Entrepreneurship, work ethic, and time management. 0:02

The challenges of running a business and the importance of work-life balance. 4:16

Prioritizing work-life balance in business ownership. 10:14

Doubling sales in 90 days through self-reflection and strategic planning. 14:27

Salena Knight 0:02
Hey there, and welcome to the bringing business to retail podcast. If you're looking to get more sales, more customers, master your marketing, and ultimately take control of your retail or E commerce business, then you're in the right place. I'm Celina Knight, a retail growth strategist and multi award winning store owner whose superpower is uncovering exactly what your business requires. To move to the next level. I'll provide you with the strategies, the tools and the insight you need to scale your store. All you need to do is take action, ready to get started?

Salena Knight 0:53
Hey there, I kind of joke these days about how I spent my daughter Lana's first birthday, painting our first shop. Now she's 15. Now so this was a good 15 and a bit years ago. But when I opened that first door, I'd been online before that, and I made the big commitment to give up my job and open a retail outlet. So I've given myself about three weeks from getting the keys to getting the store open. I mean, I had to have income coming in, right. And when you're young and you don't know any better, you like just jump in and you just get stuff done. We had to put new floors in, we had to put new paint, we had to put shelving and racks and the POS and signage and all of those things in a really short period of time. Now, whilst I don't regret organizing a cake from the bakery that was five doors down or spending just 30 minutes at the firm at the beach with my family across the road for her birthday. And then using that as an excuse to duck back to the shop and paint for a couple of hours. unencumbered. I also don't regret all of the Saturdays that I worked at the shop. But looking back, what I do regret, were the Sundays and the holidays that I went to the shop in air quotes because I was so swamped, and I needed to catch up. Now, if you can't guess from my voice, the words so swamped and needed to catch up are also in air quotes because I have no idea what I was doing for all of those hours and all of those days. But what I do know is that 90% of whatever it was, could probably have waited until the next day when I was in the shop. Now Pathet perhaps you found yourself doing that as well, whether you have a retail business and a retail store or shopfront, or an E commerce business, working for the sake of working now, I was new to working for myself. And I had come from multiple government jobs with a stint in between of working for private enterprise side worked for the local council from when I came out of school for 10 or so years as an arborist and horticulturist. And then I went to work for a private contractor who did all the tree trimming around the powerlines because that was my area of expertise. And from there, I then moved to the power line company and I was managing hundreds of people across a huge area. And so my life was very, in a box, I got to work at seven, I finished at three, I had my weekends off apart from when one stint where I was doing seven days on five days off. I had no room for promotion, and overtime was pretty much a luxury. And so when you are new to working for yourself, remember I didn't have any staff when I first opened up, I was pretty sure that if I just worked more hours, I would make more money because after all, that's how it works in the land of a job. The more hours you work, the more money you work, the more money you make. And the more hours over the top of the hours that you should be working is overtime, so you make even more money. But as it turns out, having your own business doesn't really work like that. What I've learned is that owning a business is kind of like, well, the people who own a business are kind of like the lawyers that I know, working in a high profile law firm law firm. Having this similar characteristics and similar personality traits is what gets us to where we want to be. So what I found is that business owners and lawyers are very driven people. They will burn the candle at both ends, to get the results that they want and they'll quite often go far beyond above and beyond what they need to do. I know I think it's because they get a lot of personal satisfaction. And I'm gonna go so far as to say, because I am one of these people put my