Entrepreneurs often become consumed by their businesses, sacrificing health, time, and relationships despite financial success. The Life by Design method begins by defining personal values and desired life outcomes before considering revenue or KPIs. Writing an ideal life in present-tense, positive language and reading it regularly creates a decision filter that guides choices. Major crises can prompt rewriting priorities and lead to deliberate, values-driven planning. Concrete goals can include geographic and income diversification, family priorities, health, travel, and creative output. Building a business around a predesigned life aligns work with long-term well-being.
Most entrepreneurs have a business plan. We write it, follow it... and slowly that business grows until it consumes our lives. Suddenly, the company dictates the calendar, family trips are canceled for "urgent" calls and personal decisions take a back seat. I've had countless closed-door conversations with entrepreneurs who, from the outside, seem to have it all, but in private admit that they hate their company and think they are a prisoner.
In my early ventures, I lived to work. During my second major project, I was working until 3 a.m., sleeping for one hour, then heading back to the office. Rapid growth came at a cost: zero personal life. Then came the 2008 crisis. I lost my mortgage company and ended up with $1 million in debt. I'd wake up at 2 a.m. in a cold sweat, stuck in a cycle of worry. One day, I decided to write. First, what I didn't want, then what I did. Without realizing it, I was designing my ideal life.
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