The Struggles of Juggling Multiple Businesses
Why Balance is Key to Success
As entrepreneurs, we all have big dreams. We see success not as a destination, but as something we can achieve through hard work, creativity, and relentless dedication. We set our sights high—wanting to start businesses, create new products, and carve out our niche in the world. I was once one of those entrepreneurs with grand ambitions. I wanted to do everything. But here’s the problem: when you try to do everything, you end up spreading yourself too thin and never give any one thing the time and energy it needs to become successful.
The Dilemma of the Ambitious Entrepreneur
Let’s break it down. You start your first business, and you’re all in. You’re putting 100% of your time into making this business work because it’s your passion. But what you don’t realize at first is that you also have a family. You have responsibilities at home that require your attention. So, now, your time is split—50% at work, 50% at home—before you even think about adding anything else into the mix.
Then, as any ambitious entrepreneur does, you come up with a brilliant idea for a second business. You can’t resist, so you jump in. And now you’ve got not one, but two businesses pulling at your time and attention. It’s a vicious cycle. It’s the grind. You think, "If I just work harder, I’ll make it work."
But here’s the truth: You can only give so much before it starts affecting everything else in your life.
The Reality of Multitasking in Business
Right now, I’m living this reality. As I write this, I’m managing Impact & Influence Magazine, my record studio for the radio shows, several book projects, music production, my family, and my hobbies. Each of these areas requires my attention, but I only have so much time to go around. And here’s the thing: I understand the importance of balance.
For instance, my music projects don’t require much time. Maybe a couple of hours a month, which means I can set it aside for now and focus on other priorities. My book projects are now passive income, and Impact & Influence Magazine is my primary focus. My movie projects are currently on hold because I recognize the demand movies require, and I simply don’t have the bandwidth to dedicate to them right now. The radio show requires only an hour or two per week, and that fits into my schedule.
I’ve learned to balance my time and set realistic expectations for myself. I spend about 8 hours a day in the office, but I’ve come to understand that I only have about 4 hours of hard work in me each day. The rest of my time is spent thinking, planning, and tasking. I know where my focus should be, and I’m careful to not take time away from my family—because that’s where my true priorities lie.
The Perils of Overloading Yourself
But here’s where the struggle really lies for many entrepreneurs. They love the grind. They feel important, they feel accomplished, and they feel like they’re moving forward when they work 10, 12, or even 16 hours a day. And they think that adding another business or side project will only increase their revenue. But in reality, it often leads to a breakdown of everything.
If you already have your family and business sharing your time 100%, and then you add a third project, you're now splitting that 100% into 33% for each. Add a fourth project, and suddenly your attention is spread across four endeavors, reducing your time for each one. In no time, you’re operating at 25% for each project, and the quality of your work, the relationships you maintain, and your personal life all begin to suffer.
Think of it like a juggler. A juggler can easily handle two or three or even four objects at once. But when they try to juggle too many, they drop everything. The same applies to entrepreneurs. When you spread yourself too thin, you risk dropping the ball on everything you’re trying to balance.
It’s no wonder that so many entrepreneurs fail. They never give any one business the time it needs to thrive. They end up burning out, feeling overwhelmed, and frustrated because they aren’t seeing traction. After months or years of effort, they give up because they never gave each venture the necessary attention to see it through to success.
The Power of Focus and Intentionality
So, what’s the solution? The answer is focus. Instead of jumping from one idea to the next, I’ve learned that success comes from being intentional about where you place your energy. It’s not about doing everything—it’s about doing the right things, at the right time, with the right amount of focus.
When you focus on one project, you give it the energy it needs to grow and succeed. When you’re juggling multiple businesses and projects, you’re spreading yourself too thin, and the growth of each project becomes a slower process. You might think adding more to your plate will increase revenue, but in reality, it can hurt everything by diluting your attention.
Finding Balance: The Key to Entrepreneurial Success
At the end of the day, being an entrepreneur doesn’t mean working around the clock or constantly starting new businesses. It means finding the balance that allows you to be successful in the areas that truly matter. By investing time in the things that will bring long-term growth and focusing your efforts on quality, you’ll find that success doesn’t come from doing more—it comes from doing what matters most.
In the end, the most successful entrepreneurs aren’t the ones who have the most businesses—they are the ones who understand how to balance their time, make strategic decisions, and give their best energy to the endeavors that truly matter.