hand up and say, a lot of validation from helping other people. Sure, some people just do it for the money. But most lawyers do it because they want to help people. Now, unlike a high profile lawyer, who, if they're working 80, or 100 hours a week is probably bringing in a multi six figure paycheck to compensate them for it. What I found is that retail and ecommerce store owners generally aren't doing the same thing. And so when every day, and honestly, we talk to dozens of retail, and e commerce Store owners every single day, and I review those calls, every single working day, make sure we get that word of that every single working day, not all of them, obviously. But I hear the feedback from my team about what people are there, what people's lives look like. And so when I see retail, and E commerce, business owners who are burnt out who was slaving away doing simple tasks, because they think that if they just work more, they will be able to make more money, they'll be able to see success. And one of the things I have to say is, one of the comparisons I make is if your son or your daughter came home, and they were working 80 hour weeks, you're sitting at the dining table, you're having a cup of tea, and your son or your daughter comes in and says, Mom, I'm so tired. Like this week, I've worked 80, maybe 100 hours, I haven't had a chance to catch up with my friends for moms. I haven't seen you and dad for a while. Like I literally have no life outside of work. And then they told you that they weren't getting 234 $100,000 for the privilege. Would you say something to them? I kind of feel like you would, because you care about right. I mean, heck, I reckon if you had this conversation with someone on a bus, you would probably say something. And so if any of the things that I've said up until this point, have kind of hit a nerve, I have to ask you is how you're showing up every single day right now. How you want your kids to live, when they grow up? Or are you being the role model that you want to be for your kids, regardless of how old they are? Because working 80 hour weeks, and sacrificing your health and your relationships for a business is probably something that when we get old, and we look back at the things we regret, I feel like that might be the thing that you might regret. Most business owners start their business because they want to build a legacy. They want their family to their will spend more time with their family and friends. And they want to have more freedom and flexibility about the life that they create. But too often the reality is exactly the opposite. They become enslaved to their business. And I know this from the conversations that we have. But I also did some research because you know that I am a data nerd. And I always look up stat before I hop on a podcast. And what I found actually what I found was shocking. What I found was a and this was multiple surveys across all different kinds of organizations. 82% of small business owners work more than 40 hours a week. Now 40 hours a week is your standard salary job. And that's how we kind of reference it back to this 82% that means only quick math in my head 18% of small business owners and you know I don't like the word small business, but that is what society calls people who own their own businesses who aren't making 8999 figures. 82% of small business owners are working more than they do if they had a job. And this one is the one that really kind of upset me only 57% Less than half of small business owners take regular vacations. Because if you started your business for freedom and flexibility, then those statistics are staggering. Because they feel like the exact opposite of why you become a business owner. To me, vacations are time for making memories of course, but also getting some response and some downtime there. For me anyway that the opportunity to pocket brains and actually get out and enjoy life and have this opportunity to just sit back and think and drink Eat and be in the moment. If you are always on if you are a living, breathing version of the hustle culture that it doesn't take long before that becomes all pervading in your life. And this is what it turns up. Like, it turns up your arguments with your partner strained family relationships, looking back and missing those key milestones, maybe it was your kid getting an award at school or the school play, just anything that you look back and you go, you know what I really wish that I was there. And further that further down the track is

