Balancing kids and time - How To Build Your Own Business

blog 2015
Written By Andrew Ford

Kids spell love TIME! They don't care what sort of car you drive or what brand clothes you wear, they only count their relationship with you by how much Value time you spend with them. I'm not talking about driving them places, cooking dinner, doing emails while they watch TV time - I'm talking about real Value time. Spending time with them at the beach, snow, park or museum. Whatever they are into, that's their values and joining their experience with them for something THEY love is what makes the difference. This is the stuff they will remember when they are parents themselves. 

A few years ago, I found myself not spending enough Value time with the kids. I wasn't particularly happy with life. Work was so so, home life wasn't great and I found myself chasing external sensory highlights to make my life seem more fulfilling. You probably know the drill - you drink more, you shop more, you eat more, you have more - but somehow it doesn't add more fulfillment to your life. It just costs more. Unfortunately I couldn't find a way to have more time and money doing the corporate thing - it seems linear. Want more money, work more hours with more stress. 

Life has a tendency of balancing itself and after awhile of this merry-go-round of consuming for fulfillment, I had a 'learning experience'. I got humbled, big time. Lost the high paying, big status corporate job. Was driving my second car, was living in a very small apartment - basically I was 25 again. Starting over.

So what did I do? Did I repeat the cycle and start consuming again? No. I sucked it up and started my passion business. I got real with myself and what I really wanted. More Value time with the kids, less trinkets of success and more life fulfillment. My ego took awhile to get use to it, but when I really got it, life was sweet again. I awoke with vibrancy and exuberance of a teenager. My relationships improved out of sight, my health improved, even my finances grew.

What was the change? The change was I was living my values and was congruent with myself. My kids felt my happiness and loved being around me because I was joyful and playful with them.  You can't be happy with others until you are happy with yourself. Who knew, right! My business Social Star is designed around me, what I find important. Yes I leave early a few days a week to pick my kids up. Yes I work with friends and give discounts to people in need. It's my values and I live them every day. I also have a back up income to help me get ahead.

So how do you start your passion business based on your own values? How do you get your time back for your kids and to have a more fulfilling life? It's actually a simple process once you make the decision. Sure it takes work and changes to your lifestyle, but once you taste the benefits, there really is no comparison.

My mission is to help others to start their passion business so here are a bunch of free resources to help you on your way:

  1. Watch my webinar replay of 'Passion to Profits' to see how I transformed my life,

  2. Get my book free here 'Creating a Powerful Brand' and follow the steps to take control of your career and,

  3. Register for a free 20 minute business assessment to see if you have the idea that could change your life.

Don't wait another year before you take a chance to change your life. Grab your opportunity with both hands and demand more quality time with your kids. They are only young once.

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As an added bonus all my visitors can download a complimentary copy of my book 'Creating a Powerful Brand' by clicking on the book menu button or here. Tell your friends we have load of eBooks! It will change your life or you money back. Enjoy!

 

(the link is http://www.andrewford.com.au/book/)

Andrew Ford
Marketing expert Andrew Ford, the founder of Social Star, has discovered the secret of ‘Powerful Branding’. With a fire for unleashing people’s inner brand and developing business models to generate profit from an individual’s passions, Andrew leverages ground-breaking digital and social media marketing techniques to create digital strategies for clients to attract maximum opportunities. Having established a strong name for himself in the field, Andrew blends traditional business techniques with now-necessary tools for entrepreneurs to achieve scale, quality, and influence in their niche. Andrew’s comprehensive business background and qualifications consist of a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) (RMIT 2003), a Graduate Certificate in Management (MBA Executive Program, University of Sydney 2005), and a Masters of Entrepreneurship and Innovation (Swinburne University 2011). Continually on the cutting edge of his own education, Andrew has tested his marketing theories in forums such as the BCG Business Strategy Competition, which he won in 2005 against all Victorian MBA schools, and the Venture Cup Business Plan Competition (Swinburne University 2003), which he won in the Masters category. With experience working at Hewlett-Packard, Sensis (Telstra) and IBM, Andrew also has mentored dozens of junior staffs to help them achieve their professional goals. Meeting and influencing high-profile public figures helped Andrew to realise just how many professionals require more understanding and control of their public brands or appearance, and need help with the skills to use the many amazing free tools at their disposal to generate success. At Social Star, Andrew consults with clients to uncover their personal brand – both where it is today and where it can be tomorrow – and refine and define how that should be displayed in social media in order to attract their perfect target audience. Andrew mentors his clients to rapidly grow their business’ audiences, resulting in larger potential client bases and higher revenue. Applying formulas that integrate over twenty years of Andrew’s business experience and fifteen years of formal business education, Social Star specialises in building clarity and velocity for clients’ brands using the ‘Understand, Build and Leverage’ methodology. ‘Having a Personal Business enables people to have an authentic, congruent connection with their valued clients and partners, using their brand as the bridge,’ says Andrew. ‘I’m highly driven to work with the new breed of entrepreneurs and small business owners – people who have a passion for making the world a better place. Traditional business models are stepping aside as people follow their innermost dreams and my role is to see them operate within their values while creating wealth. Some people think you have to sacrifice what you love to be successful in your business, yet it is actually the opposite. Follow your passion and success will come.’ Lecturing at Swinburne University from 2009 to 2011 on brand dynamics and digital marketing, presenting at numerous conferences, and consulting to hundreds of clients, Andrew has seen his philosophy work that if you follow your unique path, based on your skills, experience, values and goals, you will automatically attract the opportunities you desire and achieve the success you deserve. Living his mantra, Andrew has created a successful business and attracts high-profile clients including musicians, athletes, authors, models, entrepreneurs, professionals and small business owners, helping them find their ‘why’ in their business and fulfilment in their lives. Business for Andrew is more than work, it’s personal. Running a personal business means that he is able to fulfil all of his values rather than separating his life from work. It supports his two boys while providing social opportunities, educational development, fitness opportunities, spiritual fulfilment and many valuable friendships. Social Star has now become the vehicle for Andrew to crystallise his mission in the world, to help people love what they do, supporting his ‘why’, that if more people loved what they did, the world would be a better place.
http://www.andrewford.com.au/
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