Striking work-life-community balance as a young franchise owner.

By Jack St. Clair

Franchise owners have various reasons for entering the business – some are motivated to positively impact their communities, and others want to foster a well-established brand. For a young college dropout looking to grow professionally, franchising offered many opportunities to succeed. After working for three years at a Home Instead Senior Care franchise, and eventually moving on to own a franchise, the importance of maintaining a balance between work, life and the community quickly became apparent to me.

As franchise owners grow with their businesses, they invest time and energy in ensuring that the operation is successful, especially young executives who have something to prove. However, it is also important to establish a healthy balance among the things that are important to you: work, life and community. Maintaining this balance is not always easy, but with a little flexibility, it’s achievable. Here’s some thoughts on how to get there.

Schedule Everything

As a business owner, life can get busy and become overwhelming. Not only do you have employees to manage, but many also have personal responsibilities and interests outside of work relating to family and loved ones. You may be a newlywed, a first-time parent or have aging parents who need care. These responsibilities are equally important to you and require attention. To ensure that you divide your professional and personal time appropriately, it is helpful to schedule time as far in advance as possible for the things that are important to your personal life.

For example, reserve time to read at your child’s school at the beginning of the year or schedule date nights with your spouse where you don’t discuss work. Getting Things Done by David Allen is a great resource that can help executives find stress-free ways to manage their responsibilities. Allen suggests people aren’t stressed about how much they must do, they are stressed about forgetting to do something. Scheduling what is important eases this worry and guarantees that you don’t miss things that matter. 

Build a Strong Team

No matter the size of your business, you need reliable people to share the load and help keep things moving. When creating your team, find individuals who are smart, have hustle and are passionate about your business and the customers you serve. As you look for the right professional qualities in employees, be a model supervisor and develop leaders who genuinely care about employees and their goals. To do this, make time to ask and listen to what is going on in your employees’ lives. Encourage open dialogue about their lives and personal passions. Often, you’ll uncover a new employee goal or learn something new about the people you interact with daily.

Connect with Community

Dedicating time to your community can be just as important as building a successful franchise and organizing your personal life. It’s personally rewarding. It also can be professionally rewarding, as community involvement can give a direct boost to your business through the connections you make and the commitment you demonstrate to causes that are important to your stakeholders.

In a 2015 report, Project ROI found that investment in community initiatives can increase sales revenue up to 20 percent, while also affecting variations in customer satisfaction by more than 10 percent. Take time to get involved in local organizations that can connect with your business, such as an Alzheimer’s Walk, if you are in the senior care industry. Support organizations that are important to you and host events that engage the local community. Connecting with and building your community can help other business leaders gain confidence and respect for you – especially as a newer franchise owner.

Another way to connect with your community is to seek out business opportunities that fill core community needs. This could mean investing in a franchise that provides a service needed in your area. Build relationships with those in your community to discover their needs and how your business could be a solution. 

Family + Business Together

Managing work and family schedules is often a challenge, but also can reap benefits. Find ways to incorporate family into the business – become business partners with your spouse, bring your kids to the office, or host work events where employees and staff can invite family and friends. Fostering a family environment allows your employees, family and business to grow stronger together. Your family and experiences may even provide insights to learn more about your franchise and introduce new business opportunities.

With each day, moment and life lesson, you’ll see how important work-life balance can be to your success as a franchise owner. By keeping organized, seeing to the needs of your family and friends, and taking time to listen to your employees and your customers, you will have the roadmap for building a rewarding and successful franchise career. It all works together in a carefully choreographed balancing act.

Jack St. Clair is the Franchise Owner of Home Instead Senior Care in Herndon and Manassas, Va., leading a team that provides in-home care to nearly 250 older adults.