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Work-Life Balance Doesn’t Exist – Let Me Explain Why

Every modern entrepreneur needs to know this.

You can’t crack work/life balance (no matter how hard you try). It’s BS. It’s a myth. It doesn’t exist.

Two decades in the trenches have made that abundantly clear. Work and life will always bleed into each other. Keep chasing that balance and you’ll stay caught, trapped in that messy middle place, battling forever to escape.

There’s no work/life balance. 

It’s just Entrepreneurial Life.

But there is a better way. A path to a calmer, more natural, less stressed life as a business owner.

So if you want to enjoy more freedom, make more money, beat burnout and quit worrying about how to stop every new idea you have from bleeding into your personal life… Here are 5 EASY things you need to do. 

1. Set Boundaries

Designate specific times for your work and personal activities. Stick to it as much as possible. Spending time on self-care is how you recharge your entrepreneurial energy. And that only ever improves your productivity for the day. Boundaries ensure that your work doesn’t consume every waking hour, allowing you to maintain a semblance of personal life even amidst the chaos of entrepreneurship.

2. Schedule Time for Your Hobbies

No, hobbies are not a luxury. Yes, you do have time for them. Saying you don’t is a feeble excuse. This is how you recalibrate your mental bandwidth and push faster and further than you imagined possible. And yes, SCHEDULE it. If it doesn’t get scheduled, it doesn’t get done. Engaging in hobbies keeps your mind fresh and creative, which is essential for innovative thinking in your business.

3. Leverage Tech

Use the right tools to make your life smoother and easier. Project management tools, communication tools, time-tracking apps – anything to help you individually, and your company. Aim to delegate and automate. That’s the ultimate one-two combo to:

• Achieve more in less time

• Reduce your leadership burden

• Become more mindful and focused

• Free up your time for that all-important self-care

By leveraging technology, you can streamline operations, enhance productivity, and create a more manageable workload for yourself and your team.

4. Embrace Flexibility

Some days you’ll spend more time on work things. Other days you’ll spend more time on personal things. Accept that. Flexibility is the hallmark of a successful entrepreneur. Recognize that the nature of your work might not always fit into a rigid schedule and adapt accordingly. Flexibility allows you to respond to the ever-changing demands of your business and personal life without feeling overwhelmed.

5. Prioritize What Truly Matters

Evaluate what is genuinely important in both your business and personal life. Focus your energy and resources on those priorities. This might mean saying no to certain projects or delegating tasks that do not align with your core goals. By prioritizing effectively, you ensure that your efforts are directed towards activities that bring the most value and satisfaction.

Final Thoughts
Abandoning the myth of work/life balance doesn’t mean succumbing to a life of constant chaos. Instead, it means embracing a more realistic and fulfilling approach to entrepreneurial life. By setting boundaries, scheduling hobbies, leveraging technology, embracing flexibility, and prioritizing what truly matters, you can enjoy more freedom, make more money, and beat burnout.

Quit worrying about stopping every new idea from bleeding into your personal life. Instead, integrate these strategies into your routine and pave the way to a calmer, more natural, and less stressed life as a business owner.

Here’s to thriving in the beautiful chaos of entrepreneurial life!

There are No Failures. Only Outcomes.

Would you keep going after 1,009 rejections?

There are no failures, there are only outcomes.

Every setback, every rejection, every ‘no’ is simply a stepping stone on the path to success.

Take Colonel Sanders, the founder of KFC, as an example. Before he struck gold with his famous chicken recipe, he faced a staggering 1,009 rejections. That’s right – 1,009 people told him ‘no,’ that his idea would never work, that he should just ‘give up and go home.’

But Colonel Sanders refused to see those rejections as failures. Instead, he viewed them as opportunities to learn, to refine his pitch, and to keep pushing forward. He knew that every ‘no’ was simply bringing him one step closer to the inevitable ‘yes’ that would change his life and the fast food industry forever.

The same principle applies to business and to life.

Every failure is simply an outcome, a data point that we can use to adjust our course and keep moving forward.

When we pitch a potential investor and get rejected, we haven’t failed – we’ve simply learned what doesn’t work, and we can use that knowledge to craft a better pitch next time.

When we launch a product that flops, we haven’t failed – we’ve simply gathered valuable data about what our customers don’t want, and we can use that insight to create something that truly meets their needs.

The key is to reframe our thinking around failure and success.

Instead of seeing failure as a dead end, we need to view it as a necessary part of the journey. We need to embrace the idea that every ‘no’ is simply a redirection, a chance to pivot and try a different approach.

And just like Colonel Sanders, we need to have the resilience and the tenacity to keep pushing forward, no matter how many rejections we face. We need to believe in ourselves and our ideas, even when no one else does. We need to have the courage to keep knocking on doors, even when it feels like no one is listening.

So the next time you face a failure, remember Colonel Sanders and his 1,009 rejections.

And remember that there are no failures, only outcomes – and it’s up to you to use those outcomes to create the success you want to see in the world.

Video Message from Chris

MORE INFO

Think PROGRESSION… Not Recession!

