Calling BS on work life balance and the age of the entrepreneur

This may seem like a bit of a rant, but I have a point, trust me! I don't believe that when you have your own business there is such as thing as work-life balance. There. I said it. 

I'm seeing a lot of ads pop up on my Facebook newsfeed around building a business that suits your lifestyle. 

Don't get me wrong, my absolute favourite thing about my job and what I do is the ability to structure my own day. Recently, I was on the coast and when the weather turned it on, I was on the beach, soaking up some rays. What you didn't see though was me working at midnight on a Friday, finishing off campaigns across the weekend and worrying about what the response would be to my latest advertising for a client. 

What we don't see on social media and in these stories though is the payoff. The late nights. The social commitments that have been ignored. The stress. The uncertainty. 

I'm calling BS on work life balance when you have your own business. If you wanted work life balance and the ability to switch off your phone at 5:30pm on a Friday then go and get a 9-5 and build someone else's business. 

I'm sorry for singling out the coaching industry, but I'm fed up with the ads popping up on my newsfeed about someones latest 10k month and how you can live your dream life. Yes, I think we all deserve to do something we enjoy because life is too short to not, but building a business is not easy.

These overnight success stories we all see about someone starting an online store and waking up to thousands of dollars in sales is BS. 

The story we're told about passive income and digital products is BS. This is not passive income. There are hundreds of hours (and thousands of dollars) often spent building audiences, testing and tweaking and promoting the products. 

The idea that you can build something and people will come is BS.

If you have started your business for the freedom to do what you want, when you want, you're not doing it for the right reasons. If you think you can switch off and ignore your customers or worse if you think you can post online a few times and BOOM sales will happen, you're wrong. Marketing doesn't work like that. Business doesn't work like that and life doesn't work like that.

I recently came across this ad in my newsfeed:  

Say what?! Start your own business because you don't like your boss? You've got to be kidding me! 

Please don't think I'm a Debbie Downer, I just think this stuff needs to be said. We keep seeing everyone's highlight reel and the idea of being an 'entrepreneur' has been absolutely glorified. I don't want this post to discourage you from starting your own business. I just want you to know that there is no such thing as an overnight success. You can't build a website and expect sales without some serious promotion. That ability to switch off on weekends? Kiss that goodbye too. 

In order to be successful you need to be obssessed. A mentor of mine and I were recently discussing this. Here's her thoughts on the matter and I wholeheartedly agree:

No “overnight success” really exists …outside of winning lotto……and most of us are too busy working our dream to bother ever buying a ticket

Put your head down , shoulder to the wheel and OBSESS about the vision you have of where your business is going - be consumed by it …completely…and ignore those who preach “work life balance”….because when its your business and your vision you never really see it as work..it is the thing you find SO exciting, SO terrifying , SO exhilarating , SO frustrating and absolutely SO fulfilling…

And THAT is what sets you apart from the rest of the pack..

I'm obsessed. What about you?