We had the good fortune of connecting with Lauren Bishop and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Lauren, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
Balance between your work and personal life is very important. Priorities and compromises have to be made on a daily basis with the understanding that it will evolve over time. Before I officially started my business, I had more time on my hands and could put more effort into my personal life. Once I started my own business, my priorities shifted in a major way, they had to shift so my business was successful. I was no longer an employee with my responsibilities, I now had to grow and oversee all aspects of a small business owner. While I still had a personal life, I focused more of my energy and time on my business and spent less time with family and friends. I don’t believe you should ever give 100% to one or the other, but decide which (at the moment) has a greater need. When starting a business you have to give most of your focus to work, especially in the media age where you have to build a website, create business cards, etc. There is so much to do! After some time of establishing a client base and growing within the field, I started to shift less of my focus on work to make up for the time lost. While I will always be a workaholic (I love what I do!), I try to incorporate more personal time. You really have to find a balance between the two for nothing else your sanity, if nothing else. Burnout is very real and you can’t give your best when you overdo it.

What should our readers know about your business?
I’ve always been creative brained and have a long history with restaurants specifically (I love food!). I’ve worked with a lot of great chefs and artists in general and understand how they think. Where I come in is to let them do what they love to do and focus more on the business side so they have more time to do so. I like to think of it as trying to connect creative, right brained people with the aspect of their business that is logical and left brained (where they have a hard time). A lot of time and energy was spent building relationships with my clients-I strive for all my clients to think of me as part of the team. I want them to feel that I love their business as much as they do. These relationships are not easy to build-they take a lot of time to build trust but I truly value that relationship. My business is built on these relationships, which I wasn’t expecting. I had to learn that all my clients are different people and work in different ways. I have to be a chameleon of sorts, blending into their world and what works best for them.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
When I have friends or family visiting Atlanta, I always like to cater their experience directly to them. Atlanta is so great because it is such an eclectic city, though a lot of people don’t know that. I’ve heard people suggest the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coca-Cola. These are great places but not what Atlanta truly is to me. I love taking people on food crawls on Buford Highway (where we all get one dish to share at several different restaurants). Ponce City Market is always a go-to that people enjoy. A sunset cocktail on the Clermont Hotel rooftop is gorgeous. A few old-school arcade games and drinks at Joystick Gamebar. There are so many options! 

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My husband is very supportive and very much encouraged me to strive for more. He is understanding when work has to come first. My clients are also amazing! I love being part of their team and learning from them all!

Website: www.squidinkoffice.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/squidinkoffice/

Image Credits
Izzy Hudgins Photography