The vast majority of Canadian small business owners feel satisfied with the balance between their personal and professional pursuits, noted a poll conducted by Intuit Canada, a leading provider of business, financial and tax management solutions for small- and mid-sized businesses, consumers and accounting professionals.
Eighty four percent of respondents said they feel they have a better balance than if they worked for someone else.
“Small business owners have told us before, work/life balance is as important to them as finding and keeping customers,” said Barb Anderson, product marketing leader for QuickBooks, accounting software made by Inuit Canada. “Through QuickBooks, we help them carve out time for balance by providing tools that help organize and manage their business finances easily and more efficiently.”
Work/life balance is often measured by comparing the amount of time spent on the job against time spent on personal pursuits. However, 97% cent of small business owners said their view differs from the norm.
“Even though nearly half of respondents (46%) said they work beyond 40 hours a week it’s the sense of ownership over the work they do, the ability to set their own schedule and do what they want when they want, that contributes to their sense of balance,” said Anderson.
Working smarter, not harder is the key to making the most of the time small business owners choose to devote their work and personal lives, he added.
Anderson offered the following tips to help small business owners improve their work/life balance.
Get organized
Having your financial records scattered among a host of file folders or different programs on your laptop is inefficient. Financial management software provides a one-stop snapshot of money coming in and going out of your business so you always know where you stand.
Stop stuffing envelopes
Send invoices through email and eliminate the time it takes to print, prepare and mail them. In addition to cutting out the trip to the mailbox, it gets invoices in the hands of your customers immediately.
Save time with your accountant
Don’t pay your accountant to spend time sorting through your shoebox of receipts. You’ll make the most of your meetings by getting organized ahead of time and getting the strategic advice you need to move your business forward.