For sanity's sake! All work and no play makes you a dull entrepreneur, so find a healthy balance between your life and your business

Entrepreneur, April, 2004 by Nichole L. Torres

THE STARTUP PHASE CAN BE THE CRAziest, most harried time in the evolution of your business. But you don't have to say goodbye to your health and sanity. "You actually can bridge business and spirituality into having the full and rich life you want," explains Jeff Burrows, co-author of Myth to Reality: The Spirit of the Entrepreneurial Adventure (Bridgewood Press).

"Create your primary aim; understand your primary essence," Burrows adds. "Ask yourself: What are the things you don't want to be doing? What are the things you like? Dislike? [That's] how to really get in touch with who you are and what your purpose is." Delving into the particulars of what you want your life to be while structuring your business strategies is a necessary step toward creating balance.

The key, though, isn't to segment your day into "me time" and "business time" says Kenny Moore, co-author of The CEO and the Monk: One Company's Journey to Profit and Purpose (John Wiley & Sons). "I think people approach it as an either/or situation," he explains. "I can live a life that's integrated--I can do work stuff at home and personal stuff at work. Especially for entrepreneurs and creative people, inspiration and connectedness surface at the most [unlikely] moments--while listening to a concert, for instance. That's when people make bizarre connections about market niches--when they weren't thinking about business at all."

That kind of flexibility will help you balance your personal needs with those of your business. You should also set aside some time to breathe and take part in the things you enjoy--such as attending pottery or floral arrangement classes, hiking or attending an arts or car show--anything to recharge your batteries and keep your creative juices flowing. "A leader needs to take care that he's not draining himself," says Moore, "[or] you end up offering your tiredness and your bitterness [to your business]--nothing nurturing."

Michael Wohl's personal reflection time actually helped inspire his business. He started a line of instructional yoga DVDs suitable for anyone, from the most inflexible beginner to the advanced yoga practitioner. He had owned a candle business years before, but says, "Not being mindful of myself or my body or my health, I ended up rupturing a disc from working so hard and all the stress."

Sure not to repeat that mistake with his second endeavor, Wohl founded Bodywisdom Media Inc. in 2000. His yoga DVD production company now has sales in the seven figures. Wohl, 37, says he made a conscious effort to maintain his spiritual balance during the startup phase of his Bethesda, Maryland, company by doing yoga and meditation.

"When you're in the middle of being stressed, it helps you remain centered and get some distance from what you're doing to remind you of what is important," Wohl explains. Although he confesses it's still a challenge, maintaining his center is important to Wohl's life--and business--success.

Nice to Meet You

THESE ENTREPRENEURS PROVED YOU CAN FIND BUSINESS PARTNERS IN THE STRANGEST PLACES.

PAIGE GOLDBERG TOLMACH ON HOW SHE met fellow thirtysomething Mary Kumble, to found Swoon, their home decor company in Los Angeles:

"We [met] on a plane to New Orleans, "Tolmach, 36, recalls. "We'd both been working in the entertainment field. We both wanted to try something new, and we had the same sort of ideas in mind--to do something creative, fun and feminine. We were both ready to [decorate] our homes; we wanted to create a line of products we wanted to buy."

Brian Reynolds, 31, on how he met co-founder Jason Moody, 28, to start PowerHouse Timing LLC, a company that provides race tinting equipment and software in Cambridge, Massachusetts:

"We were beating the hell out of each other trying to get a seat in a boat race at U.S. Rowing Nationals Championship and then the Head of the Charles [regatta] later in the year. We ended up seat-racing each other both times--really going at it, this brutal style of selection. The first time Jason won, the second time I won. [In] rowing, the competitions are generally spread out, so we often had six-hour car rides. It's amazing how quickly you get to know someone when you're traveling and competing with them."

Bobby Rodriguez, 45, on how he first met co-founder Scott Ginsburg, 51, to start Boardwalk Auto Group, which includes Audi and Porsche dealerships in Plano, Texas, and a Volkswagen dealership in Richardson, Texas:

"I met Scott in 1997. I was a sales manager for a Porsche-Audi [dealer ship]. He came in to buy a car. He was a Type A personality and wanted to talk to the manager right away. [Our] relationship was built out of the fact that when I made representations, I kept doing what I said I would do for him.

"I recognized him as someone who would be buying a lot of product. I've always said work every day like today's the day you kiss your frog. When I met Scott, I just wanted to work hard, and it just so happened that I met someone who wanted to be in the car business."