The Woman Entrepreneur’s Dilemma
Why It’s Time To Stop Cleaning Your Own House
by Stephanie Chandler
One of the best business decisions I’ve ever made was to hire a house cleaner.
After spending all day at work, the last thing I want to do is come home and scrub toilets. Evenings and weekends are valuable time that I’d much rather spend with my family and friends.
This seems to be a dilemma for a lot of women entrepreneurs. I think we expect ourselves to strap on the Superwoman cape and do it all. At the same time, spending money on a cleaning service can seem wasteful because like so many other things, it’s just easier to do it yourself.
But when you look at it from a business perspective, it starts to make more sense. If you earn $50 per hour and it costs $15 to $25 per hour to hire help, then outsourcing the tasks you don’t like to do can be a great choice
That includes house cleaning, administrative work, bookkeeping and other tasks that drain your time and energy. You’re also buying time to focus on what you do best in your business, plus time to spend time with the people you love.
I will admit that I held out for longer than I should have. Even though I’ve had a landscaper for years, a house cleaner seemed like a bigger deal. While it may cost a little more than lawn mowing, it is completely liberating. I can’t remember the last time I scoured my shower. Coming home to a house that’s been dusted, scrubbed, mopped, vacuumed and tidied up feels like an incredible gift I give myself—and one that I have earned.
Still not convinced? Consider this: You deserve it. You work hard building your business, you raise your family, and you nurture relationships with your friends and family. The fact is you deserve to reap the rewards of your efforts.
So if you’re still mopping floors and scrubbing grout, consider what it would be like to invest in something that improved your quality of life. If it’s a stretch for your budget, move some things around or skip your morning latte. There’s a good chance that once you get started, you will find yourself wondering why it took you so long to make this decision in the first place.
Stephanie Chandler is the author of several books including “From Entrepreneur to Infopreneur: Make Money with Books, eBooks and Information Products” and “The Author’s Guide to Building an Online Platform: Leveraging the Internet to Sell More Books.” Stephanie is also founder and CEO of AuthorityPublishing, which specializes in custom publishing for non-fiction books, and BusinessInfoGuide, a directory of resources for entrepreneurs.
