Building a Business, Raising a Family: Cutting the Noise and Finding Flexibility Without Burning Out

Cutting the Noise

When you are running a business and a household, there is no room for noise. By noise, I mean the distracting, low value tasks that consume time but do not actually move anything forward.

I learned early on that I cannot do everything well if I am trying to do everything at once. Instead, I focus on improving one area of Acadia Bay at a time. Some weeks that means marketing materials. Other weeks it is sales, hiring, or customer check-ins. The goal is not to do it all, but to do one thing the right way so progress is intentional instead of reactive.

When I start feeling reactive, when every day feels like putting out fires, that is my signal to step back. I look for places where I can delegate, automate, or hire. Reactivity usually means something has outgrown me personally, and holding onto it is no longer helping the business.

To keep my workload manageable, I handle small things as they come. I respond to quick emails or staff questions while waiting in line, making dinner, or while my kids are playing. If I let those pile up, they turn into half a day of catch-up, which is time I do not have.

I also learned to step away from work that does not require me. It is not that I do not enjoy talking to customers. Many of those relationships go back years. But my team is capable, and my highest value is in the work that moves the business forward.

This is not about doing less or doing everything. Doing less often means dropping a ball to keep another in the air. Doing everything leads to burnout or poor quality. The balance comes from knowing what matters most and giving it the attention it deserves, while empowering others to support you properly.

The Hidden Superpower, Flexibility

For the first ten years after college, I worked full-time in an office, often more than forty hours a week and frequently bringing work home. Eventually, I had to draw a firm line between work and personal life to avoid working all the time.

Now, running my own business while raising kids, that line is much blurrier, and I could not be happier. If I take a call with a partner after dinner, it does not feel like overwork. I only work when work needs to be done, which means I can take personal time when it fits best, whether that is midday with my kids or early in the morning before everyone is awake.

Chaos does not stress me out the way it used to. I trust that everything will get handled eventually as long as we prioritize and write things down so nothing slips through the cracks.

One of the unexpected benefits of working with associations is how human the work feels.

Most of the customers I work with understand that life happens. If there is a sick child or an urgent appointment, they get it. They trust that we will deliver, and we always do.

Flexibility is not about doing everything at once. It is about understanding that balance does not always happen daily, but it does happen over time.