This year has been a bit of a rollercoaster, hasn’t it?

Looming recession. Political unrest. War. Oh, and we’re stilling handling a pandemic, right?!

Don’t get me wrong… I’m not going all ‘Debbie Downer’ on you. In fact, it’s quite the opposite.

PROGRESSION - NOT RECESSION

I’m writing to you today to tell you that we should be thinking about progression – not recession.

Here’s why… For instance, did you know that 57% of the companies on the Fortune 500 list were founded during an economic downturn? In addition, 92% of patents are filed during, or just after a downturn.

The fact is… we’re here right now – 2022 is one of these moments.

The shake-up of Covid has led to consumers driving new agendas, businesses embracing new sales, marketing and operational models, and new leaders are rising up.

Chances are we’re looking at more change in the next 10 years than in the last 100 years.

And… 9/10 times change is a good thing.

Looking ahead isn’t easy, especially in todays fast paced world. However, a way forward, complete with buckets of new opportunities to grow better businesses, better memories – heck, a better world – is just around the corner.

We need leaders to see and shape this future, and help us get there.

I’m doing my part – and I hope you’ll do yours.

YOU CAN’T HAVE IT ALL - BUT, YOU KINDA CAN!

We’ve all heard of the “you can’t have it all” myth. I’m here to bust that myth.

Actually, you can have it all. You just can’t have it all at the exact same time!

Zig Ziglar said “You can have everything you want in life, as long as you help as many other people as possible get what they want!”. The guy was right. I mean, it’s scary how true that is.

The more people I help build profitable businesses around their expertise, the more of my personal goals and dreams come true. But, they come to fruition in a ‘drip by drip’ cycle… not all at once, and I’m okay with that.

START PLANNING 2023 - NOW!!!

Q4 of every year is a time on my schedule that I’m busier than pretty much any other time throughout the year. Why? Because while others are starting to take it easy, I’m putting my foot down on the gas even further.

In the next 60-days, I am holding a 2-day retreat for my Round Table Mastermind, I’m opening the doors to the Youpreneur Incubator for our annual launch and I’m hosting another one of our popular 1-Day Business Breakthrough events.

Oh, and as the proud father to four kids… getting ready for Christmas!

If you’ve not done so already start reflecting on what you need to do to build a business around your life – not the other way around.

If you’re tired and burned out from coming out of the ‘Covid Cocoon’, hit the pause button and start planning what you need to do to go from burned out business owner, to an elevated entrepreneur, going into 2023.

I’m here to help you. Promise. But, you’ve gotta help yourself, too.

Start now.

Your Personal Brand IS Your Business!

After returning from a New York trip, I had a few important observations. 

One of them catching me a little by surprise, too!

First up, the power of the personal brand is still very much alive and kicking! There’s been a good amount of chatter in recent months in regards to folks wanting to step into the shadows and ‘build a business’, not a personal brand. 

I want to squash this once and for all.

Your Personal Brand IS Your Business!

While I was in New York I did the closing keynote at ProfitCon for my buddy, Mike Michalowicz.

Throughout my time at the conference I was stopped over and over again by attendees (who I had never met before).

They told me that they’d been listening to my podcast for years, or had read my books, or had purchased my courses… or had seen me speak somewhere else before – and were now looking forward to signing up to the Youpreneur Incubator, or working with one of my companies.

You see, although it might have been a definitive moment, it wasn’t me speaking at the event that made them ready to work with me. 

It was because they had known me and my work for years and years. 

They ‘knew me’. They trusted me. And because of that alone, they were ready to get started.

Don’t underestimate the importance of playing the long-game when it comes to business, and especially to your personal brand.

I was also reminded about the importance of relationships.

In just one evening, which consisted of dinner and drinks with two separate parties, I confirmed four different affiliate partners that are now all-in on an upcoming launch we’ll be promoting soon.

These relationships have been formed over the last 7-8 years and this is the first time any of these folks are partnering with me officially. 

As I always say, relationships should be treasured – not used. 

All I needed to do was mention the upcoming promotion in conversation and they all agreed to jump on board to have some fun and make some money as part of the launch.

Finally… and this was the surprising takeaway, we had an incredible time at The Langham on 5th Avenue in NYC. I’ve stayed in hotels all around the world. Some better than others, obviously. But, the experience myself and my wife had at The Langham in New York was the absolute best we’ve had at any hotel, anywhere.

The attention to detail was spot-on. The staff were legendary – nothing was too much, or too little. And the building itself quickly felt like a home away from home.

The Big NYC Takeaway - Just Give a Sh*t!

They cared. It was clear from the moment we checked-in, to the moment our car came to collect us upon checking-out.

All too often we get stuck in the day to day running of our businesses that we stop looking at how things are perceived by our customers. The Langham in New York clearly don’t stop looking at these things.

They obsess over them. They give a sh*t and it’s crystal clear.

So, do likewise, my friend.

Reconnecting with Nature for Creative Solitude

In this video, I share 3 reasons why entrepreneurs should be reconnecting with nature for creative solitude and what it can mean for overall output as a business owner.

