Remember Who It’s For

He leaned across the table, placed his hand on top of mine, and said, I just wish you weren't always working. I blinked a few times and told my husband I had no idea what he was talking about, but the glow of my cell phone screen betrayed me. He was right and regardless of how many times I incredulously hmph'd my way through dinner, it was undeniable.

We intentionally keep our business small. I like quick decision-making, mobility, and freedom, so hiring a support staff hasn't been a priority. However, this means we take on a heck of a lot of work. I'm constantly on my phone, I never leave the house without my laptop, and I might be having an love/hate affair with my email inbox.

As a way to apologize for my work-a-holicness, I planned a last-minute getaway to Santa Barbara (okay, I didn't really plan it…my talented best friend of Milk and Honey Travels did) and promised one thing: to be present.

It's easy for entrepreneurs to let their work get ahead of them…to insist that business matters need to be addressed immediately to avoid outright failure or cataclysmic results. But the truth? The truth is that email will always be there…edits will always be there…but the person sitting across from the dinner table may not.

Allowing for quality time with those you love ends up making you a better business person because you remember who it's all for. You remember that love is a heavy force in the creative process…and sacrificing it isn't worth the best/biggest/most amazing business transaction. Ever.