I just thought of sharing how I balance my family and business in this podcast. Hope this will inspire you to prioritise the same way!
Family and Business
I'm sure you're curious about how I manage my family and business while being a father of two boys and actively seeking to spend quality time at home. Essentially, I've adopted the role of a house dad while simultaneously building my business. I'd like to share my approach with all of you and shed light on the decisions I've made in recent years. Why did I opt for working from home instead of establishing a large company with an office and employees, among other things? I want to provide you with an insight into my overarching worldview.
If this resonates with you, great; if not, that's perfectly fine. You'll still gain my perspective on how I navigate the delicate balance—though I prefer not to use the term "balance"—of family and business. How do I harmonize both aspects?
Let me rewind to my childhood when my dad worked from home. He had an office at home, meeting clients, and then spending time with me. This childhood influence inspired me to adopt a similar lifestyle, emphasizing working from home. Growing up, my parents were always there when I returned from school, providing a sense of comfort that I wished to pass on to my own children. When my second son arrived, I consciously decided to prioritize spending time with my kids.
My first son was born in 2012 while I was running a digital marketing agency in Bangalore with over 35 employees. Commuting in Bangalore traffic took a toll, with a 90-minute drive each way. I realized the importance of being present during the early years of my child's life and decided to make a change. In 2016, when we moved to Chennai, I chose to support my wife's music career and became a house dad, focusing on family support while building a business from home.
Transitioning from the agency to my coaching business, I embraced online communication, eliminating the need for a physical office. Moving to Chennai made it easier to manage my business virtually. I adjusted my schedule, waking up at 6:37 am to prepare my son for school, being the only father dropping him off among a sea of mothers, and then picking him up later. This shift allowed me to prioritize family while pursuing my entrepreneurial goals.
So, I pursued that for a good 3 to 4 years, you know, ever since we came here, and because my wife was intensely focused on her music career, she was undergoing an advanced Karna music course at the Music Academy in Chennai. Out of over 1000 people, only six were chosen, and she was one of them. Consequently, I had to step in to support her in her career. Thus, she would leave much earlier than us; her classes began at 8 a.m., and she would return around lunchtime, perhaps at 1:02 p.m. After her departure, I would have to get my son ready, and then she would start her classes.
The interesting part is that throughout this entire process, I learned how to make my life more efficient in balancing family and business. We managed to accomplish more than 2.13 quarters in the first year of business, completely operated from home. I would drop my kid off at school while my wife was in music class. In the morning, when I was still fresh, I would start recording videos for YouTube, and my content and courses would take shape. The second part of my day involved numerous 1-to-1 calls, especially when someone purchased my level two product, the gold membership known as the Freedom Setup Challenge. These calls could go on for one, two, or even three hours. I would start them at 2 p.m., finishing around 6 p.m., take a quick break, then proceed with webinars at 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. I typically conducted two or three webinars a week, interspersed with inner circle calls. This routine continued for four or five days a week, live. From 2018 until today, I have conducted over 1000 sales webinars.
I'm specifically referring to sales webinars; not including inner circle calls or leadership council calls. It was a lot of hard work, but the beautiful thing was the ability to balance time. I would get my son ready for school, pick him up around one, and start my 1-to-1 calls at 2 p.m. I'd have a 15 to 20-minute window for lunch, complete the calls, and during the gap between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., I would go for a drive with my wife. We would catch up, have dinner, and spend quality time together. After that, I would go back to work.
I'm truly grateful that this rhythm worked in my favor because I wasn't doing much else—no outings, parties, or meeting friends. Although I had friends, my focus was on the vision and mission. I attended numerous training programs and, during drives, listened to podcasts for continuous learning. After putting my kid to sleep at night, typically around 10 p.m. or 11 p.m., I would start my learning session, tuning into podcasts and other masterminds. It was pretty intense; I would sleep at 1:32 a.m. and wake up at 7 a.m., getting six to seven hours of sleep, and repeat the cycle.
Based on the journey so far and its evolution, as I began to automate, delegate, and systemize tasks while adding team members, it's worth noting that in the initial phase, I personally handled around 200 emails per day. It was a considerable workload, and, humorously, my son would often mockingly point out that I, the proponent of a freedom business model, seemed to lack personal freedom. I would respond, urging him to be patient, assuring him that true freedom takes time to materialize.
Contrary to popular misconceptions, freedom isn't about idling on beaches and fully automating one's business while money effortlessly flows in. Even if such scenarios occur, they are usually short-lived. For me, freedom is the ability to wake up every morning and engage in what I love without external dictates. This means serving my community, expressing myself, and building profound connections with them.
