business decision.

I chose not to go “all in” being a full time “stay at home mom/wife” four years ago – and some would tell that’s a poor family decision.

But thing about choice is that it is personal, it is passion-motivated and I am the only one who has to face up to, live with and pursue the choices I make.

Others are affected by my choices. I know that. I’ll share my cost/benefit analysis of my life in a minute.

Right now I’d like you to do a bit of inventory.

What Is By Choice?

• Are the moments you put into your business deliberately chosen? How often to create opportunities you want versus responding to those that pop up?
• How often do you spend time on social media doing things that aren’t social marketing? How often do you spend time playing instead of being with the people who need you and who fulfill your personal worth?
• Are you spending time with family and friends in the best manner possible? Is your work life getting more of you than you want? Are your kids or spouse or friends taking more of your time than they need?
• Is your time and home and business life organized as great as it could be to support your choices? Are you making choices that have no infrastructure for success? Is your infrastructure to support your choices so rock solid you can challenge yourself to create more fun, more opportunity, more self-care?

I don’t have all the answers. I think choices are like a “Choose Your Own Adventure” book with different options leading to the end. The end is the same, but the story you get to read (or in our case – create) varies based on the path we choose to take.

I do know I am getting some of it right and some of it really wrong. I also know I don’t regret any of my choices and I’m at peace with my small business and personal life choices so far – even under the scrutiny of a growing public and the audience at home.

How about you?

Cost Benefit Analysis of My Choices

Small business owners have benefited (for the most part) by me knowing my gifts/talents and sharing them well as a consultant, educator and workshop creator/leader (for the most part). A few clients over the years have not had the best of me (because of my choice to put my kids first always). I regret that I wasn’t able to always be as sharp with my commitments to them as I could have been. However, I chose that too – and odds are we weren’t a perfect fit as a client-consultant team anyway (I know this to be true).

My family has benefited and lost out. My children are happy kids who are blessed with two work from home parents. They are well fed, mosty well-clothed (I am not responsible for mismatched and dirty outfits that they choose to wear – I pick my battles and that’s not one of them) and get to do activities that stretch our budget but we believe matter. Our home organization, cleaning and cooking slips beyond ideal, often. But again, this is my choice. I choose to ignore the laundry in favour of planning a workshop. I choose to take on a client in favour of staying in an extra night to hunker down. I choose to do things that leave one less responsible adult at home to keep the home welcoming to company. A choice that is not a great one for all five of us, but it’s great for me. Something has to give for me to be happy and that is one of them, sometimes.

I’ve chosen to be all-in with my daughters, part-in with my business and occasionally in as a “housewife”. I’m officially labelled “stay at home mom, work from home parent.” But truth is, my home has nothing to do with my choices. The people in my life have everything to do with it. My family, friends and small business community are what matters to me. I will always choose them over my house cleaning if I can. Today I can’t – so I’m putting the blog away to go wash the floors before picking up a kid from gymnastics and a client meeting. 🙂

Proudly share your choices below!

Would love to hear how you manage your life imperfectly but without apology (because you are awesome):