People involved in small business get a bad rap for their workaholic ways. You know because you either know someone who is involved in small business or you are that person. Let’s look at some facts about small businesses in San Diego and then ways people involved in small business everywhere can a better create work-life balance.According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, 99.9-percent of the 27.5 million businesses in the United States are considered small firms with fewer than 500 employees*. According to the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce, the majority of companies in San Diego County are small businesses with 50 employees or less. One out of every five small businesses in San Diego County are in the business services segment which includes consulting, engineering, accounting, research and management. The additional types of business segments in descending size order are wholesale trade, manufacturing / repair, transportation, consumer services, specialty construction, builders, retail, finance/real estate/insurance and an “other” segment (the unclassified small businesses in the county). In San Diego County, the average number of people employed by a small business is 7.3 people.Everyone related to small business – the owners, the employees, the people who cater to and support small businesses – here are three tips for more balance in your life:1. Schedule time off. Small business owners value the importance of sticking to a schedule and deadlines. Decide how much time you can schedule to relax, be social or spend time with family in the next week and also how much time you would ideally like to have for such activities in the future. Then, schedule time away from work. Maybe this upcoming week you can only dedicate one hour away from everything work related; block out that hour on your calendar immediately. Knowing that your ideal amount of time is two full weekdays per month, a small business owner can set aside those specific dates in February now. Once those days are on the schedule, they must be respected as if they are meetings with the most valuable client. Commit to taking the time off for the things that matter most outside of business and protect that scheduled time.2. Turn off the cell phone. This goes for small business owners and anyone who has ever thought about work outside of the workplace. Especially when spending time with others outside of working hours, turn off the distractions of business. By removing the distractions of phone calls, text messages, instant messages, e-mails and phone alerts for a short time, you can truly relish in your time away from the office.Do you (or the small business owner you know) feel anxiety rise up inside of you when you merely consider turning off your phone? What if you took up the challenge of turning your phone off for one hour next week? Maybe it’s turning off the phone for the hour you’ve scheduled for yourself and your family. Maybe you turn off your phone before you fall asleep or leave it off while you get ready in the morning. Another suggestion is to shut off your phone during your commute if you drive. Since you shouldn’t be on it if you are driving, turn it off and turn up your favorite tunes. Whenever you decide to turn off your phone, you are claiming that time for yourself, which is a crucial piece of the work-life balance equation.Once you’ve turned on your phone again and realized that your business or work hasn’t imploded or exploded, your anxiety will be less the next time you cut off this type of communication. And what if your business does start to implode or explode? If you are not the sole person in your business, then someone will get ahold of you through your significant other, neighbor, friend, coworker or someone will show up where you are to tell you. If you are the sole person in your business, find another business owner in the same situation and work out a trade where you ensure each other’s businesses don’t go awry. Which brings us to the next point.3. Appoint a second-in-command for when you are inaccessible. You will take time off whether it’s an hour next week or a full month next year, and you don’t want to worry about your work during that time. That would eliminate the balance. Select a second-in-command and let the person know in what circumstance they will be in charge and how to reach you if a true emergency arises. (You may want to clarify what you consider an emergency with this person.) Let everyone in your company and important vendors know who is in charge in your absence moving forward. That way if something comes up in the hour you are in a business meeting or at your child’s play or in the month you are on vacation abroad, all employees and important vendors will know who to go to. Your second-in-command acts like the gatekeeper to your time away and assesses when he or she needs to contact you. Finally, when setting up your away messages with the times and dates you will be out of pocket, list your second-in-command’s contact information. Your away message may be on your website, in your social media messages, in an e-mail bounce-back message, on your store’s door, and on the phones in your business. If you’d like that breath of fresh air without the worry, then take the steps needed to prevent work from finding you unnecessarily while you are claiming more life in your work-life balance.With the majority of businesses in United States and in San Diego County operating as small businesses, work-life balance is necessary to continue and grow. By scheduling time off, turning off the cell phone and choosing a second-in-command, you can protect and freely enjoy your time away from the small business you run, work for or support. Here’s to work-life balance in small businesses everywhere!* The U.S. Small Business Administration sources data from the Office of Advocacy estimates based on data from the U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Census Bureau, and trends from the U.S. Dept. of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics and Business Employment Dynamics.

Owning a home based business has many perks. You get to set your own hours; there is no travel, minimal inventory and the freedom of working for yourself. No bosses, no coworkers, and no politics allows for less stress in your life. There are many opportunities to choose from.One key to being successful is to do your due diligence. Check out the company online. Google the company and its owners to make sure this is a legitimate home based business opportunity. Be sure that the company you choose provides good support. There should be ample conference calls, webinars, a call center and a sponsor for you to talk with. You should feel very strongly that this is a product or service that you feel passionate about.You absolutely must believe in your success from the very beginning. Know that you will have a learning curve and frustrations. Owning a home based business is not easy. Be willing to put in the time and effort it takes to be successful. Decide never to quit. There will be challenges to overcome. Look at the challenges as opportunities to learn something new and find a way to overcome them.Did you know that Thomas Edison failed 2,000 times before inventing the light bulb? He viewed this not as a failure but as a new way not to invent the light bulb. Learn from your failures and move on.Be positive and surround yourself with positive people. There will be naysayers and negativity. Ignore it. Keep company with others that believe as you do. Continue to believe that you are successful. Find a mentor that has been successful at what you want to do. Ask for help and home based business advice from others that have already achieved what you want.Set goals. Know what is important to you. Is it sales, marketing, financial stability, your reputation? Set short and long term goals. You achieve what you put your mind to, so set your goals high. Write a vision statement for where you want to be five years from now and then read it every day. Believe.The compensation plan of the company you choose should be easily understandable. It should pay out immediately and not after some number of sales. Check the affiliate programs and what other offers are out there.Look at the reality of the situation and know that this will take some time and some money. No one ever starts at the top, but if you are willing to put in the time and effort and believe in your personal success, then it will come to you. You must stick to it. Refuse to fail.Finally, take action. The best home based business advice I can give is if it feels right do it. Jump in, get started and learn what you need to know to be a success. There are home based business owners making millions, hundreds of thousands and much less than that. Decide who you want to be and get going.