Salena Knight 10:40
mental health and well being burnout. And I know this, because I even ended up potentially like, not far from having to have a kidney transplant, because of the stress that I put myself through in those early days of opening a business. Absolutely not what I had signed up for, don't sign up, to end up having to have a life threatening transplant, and all of that, with all the tests that they did came back and the only thing that they could put it down to was stressed. And I'm really pleased to say that all these years later, I have had very healthy kidneys. Once I sat down and realized that my health was deteriorating, and I was going to do something about it. Ever since then, things have been great. Now, as parents, we want to be great role models for our kids, we don't want to be having to get you kidney transplants, because we are so stressed. And so modeling these unsustainable and unhealthy behaviors for your children, regardless of whether they might take over your business or not in the future, you have to ask yourself, is that truly the legacy that you want to pass down to them? So think of this podcast episode as your public service announcement, your PSA your wake up call. Because if you don't start changing your behaviors and your priorities right now, you will look back years from now, I regret those last moments just like me, looking back on those Sundays and holidays and just thinking, I don't even remember what I did, like what was so important that I would give up a day with my family to work over and over again, this is not a one off, I'm not talking about, you know, maybe you have a great big promotion and you're flooded with orders. We're not talking about that we're talking this about this all pervasive working for the sake of working without getting results. And I enjoy business, like my happy place, is sitting down at CEO club with a glass of wine and just helping people grow their businesses. That is not what we're talking about. I'm talking about giving up and not getting anything in return, giving up those weekends at the beaches, when you spent all your time on the phone giving up the nights that you didn't read a bedtime story because you were too tired, sacrificing the things that in hindsight, really matter the most. Generally, what I see is that time, getting time back having more time is one of the key reasons that we go into business. And the reality is, it's one of the things that we can never get back. And so you if you are constantly working in your business, you have to ask yourself, Is it really important more important than life? And let's not forget whether your kids are two, or 12, or 22, or 52, or aren't even born yet. They will always look up to us as parents they are always watching and learning from your example. So what lessons are you inadvertently teaching them about work life balance, if you are slaving away? When you don't need to be? What I tend to find is this culture of working more comes from two places. One is I don't have the time to bring on other people, or I don't have the money, like no one can do it as well as I can or I just can't afford to get somebody to do to do that for me to give me the help I needed. This might be bringing someone into your business, it might be hiring a marketing agency, it could be someone who does your ads for you. It could be someone who does your social media, it could just be someone who picks and packs your orders. But if you are too busy, or if you think that you have to wait until you are bringing more money in to be able to let go of that stuff that is filling your days. I say let's throw that excuse out the window. Because if you want more strategies like what I've been sharing with you over the last few episodes, along with creating a predictable and repeatable plan to increase your revenue, I would love to invite you to come and join me in my upcoming five day challenge called How to double your sales in 90 days. Now just like listening to this podcast, listening doesn't do anything, you can have all the knowledge in the world. But if you don't take action, you're never going to get the results. So you, my friend will be rolling up your sleeves and taking action to change the trajectory of your business. Not only will you be working on your business, yes, we're going to do some of that. But just like in this episode, you're going to be working on yourself. Because I bet that right now you are the driving force behind your business. So if you are feeling flat, if you are in a rut, if you feel like you are not setting a good example for your kids, if you're not coming up with great ideas, then what's going to happen, your business is going to suffer. I don't want that to happen, you've already put so much time, money and effort to get your business to where it is. So let's get you more money so that you can do the things that you want in your business. I'll be teaching you the strategies and the mindset shifts that you need to make to double your sales in 90 days. And that's what this episode is all about. There are no strategies, yet I have one up my sleeve. But there are no strategies yet, for you to go and implement in your business. What I'm sharing with you today is something you have to change within yourself. Because if you are not your best self in at the helm of your business, then your business is never going to get the results that you want. So if you want to come and join me, head over to Selena night.com, forward slash challenge and grab your spot, it's 100%. Free. Now, as business owners, we get to decide the path that we want to take. So if you're feeling like the way that you're showing up in your business, and in your life right now, isn't the way you want to show up moving forward, you got to start making different choices today. Because tomorrow is never guaranteed. Maybe here's my strategy, that one I have up my sleeve, maybe you will even pull up your big girl or big boy pants, and sit down with your family or your friends and do a bit of a self assessment. Think of your ask them. What are the memories that you have? You haven't been around to make what have they done that they wished you were there to be part of it? What other costs have the way that you work in or on your business right now? What are the costs have you incurred, and I don't generally mean money, I'm talking about life costs, have you not been there when your parents needed you to care for them. And I'm getting a little bit older, this is something that we have to deal with. You want to be able to step away from your business and know that it is still going to continue on and to make you money and to serve more customers, even if you have to take that time out. So think about your have that have that time have sit down and have a conversation, grab a cup of tea, grab some cookies and ask your family. What do they wish that you would have done differently? When do they wish you would have turned up and keep that memory because if you find yourself sliding back, and working for the sake of working rather than to work to make means to an end, or I'll be honest, I actually like working. But there's a difference between working on something that you enjoy and working for the sake of keeping yourself busy. my happy place, I love business, I love growing businesses, my happy place is sitting down at CEO club with a group of other business owners and talking about what we're doing to grow our businesses and fixing problems in each other businesses. That to me is just as much of a hobby as working is. But I do that because I get enjoyment out of it. And it's not me working for the sake of working. So if you find yourself sliding backwards, and you're working for the sake of working, doing stuff that maybe doesn't need to be done going into your shop on the weekends, when you really don't need to be there working on holidays, when everything can wait till tomorrow. Keep that self assessment front of mind. Because the dream of having your own business is generally flexibility, being present and creating financial freedom. So don't let that original dream become your nightmare. So that's a wrap. I'd love to hear what insight you've gotten from this episode, and how you're going to put it into action. If you're a social kind of person, follow me at the Selenite and make sure to leave a comment and let me know. And if this episode made you think a little bit differently, or gave you some inspiration, or perhaps gave you the kick that you needed to take action. Then please take a couple of minutes to leave me a review on your platform of choice. Because the more reviews the show gets, the more independent retail and E commerce stores just like yours, that we can help to scale and when that happens, it's a win for you. A win for you community and a win for your customers I'll see you on the next episode

Transcribed by https://otter.ai