317. Take Control of Your Time as a Business Owner

With host retail coach Wendy Batten https://wendybatten.com/podcast-intro/ Episode Overview Of course you love what you do - and that's why you started your business. But perhaps you also took this leap because you wanted more control over your schedule and more freedom to do the things you love outside of work. This episode centers around answering a question that has come up countless times in my years as a retail coach and that I have even grappled with in the past as a business owner: where should I be spending my time? As business owners, we have three major resources to manage: time, money, and capacity or energy. Time is finite, which means we have to be intentional about how we use it. We're covering a lot of ground in this episode from setting clear boundaries between work and personal life, why you should plan your week around the life you want to live now, and a time management framework that helps me think about where my time is best spent as CEO of my business. I hope from this episode you'll think about what you really want in your life and then reverse engineer your business time to reflect your life goals and needs. Our Key Topics Why work expands to fill the time available and how setting clear boundaries can change that (Parkinson's Law at work!) How to build a life-first business by defining personal needs and capacity before determining work hours Why the business owner's role needs to evolve as the business grows, including shifting from founder to CEO What CEO and business development time should include, from planning and financials to marketing, sales, and customer experience How to protect your time, energy, and capacity by reducing time spent on administrative and repeatable tasks Key Takeaways For Shop Owners Your personal time needs boundaries, too. Stop thinking you need to work all the time. I've learned that I have to define my own boundaries around when I work and when I'm finished, because there will always be something else I could be doing in my business. Your business gets to fit into your life. Look honestly at what your life needs right now, whether that means time off, family time, travel, creative time, or simply space to enjoy your life. Then you can determine how much work time actually fits. Your CEO time cannot be the first thing to go when you are short on time. Business development includes planning, financials, decision-making, vision, and intentional learning. I've found that this is often the first category to disappear when things get busy, even though it is where the business needs leadership most. This is so important. Not everything that feels productive is moving the business forward. I want to distinguish between meaningful marketing and sales work and simply staying busy with activities like posting on social media. Dedicated time for strategy, events, emails, launches, customer experience, merchandising, conversion, and other sales activities matters. You must protect your energy. Our businesses can only grow when we are taking care of ourselves and protecting our energy. I see this as part of leadership because the energy and enthusiasm at the top of the business affect the culture and the people who interact with it. Want to work with me to plan out your week? I'm hosting a workshop on September 29th to help you do just that! Join me for Your Week By Design. "Our businesses can only grow if we protect the asset. And we are the asset." -Wendy Batten INSERT IMAGE HERE Resources Mentioned and Related Podcasts Are you ready to stop duct taping your marketing pieces together? To start putting real strategy in place that actually worked for your business around your marketing? The Sales and Marketing Accelerator Program is available on demand! Episode 263: Why CEO Time Isn't Optional in Your Retail Business Let's hang out in a private coaching session! Follow along and chat with me on Instagram and join my love list. About your host, Wendy Batten In case we haven't met…I'm Wendy Batten. I've been a small business owner, coach, and mentor for over 25 years. I help thoughtful, established entrepreneurs step into their role as CEO and build businesses that are profitable, meaningful, and supportive of the lives they want to live. My work blends real-world strategy with a life-first philosophy, shaped by lived experience, not theory. I've been there! Through honest conversations and practical insight, I invite you into bigger thinking about leadership, possibility, and how to build both business and life on purpose. For more support from Wendy Hang out and connect with Wendy on IG All of Wendy's current programs and services for shop owners can be found HERE. Never miss an episode! 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