BUSINESS RESOURCES
Finding a healthy work/life balance may seem daunting, especially if you’re under a lot of stress at work or at home. We all need a little help from time to time (or every day). Here are three resources to help you start the process.
For the employee – Michael Page lays out five steps to achieving a healthy work/life balance. In easy-to-understand, concise language, Page gives you the tools to begin working on the balance you want.
For the employer – Interested in helping your employees achieve a positive work/life balance? Pingboard outlines some ways in which you can help your employees have a healthier attitude about work and about life.
For the reader – Like to cozy up with a good book? Matthew Kelly’s Off Balance will take you on an in-depth exploration of what it means to live a healthy, balanced life and career.
GIVING BACK & GETTING INVOLVED
Iridescent: Empowering the World’s Underrepresented Young People, Especially Girls, Through Engineering and Technology to Become Innovators and Leaders
By: Randi Cairns
Empowering girls is the strongest determinant of progress for every development outcome for a society—from economic growth to equity, creativity, and innovation. Yet despite the demand for technology creators and inventors, we still have minimal representation from women and minorities in STEM fields, particularly in computer science (CS). In fact, the United States only graduates approximately 56,000 students each year in CS, and only 11,000 of these undergraduates are women and even fewer are Hispanic and Black.
Iridescent is a global STEM education nonprofit with a mission to empower the world’s underrepresented young people, especially girls, through engineering and technology to become innovators and leaders. For the past 13 years, Iridescent has been creating, implementing, and iterating an engineering and technology, project-based learning, mentor-supported education model. Over 130,000 students, parents, educators, and mentors have been served through their programming to date—across 100+ countries.
New Powerhouse Team Member
Julie Kirchner is excited to join Powerhouse Planning as a freelance writer.
In the six wonderful years Julie has been a Coast Guard spouse, she has successfully navigated three major moves and lived overseas in England for three years.
In her professional life, Julie is passionate about making an organization a great place to work. She is an organizational development specialist with over seven years of experience as a corporate trainer, website and social media coordinator, and project manager for a nonprofit healthcare organization.
Julie is a graduate of the University of Florida, where she earned a B.S. in Psychology, M.S. in Management, and graduate certificate in New Venture Creation from the UF Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation (CEI).
She currently lives on Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma, Washington, with her husband, Nate, three-year-old son, Ewan, and the world’s most lovable Labrador, Charlie. In her free time, Julie enjoys volunteering, running, and being outdoors with her family.
Spotlight on Powerhouse’s Nicole Keeny
One of our favorite things to do at PH is brag about our talented freelancers and employees. This month’s star is PH’s Nicole Keeny. Nicole is one of our Quality Assurance Specialists, which she says sounds more impressive than what she actually does. But we say it is no less heroic than ensuring our clients’ messages are “consistent, professional, and polished.” Nicole also describes her job as that of story shaper and detective. She thinks “detective” is stretching it a little, but since she fact checks and combs through documents for misplaced modifiers and such, we think “detective” fits perfectly.
Nicole has been with PH for almost three years, not so coincidentally since about the same time as her son Preston came into her family. She was looking to get out of the classroom where she was a full-time middle school teacher and into a profession where she could create the work/life balance she desired. PH came as a blessing. Not only does Nicole have the flexibility she needs to work and stay at home to homeschool Preston, but she can work in her yoga pants. Yep, we’re totally with Nicole on this one!
Since we’re focusing on work/life balance this month at PH, we asked Nicole how she maintains the right balance for her. “With organization, boundaries, and grace (for myself),” she replied. Being more organized makes her less stressed and more effective at both work and home. She sets rules and follows them. For instance, she takes one day a week and doesn’t do any work, including laundry (or making her bed). Instead, she spends the day intentionally resting and restoring her spirit. She finds that by doing this she is a better employee and a better wife and mother. As Nicole says, “Balance requires intentionality.” So creating a good work/life balance means taking some time to reflect on what’s important to you, what your professional and personal goals are, and then working toward them in a way that works best for you. Maybe that’s by creating lists or establishing boundaries, maybe it’s coming up with a mission statement and then shaping your life around it. Nicole even advocates for taking a day and putting your smartphone away. Not just face-down-on-the-table away, but in a different room on silent. It helps you to be present in the moment. She doesn’t recommend letting your toddler hide it, though. Personal experience, perhaps?
As we’ve mentioned, Nicole is mama to Preston. She is also the wife of Jeff, a pastor who founded his own church in the fall of 2016. With Jeff also working from home, the family has the flexibility to spend lots of time together going on adventures, learning together, or just dancing around their kitchen as they prepare their favorite Mexican dishes. This is key to that work/life balance as Nicole also serves as the children’s and women’s ministry coordinator at their church. It doesn’t leave her with a lot of free time, but when she has it she loves nothing more than curling up with her (ever-present) coffee and a good book or a Jane Austen film. To set the mood, add some ’40s music, the luxury of a nap or walk in the woods, or a journal and some colored pencils. Sounds relaxing and uplifting!
