What’s the right balance between work and non-work time? The traditional 9-5 has slowly disappeared with the emails and zoom and texting going far beyond traditional business hours. We asked members of our community to share with us how they think about work-life balance.

Kacie Kratzert | Cookie Artist & Mom of 4

Prior to having children, I spent nearly a decade as a high school social studies teacher and put all my energy into the creativity that job demanded. Upon deciding to stay home in 2015 after the birth of my first baby, I was desperately searching for a creative outlet. I “discovered” cookie art a year later and opened for business during the Christmas season of 2016. I will never forget my first year of being in business (2017); along with another new baby who never slept, I also had no real idea of how much work and how many orders I could manage during any given week. I was only able to work at night, starting around 9pm. That entire year was an exercise in figuring out the right balance for my life. I had to push beyond my natural inclination to say yes to everything that comes my way (and still do) in order to make sure that I got some amount of sleep and family time while still doing this creative thing I love. Now that I’m up to 4 young children, I’d still say I don’t get much sleep, but I’m much happier with the workload I take on, and I’m much more aware of my limits. Read more>>

Nikki Bass | Career Coach & Resume Writer

Work/life balance for me has changed a lot over the years. When I started my business – I was an engaged woman simply working my day job. Over time, that transitioned into being a married woman who was also an adjunct professor and now married with a child. I had to learn that I only have so many hours a day, so if I want to meet my financial targets and have more time available I have to slowly (or not so slowly) increase my prices. I had to learn when to turn it off and when to turn it on. It has become slow to learn the process, but one I embrace with each life change. Read more>>

Ray Abram | Networking Coach

Work/life balance is an interesting topic for me. As the father of three boys it has at times been a challenge to find the right balance between business and family. Realizing that it is important for me to spend as much time as possible with my children as possible, I also always felt the pull of the many priorities brought about by my business ventures. Over the years, as my children have become young adults I find that my time has been freed up a bit now that I have additional drivers. Also, they are at the age that they don’t always want dad around. Read more>>

Emmie Sellers | Photographer

For me, as a photographer, I definitely have to make an effort to keep a balance, but it doesn’t always go the way I want it to. I can set my own hours and decide how little or how much I’m willing to work to get things done for the day and to stay on top of all I have to do, but sometimes I feel like I’m never taking a break! In the beginning of my business, it was a big struggle! I would overbook myself, and eventually, my health suffered for it as well as my family. When my girls were younger, they would always say, “Mommy, you are always on the computer!” With the encouragement and advice from my husband, I knew something had to change. It was then I decided to increase my pricing and limit the amount of sessions I did each week, which did help greatly! There were and still are times when I’m trying my best to fit sessions in that work for my clients even though I know I may suffer for it. Read more>>

Sara Shaikh | Wedding Photographer

Balance is something I needed to learn to apply in both my business and personal life. I used to believe that running my own business meant being accessible 24/7 to my clients and their needs. From checking my work email the minute I got up to replying to text messages from clients at midnight, my work had completely consumed my life. It wasn’t until about 2 years ago when I finally realized I needed to find a way to find balance in my life. I began learning more about journaling, meditation and finding time to do prioritize myself and my own mental health. Being able to implement these tasks into my everyday schedule helps me be able to find my own calm among the hustle of running my own business. Finding balance also means taking a break when you are mentally and physically exhausted or if you are in a state of burnout. Read more>>