The delicate balance between family and business is structured around a model I've personally devised, emphasizing five priorities: environment, soul, body, personal talents and hobbies, family, and business.
Environment takes precedence in my daily operations. I avoid unnecessary meetings and travel, reserving the latter strictly for leisure with family or spiritual pursuits. Despite a sizable community, I've set boundaries to minimize disruptions, responding promptly only to quantum members. I also refrain from making decisions solely for external recognition, maintaining focus on my core objectives.
Soul is the next priority, involving daily meditation, puja, monthly temple visits, and spiritual scripture reading. This ensures I remain inspired and connected to my spiritual teachings, laying a foundation for a clear and focused mind.
Subsequently, I prioritize the body, adhering to a specific diet and undertaking an annual Pancha Karma detox. Recognizing the body's pivotal role in sustaining energy for impactful work, I liken its care to maintaining a car through regular servicing.
By aligning these priorities and consciously structuring my time, I cultivate an environment conducive to both personal and professional fulfillment, achieving a harmonious integration of family and business into my life.
And then, I also make sure I get good sleep. So even if I'm sleeping late at night, I aim for my eight hours of sleep. I also wake up a little late in case I sleep in. So, I'm not very hard on myself that I have to get up at Brahma murta and do my, you know, meditation and stuff. Sometimes it happens at different times, and I'm okay with that.
Moving on to my personal talents and hobbies, I enjoy making music and launching elevation sets. I listen to a lot of tracks, and of course, gaming is another personal area of interest. I sit with my kids, and we play a lot of games, dedicating at least an hour to gaming every single day – our bonding activity.
Now, onto the actual family time. My number one priority is spending time with my wife. We both are aligned in our goals, vision, and spiritual life. We've faced rough moments in our relationship in the past, and I've realized that the one person who will be with you for the rest of your life is your wife. Your kids will come and go, your parents have brought you into this world and will leave. But the one person who will be with you till the end is your spouse.
For me, my top priority is my wife. We discuss different things, and then comes the time with our kids. Even when I take my kids out, I have one-on-one time with each of them. We also have a family ritual before going to sleep. The four of us come together for a family time session.
Family time consists of everyone sharing what they like about each other in the first round. The second round focuses on areas of improvement. We've been doing this for over two years now, and even though we may miss some days, it's a beautiful bonding time that keeps the family connections strong.
My wife remains my number one priority, followed by my kids, and then my parents and in-laws. We may not speak to them often, but we're always there to help and support them. Business comes next. I've structured my workweek to be four days long. Mondays and Tuesdays are dedicated to calls and meetings, while Wednesdays are completely open for me-time, to recuperate and plan the next steps.
Saturdays are usually family days, dedicated to taking the kids out for drives or other activities. Sundays are spiritual days, where we pay our respects to deities, acknowledging the bigger purpose and mission of what we want to achieve. My wife has a daily routine of visiting temples, while I join at least once a week.
This is how I've balanced my family life and business, keeping the vision high and surrendering ourselves to the bigger purpose and mission.
There are always things to tweak and improve, moments where things go up and down, and ad hoc events that can occur, like unexpected travel. However, overall, structuring things in this order—fixing the environment, prioritizing the soul, then the body, followed by personal, family, and business—has helped me accomplish a lot in less time without burning out. In the event of something unforeseen, such as falling sick or experiencing the aftermath of recent travel, where I started to cough for about 15 days, I make it a point to go for a pancha karma treatment. Each time I fall sick, I opt for a pancha karma as it feels like a reset my body needs. I am highly conscious of my body's signals, providing it with the necessary rest and time to recover while I automate other aspects of the business. This proactive approach, coupled with communication with my audience, facilitates business growth.
In essence, there's nothing like balance; there's only harmony. There will be moments when you need to step on the gas pedal to rapidly build and grow your business, and there will be times when you must step off, relax, and spend more time with your family. There will also be moments when you need to focus on enhancing your skills and acquiring new knowledge. Business involves different bursts of moments that require awareness. I hope you found this podcast useful, and I'll catch you in the next episode. This marks my day six out of the 90-day challenge, and let's see how far I can go. Catch you in the next one.
India's Most Impactful Webinar
19 replies to "How I Balance My Family and Business"
Very impressive journey. The biggest message is a true reflection on priorities : cleaning up environment from the negativities, being spiritual and getting energy from Supreme soul, having a Satvik diet, a good sleep and focus on reading and games, bonding with family members. True : SPOUSE IS THE BEST PARTNER. Freedom to make choices , hardwork , positive thinking and commitment is the core of SIDDHARTH personality.
