SYLVANUS URBAN Sylvanus Urban - The Edge Issue | Page 32

Work Life Balance & The Prisoners of Entrepreneurship label on an entrepreneur ’ s work day is like trying to trap a fart in a cardboard box ; it ’ s just going to seep through and stink up the place . Still , we asked a handful of Canadian entrepreneurs disrupting their respective industries how they ’ ve managed to survive and thrive . Here are their tips for achieving the elusive work-life balance , straight from the mythological creatures themselves .

BIANCA LOPES
Owner and Chief Identity Officer at Bioconnect , a biometric technology company redefining identity .
ON BALANCE :
WE ASKED FOUR CANADIAN ENTREPRENEURS HOW THEY ’ RE NOT DEAD YET .
Author : Coleman Molnar
There is no secret potion to success , and no Harry Potter wand to wave away deadlines ( selfimposed or otherwise ). Ask most entrepreneurs what their hours are and what you won ’ t get is a clear answer . “ Uh , well , it depends .” “ There ’ s a lot of travel — mostly on weekends , but also during the week .” “ Well , there ’ s the breakfast meetings , lunch meetings , dinner meetings .” “ Whatever it takes to get the job done .” These are the average responses . Nope , nary a nine-to-five here . Trying to put a
“ I look at life like you wake up in the morning and you have 100 points to spend , like you ’ re a little video game character . How are you going to spend your 100 points ? I feel like if what I want to do and what others perceive as work are aligned , I ’ m going to want to spend as many points as I ’ ve got on that !”
ON RESETTING :
“ Being an entrepreneur is such a fucking roller coaster ! It ’ s the daily exercise that ’ s the draining one , and nobody talks about that . Personally , I meditate every morning ; I call it my mini daily vacation . From 4:50 to 5:00 am I do my ten minutes where I sit with myself and restart . Finding that fortitude in being alone and doing a self-check is important .”
ON SUPPORT :
“ Don ’ t think you have to do it alone . The minute you can recognize that you don ’ t know something that ’ s important for your business , but you have a passion for this other thing that that thing needs , look for help . Talk about it . Be open about that .
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