After living in the beautiful country of the Philippines for almost 18-years and not being able to stay outdoors for too long due to the hot climate, when we moved back to the UK 3-years ago, I fell completely back in love with nature.

It’s had a direct impact on how I feel day-to-day, my overall output when I’m working and as an added bonus, it’s kept me fit!

I hope this video gives you some motivation for making sure you get outdoors today and I promise, you’ll feel instantly better when you do!

Catch you in the next video.

Thanks for watching

There are a lot of videos you could be tuning into today, but you chose mine, and I’m grateful for that. If you enjoyed today’s video, please share it by using the social media buttons you see on the player at the top of this page and don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel for more videos like this.

Remote Online Coaching Set Up (Every Piece of Kit I Use!)

In this video, I show you the behind the scenes of my remote online coaching set up!

Whilst on our short family staycation, I had an important coaching call for my inner circle, Round Table Mastermind clients.

Being the perfectionist that I am, I had to make sure that the quality and flow of the call was the same as it would be when I’m in my home office. Watch the full video to find out every bit of tech I swear by using to make online coaching a walk in the park!

Links to pretty much everything mentions are on my ‘Kit Page’, for easy browsing.

Products Mentioned in This Video

  • Apple MacBook Pro
  • Apple iPad Pro 12.9”
  • Apple Pencil 2nd Gen
  • Apple AirPods
  • Algato Facecam
  • Algato Streamdeck
  • Samson PXD1 Lav Mic
  • USB Dongle
  • Switchpod

Click here for more information about the Youpreneur Incubator online coaching platform and how to become part of this group of high achieving, action-taking entrepreneurs, when we open the doors for a brand new intake of clients soon!

Thanks for watching

There are a lot of videos you could be tuning into today, but you chose mine, and I’m grateful!

If you enjoyed this video, please consider subscribing to my YouTube channel where I regularly post tips, strategies, random musings and ‘behind the scenes’ vlogs and more!

How to Turn Fans into Customers with David Meerman Scott

Marketing strategist, David Meerman Scott joins me to talk about how to turn fans into customers! We deep dive into David’s book, Fanoracy: Turning Fans into Customers and Customers into Fans, why he wanted to write this book with his daughter, the challenges they learned during the writing process and how they took it in turns to write the chapters. David also explains why it’s so important for businesses to create fans and why we should focus on creating more personal relationships with our customers.

Essential Learning Points From This Video

  • Why David wanted to write his 11th book with his daughter
  • David explains why fandom is for every kind of business
  • Why people feel safe when they're with their 'tribe'
  • How we can continue to stay truly connected in today's digital world
  • Why it's vital to build personal relationships with our audience

Click here for more information about my Youpreneur Incubator online coaching platform and how being part of this group in 2022 will help you achieve your best year ever!

Thanks for watching

There are a lot of videos you could be tuning into today, but you chose mine, and I’m grateful for that. If you enjoyed today’s video, please share it by using the social media buttons you see on the player at the top of this page and don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel for more videos like this.

Expert Tips on Running a Successful Webinar with John Lee Dumas

John Lee Dumas of Entrepreneur on Fire joins me to share his expert tips on running a successful webinar! We deep dive into how John has harnessed the power of webinars to grow his community and business, and the strategy he uses for running and promoting his webinars to make them a success.

Essential Learning Points From This Video

  • Why listening to your audience's pain points is key when creating your own product or service
  • How John 'removed barriers' that were stopping possible customers from making a purchase
  • One game-changing tactic that John has used to gain more webinar opt-ins
  • How 'closing' is a natural conclusion to the webinar process
  • John's advertising strategy for promoting his webinars

Click here for more information about my Youpreneur Incubator online coaching platform and how being part of this group in 2022 will help you achieve your best year ever!

Thanks for watching

There are a lot of videos you could be tuning into today, but you chose mine, and I’m grateful for that. If you enjoyed today’s video, please share it by using the social media buttons you see on the player at the top of this page and don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel for more videos like this.

How to Get Started with YouTube and Growth Strategies with Sean Cannell of Think Media

Sean Cannell of Think Media sits down with me to talk all about how to get started with YouTube and shares his top growth strategies for growing a YouTube channel! Sean explains that you can do almost everything from your smartphone, the importance of providing nothing but pure value in your videos for your audience and a few of his favourite strategies for channel growth.

Essential Learning Points From This Video

  • You don’t need a fancy camera to get started with YouTube, you can do everything from your smartphone!
  • The content value will always be more important than the production value
  • Create videos based on what your audience is asking for
  • Have the courage to jump on current trends
  • It takes time to build momentum on YouTube

Click here for more information about my Youpreneur Incubator online coaching platform and how being part of this group in 2022 will help you achieve your best year ever!

Thanks for watching

There are a lot of videos you could be tuning into today, but you chose mine, and I’m grateful for that. If you enjoyed today’s video, please share it by using the social media buttons you see on the player at the top of this page and don’t forget to subscribe to my YouTube channel for more videos like this.

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