To most entrepreneurs, the words “startup” and “work-life balance” don’t seem to belong in the same sentence, especially in the frantic early years of a venture. But I can tell you from first-hand experience that it’s possible, just not in the most obvious way.
As a CPA, a profession that has long wrestled with burnout and overwork, I’m especially attuned to the risks of burning the candle at both ends. Both entrepreneurs and CPAs tend to treat 80-hour workweeks as a badge of honor. We shouldn’t. It’s really a cry for help.Â
When I started my company in 2012, I was passionate about what I was building, so I never felt burnt out. It was fun, challenging, and I genuinely enjoyed the work. But eventually that adrenaline ran low.
I discovered that travel helped create some balance, even when it was for business. Even though many people find travel stressful, changing the physical environment gives me a different way to recharge without completely stepping away. Here are some other ways traveling can help you and your startup clients find balance: It breaks the routine, rests the brain, lowers burnout, gives big-picture views, sparks creativity and improves focus.Â
The AI factor
Many people ask me if AI enhances work-life balance by allowing us to get more done, or does it create more stress and burnout? At our company, which provides outsourced accounting solutions, we’re finding AI to be a net positive. It’s helping us develop our product, and it’s giving our team time back by reducing repetitive tasks and administrative work, freeing them up for engaging, high-value work with clients.
Don’t just exercise to reduce stress. Set goals and track them.
Exercise is a big stress reliever for me and it should be for you hard-charging, Type-A entrepreneur clients too. I use Peloton and Tonal and try to work out every day. I use a WHOOP to track my fitness and goals. (Disclosure: The author receives no compensation or promotional consideration for products and services mentioned in this article.) Since your clients are very competitive and goal-oriented, remind them what gets tracked gets accomplished. Having something that measures your progress creates accountability and keeps you motivated.
I perform better and have a better day when I get an early-morning workout in. I’ve seen a noticeable drop in productivity and focus when I don’t exercise first thing in the morning. I also prefer working out at home because there’s no travel time to the gym, so workouts stay short.
Like many founders and CEOs, my time is limited, even more so as a new parent. But setting a workout appointment with yourself is something you can control most of the time. Now I’m going to work on getting more sleep and finding time to meditate.
Creating a healthy culture
We started as an office-based company and eventually moved to being fully remote. That has given our team more flexibility, though I wouldn’t call our schedules completely flexible. Our team needs to be available during reasonable business hours to support clients and collaborate with one another. At the same time, we understand that personal things like doctor’s appointments or picking up kids often fall within the workday, and we give our employees the flexibility to handle those things as they come up. I strongly recommend this approach to startup company clients, no matter how small their team is or how fast they’re growing.
That way, there is flexibility, but it exists within the structure of being available for clients and the team. Encourage your clients to trust their team members to fulfill their obligations without constant supervision. We’re conscious of respecting people’s time outside of work; I try not to send emails after hours, scheduling them for the next morning instead.
Especially in a remote organization, the lines between work and personal time can blur because you’re working where you live. It’s important for leadership to respect those boundaries and not expect your people to be available at all hours of the day and night.
Signs that someone may be burning out
I look for signs that someone isn’t performing at their true potential: Deadlines start slipping, goals aren’t being met, or the quality of their work declines and they stop showing their usual passion. Remind your hard-charging startup clients that when someone consistently falls short or becomes apathetic, they’re not being lazy or trying to cut corners. It’s usually a sign that something is off in their lives and worth paying attention to. If possible, encourage clients to make mental health resources readily available for their employees - both remote and in the office - and make sure employees know they can access those resources without being judged or having their career progress compromised.Â
The CPA profession has studies showing that accountants have much higher levels of career satisfaction if their firms make mental health resources readily available without stigma.
The power of delegation
Remind your startup clients that one of the biggest mistakes that early-stage company founders make is not hiring the right people or not delegating to the great people they have hired. Founders can’t do everything themselves, especially as the company grows. They need to build a team they trust, give them ownership and let them do their jobs. If everything still must run through the founder, they’re creating unnecessary stress for themselves and the team and limiting the company’s ability to grow.
Fast-growing enterprises need systems that keep them organized and focused. We use ClickUp to manage priorities and have adopted AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude to work more efficiently. If something is important, it must land on my calendar. I plan my days and weeks around where my time needs to go, dedicating specific days just to sales, just to operations, just to finance or product, etc., so I can stay focused on one area instead of jumping between priorities.
Remind clients that work-life balance isn’t about working less; it’s about working smarter. By taking care of one’s health, building the right systems and trusting one’s team, rapid growth and personal well-being can (and should) coexist. As your client’s most trusted advisor, show them how you can help them thrive and prosper beyond running the numbers.
By: Nick Pasquarosa, Founder and CEO