Nicole has loved the growth PH has experienced in the last couple of years and sees herself as part of the PH team for years to come. We’re pretty sure we’re not letting her go anywhere! She’s an open book to anyone who asks her a question, but few know that she is the first woman on either side of her family to attend and graduate from college. She’s willing to do whatever it takes to inspire someone, including dyeing her hair purple one year when all of her students passed their state test. She’s also an avid advocate for adoption. She and Jeff adopted Preston when he was 10 days old. She says she had to learn that “motherhood isn’t a given or a right, but a privilege.” She feels privileged to guide Preston through life and hopes that others come to realize that “being a mother is more than blood and genetics.”
Families come in all different shapes and sizes. And we’re so glad Nicole decided to become part of the PH family!
New Powerhouse Team Member
Meredith Flory is a freelance writer, educator, military wife, and homeschool mom excited to be a part of the Powerhouse team. After teaching at the high school and college levels, Meredith started freelance writing in 2015 as a way to continue her career while staying at home with her children. She got her start writing a monthly column in Augusta Family Magazine called “Raising Readers.” Now in its fourth year, “Raising Readers” discusses fostering literacy on a wide range of subjects and won an award from the Parenting Media Association in 2017. As an educator, Meredith understands that a skill she brings to any client is taking large pieces of industry-specific information and packaging it in a way that appeals to and teaches a broader audience, and she loves interviewing specialists and experts to help them share their research and experiences.
Meredith has a master’s degree in children’s literature from Kansas State University and has written for various publications on parenting, military life, spirituality, and travel as she continues to expand her writing career. She currently lives in Texas and enjoys spending time with her family road tripping and being one of the few people who still prints pictures from those trips to put in her scrapbooks.
Small Business Stressors and How to Combat Them
April is National Stress Awareness Month. We all suffer from stress, whether it’s at home, at work, or both. So it’s no surprise that small business owners can also get stressed out, particularly in the first year of operation. In fact, a 2017 survey conducted by Bank of America found that 41% of small business owners claimed that some aspect of managing their business was their top stressor. In comparison, only 9% of respondents said raising children was their number one stressor.
What are the top stressors for small business owners? We’re glad you asked! Entrepreneurs cite the following as their top stressors: financial risk, constant uncertainty, employee issues, and work/life balance. Unsurprisingly, financial risk tops the list, especially in the first year. It is a huge risk to go out on your own and start a new business. The financial burden on a new business coupled with the added stress of what it can mean to personal finances can produce sleepless nights. Add the stress of wondering whether you will succeed or fail and it’s easy to see how your work/life balance can get thrown off. It’s easy to invest large amounts of time and energy into a new business, often at the expense of personal relationships and health.
So how can you reduce and relieve the stress that comes with a new business? The simple answer, according to Mike Kappel, is to write it down. Remind yourself of what is going right and make a list. Put that list of “rights” where you will see it often throughout your day. When you’re feeling stressed, just take a moment to remember what is positive about your business. Rank your tasks, as well. Again, prioritize and write out a list of tasks that must be done. As you complete the tasks, cross them out. The list may seem daunting at first, but the satisfaction of crossing another task off your list is rewarding. Also, purge your brain. It’s easy to think business all the time, especially when starting a new one. Write down the problems, solutions, whatever it is you can’t stop thinking about when you’re trying to relax. Place the list in a box and put the box in a safe place. The physical act of removing your business thoughts to another place can help your brain let go and focus on other aspects of your life.
Though it seems evident, one of the biggest ways to reduce stress is to take care of yourself. Seriously. Eat a healthy diet, exercise (it’s a great stress reliever), and take breaks. Stressing at work? Take a 10-minute break. Grab a cup of coffee, take a walk, or call a friend. Whatever you do, make sure it’s something you like and something that isn’t business-related. When you feel good, you stress less.
Also, one of the best ways to relieve workplace stress is to delegate or automate whatever you can. Particularly when you are starting out, it’s easy to get in a mindset of needing to do everything yourself, but relieving yourself of a few tasks can help immensely. And this is where Powerhouse can help you out. We offer a variety of affordable services that can help you feel better and be more successful. Prioritize your time: What do you like to do best or feel you really need to do yourself? Keep that on your list, and then find someone else to take on the other tasks. One effective way to help is to set three to five strategic goals for the year. Once you’ve figured out what your goals are, it’ll be easier to know what Powerhouse can do to help. Check out our Goal Brainstorming resource to help you get started. Once you’ve nailed down your goals, browse through our offered services. Let us help you de-stress and be more successful. Here’s to a stress-free April and beyond!
For more information on workplace stress and how to combat it, check out these online articles:
Clifford, Catherine. “Way More Entrepreneurs Stress about Running Their Business than Raising Their Kids, Study Shows”
Galic, David. “6 Stress Management Tips for Small Business Owners”
Kappel, Mike. “5 Tips for Small Business Stress Management”
Ray, Linda. “The Leading Cause of Stress in Small Business”
Vetter, Amy. “Five Practical Ways to Deal with Entrepreneurial Stress”