Best wishes. Eager to personally meet and hug you
1. “The priority of 6 in life resonates with me deeply. It’s a reminder to focus on what truly matters and not get lost in the chaos of everything else.”
2. “Real freedom, for me, isn’t just about being unrestricted but having the autonomy to pursue what I genuinely love without external pressures dictating my choices.”
3. “This podcast aligns with about 60% of my thoughts and beliefs, which makes it a genuine and relatable listen for me.”
Thank you verymuch Sidz for start a day with wonderful thoughts
1. Thanks Sidz, this podcast is meant for me. The hussle is on for me now. You teach me embrace the moment and manage your commitment.
2. I am 50 and think it is too late to make a difference. More important to see money that I need in my account.
3. Environment- soul – body – Talents – Family – Business
4. be focused on my vision
5. Limit my interactions
6. Time with Spiritual connect
7. Focus on My Body wellbeing
8. Take time for Talents
9. First Priority : Spouse /Kids/ Parents and In laws
10. Business : Week plan
11. Keep the Vision high – Know who is our Boss. Amazing
12. Fixing environment is the beginning
Family and work balance for more engaging, meaning, mindfulness, peace, harmony through focus on health, wealth, understanding, care especially daily family retrospectives for continuous improvement.
1. Thanks, Sidz; this podcast is meant for me. The hustle is on for me now. You teach me to embrace the moment and manage my commitment.
2. I am 50 and think it is too late to make a difference. It is more important to see the money that I need in my account.
3. Environment: soul, body talents, family, and business
4. be focused on my vision
5. Restrict my communication
6. Spiritually connected time
7. Pay attention to my physical health
8. Give your talents some time.
9. Spouse children, parents, and in-laws are the top priorities.
10. Business: Weekly Schedule
11. Know who is in charge and maintain a lofty vision. Incredible
12. The first step is to fix the environment.
Key learning for me
Manage the environment
Balance family time
Manage my health
Take breaks when needed to reset the body
There is no work life balance, it’s harmony
Thanks Sid for sharing your own examples of how do you balance your family & business. Being in 60s many of the things are not relevant for me like taking care of my kid, managing my corporate life; however, there are great pointers in your podcast from which many things can be picked up for me in 1st of my journey:
Few of your messages are awesome & my picks are these:
a. Contrary to popular misconceptions, freedom isn’t about idling on beaches and fully automating one’s business while money effortlessly flows in;
b. There’s nothing like balance; there’s only harmony.
My Key learnings & takeaways are:
a. Freedom is ability to make up in the morning & engage in what I love without any external influence or dictates.
b. Structuring the Priorities in order like: Fixing Environment first, taking care of Soul followed by taking care of body, focussing on personal talents & hobbies, spending quality time with family & business being the last in the list.
c. Order of Priorities in family like Wife first, the No. 1 priority, followed by Kids ^ then parents.
d. Creating a rhythm & not being a party frantic but focussing on mission & vision.
Wonderful sharing….
Live example is better than giving ‘gyan’…. Really Something congruent me with you.
Environment- soul – body – Talents – Family – Business-…. Best SOP
Synchronization of Body-Mind-Soul- Energy is very much essential.
#ILH Family
Here are my key takeaways:
1. Influence my childhood days was inspirational and catered to your Childers
2. Conscious decision to support the family and be with family
3. Setup tools to virtually manage the job at home
4. Support your spouse career
5. Balance family and business
6. Focus on vision and mission
7. Continuous learnings listening to podcast
8. Answer all the e-mails at initial days
9. Freedom is wake up in morning and do what you like to do
10. Priority: environment, soul, body, personal talents, family, business
11. Daily spiritual, prayers
12. Spend your time with your Childers
13. Spend time with your wife
14. Have family time discussion
15. Take care of our parents and in-law parents
16. Have a me time once a week
17. Have a long drive with the family
Harmony is the key in life
I Wana be ur reflection sidzz …. just like u ….lots of love ❤️ 😍 💖 best wishes
Thank you for yet another powerful piece.
Key Takeaways:
1. Making life more efficient by creating harmony between work and family.
2. Freedom is not Free.
3. Freedom is getting up every morning and be able to do what you want to do.
4. Priority Sequence: Environment, Soul, Body, Hobbies/Talents, Family , Business
5. Travelling only for leisure.
6. Saying No to meetings & calls.
7. Not getting distracted by invitations to be speakers at events.
8. Cordial with people but not having conversations with people who are not aligned with your mission.
9. Waking up early to pray and do the spiritual sadhana.
10. Eat right and annual detox treatment.
11. Good Sleep is essential 7-8 hours.
12. Time to nourish personal hobbies and talents
13. Prioritise spending time with spouse
14. Family time every day is essential to have quality time with them.
15. Taking care of parents and in-laws
16. 4 Day Work Week ( Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday)
17. Visit holy places to drench in surrender and gratitude to remember who is the boss
18. Being flexible and accommodating to ad-hocs
19. Structuring your life is essential and to have a system is the key to find the harmony
20. Strive for Harmony. Balance is a myth.
It is important to allocate family time while running a business.
Important to adopt a flexible approach to manage work and family responsibilities.
Work from home can be a good option to manage both work and family
Have a structured daily schedule around family and business and prioritization
Important to allocate time and importance to spouse and children over business.
Also important to maintain strong family bonds
While allocating time for family, on the business side, by implementing automation and delegation.
Equally important is to prioritize and allocate time for sleep, meditation, and physical health.
Further relaxation can be obtained by devoting time to personal hobbies and interests for relaxation.
At the same time it is vital to have commitment to continuous learning and skill enhancement.
By executing all the above, one can define freedom based on what one loves and it could be different for different people.
Life is more around maintaining and bringing out harmony, as against balance.
Really got to know the true meaning of Freedom 😁
How beautifully you have harmonized your personal and professional life
Grateful to be the part this beautiful platform 🙏
#ilhfamily
This is an awesome podcast on how to manage work and family, The following is my key takeaway :
#Prioritize what matters most_ Focus on essentials amidst life’s chaos.
#True freedom_ Pursue passions without external pressures dictating choices.
Relatable podcast_ Resonates with beliefs and offers genuine insights.
#This podcast motivates me to manage commitments and embrace each moment.
#Age doesn’t limit potential; it’s never too late to make a difference.
#Aligning priorities from environment to family and business is crucial.
The topic emphasizes prioritizing, pursuing freedom in passions, and finding a balance between personal and professional life.
Hi,
people generally talk about work – life balance, but yours is bringing harmony between the two. This is what I like very much. more power to you.
Here are my takeaways to how to keep balance between our family 👪 & business as follows:
➡️ As working from home 🏡 you have that comfort factor in many ways.
➡️ you get the time freedom.
➡️ Doing your work virtually makes your life more efficient .
➡️ The advantage of doing work at your own space is that you can balance the time between your work and family. You can also help your family members and at the same time can manage your business.
➡️ It builds more connection with your family.
➡️ You get more time for learning various important things related to your business.
➡️ Freedom is something that wake up in the morning 🌄 and do whatever you love ❤️ to do.
So , how to balance this is based on model I.e. 6 priorities as follows:
1. Environment.
Set the environment in place . Don’t travel or pick calls unnecessarily . Be clear and focus to your goal . And never run after the identity.
2. Your Soul.
Have daily meditation 🧘♂️ follow your spiritual practices daily . It helps to keep your soul clean.
3. Body.
Eat satvick food . To cleanse your body can do annual panchkarma to detox . Take good quality of sleep. So take care of your body.
4. Personal talents & hobbies.
Follow your hobbies which keeps us active.
5. Family.
Always spent your time with your family. Have open conversations with them what you like about each other and where you can improve. It just improves the bond with your family.
6. Business.
Set up plan that how many days you work . Keep the vision high . And always have a gratitude.
I just love ❤️ this podcast it is like personal touch . Even I believe in spirituality more. And it really helps to keep the balance in all manners.
Every time you talk about the Satvik food, I just feel, dude I need to do that. I don’t know I would be able to do that or not but I am sure I am gonna go for those Panchkarma treatments every year.
Thanks Sidz, immense gratitude to you!
Yes Sid, Family is the number one priority. Maintaining a balance between the work we love and passionate about and spending happy times with family.
1. Creating a conducive Environment is as important as the work we love.
2. We have to be at our fullest potential to serve the people’s needs. Only then we can give our best. So looking after our Soul is important as you rightly said
3. After the soul we have our physically manifested BODY which stays with us till we die. I look after my body as a Temple with divine sacredness.
4. Then look into our own talents n hobbies. It’s relaxing to pursue our hobbies along with career
5. Then comes our immediate family with whom we spend and who support us for the things we do or don’t do : -) .
6. Business: Then comes what we do for the income. When all the above needs are fulfilled there is no stopping us in doing what we love to do, that is solving people’s problems.
I am unstoppable.
Lots of Love and Gratitude to you Sid. I was destiny I joined your community. Thank you so much.
Very revealing and poignant!
My key takeaway
The importance of making family a priority and achieving harmony instead of balance. Balance can tip either way.
Sharing inputs to improve rather than criticism.
Giving equal status to wife- (as Lord Rama had given to Sita Devi)