Anyone building a business has to have a certain amount of both personal and professional work ahead of them.

On a personal level, business owners tend to be passion-filled, wanting to help others. We’re different from people who work in a corporate space–even if we come from the corporate world, which we often do. But we have something to share that we’re fired up about or we desire a different kind of freedom and potential.

That’s often why we enter the small business world in the first place–because we don’t have the opportunities to explore our passions and grow like we can when we’re our own boss. But to get where we want to go professionally, we must first do the personal work.

Here are 4 Keys to Merging Personal and Professional Growth

• Recognize Your Boundaries

If you’re a mom and a business owner, you know how hard it is to shuffle home life and work life. You do life and work different now than when you were in the corporate world. (And if you’re juggling home, your business and a 9 to 5, then my hat’s off to you, hon!)

The thing is, you absolutely need to put boundaries in place so work and business don’t take over your life. That’s why we’re in this entrepreneurial space, right? So we can do life on our own terms.

Know your boundaries so work and business don’t take over your life.Click To Tweet

Boundaries are different for everyone, because everyone has different responsibilities to take care of. I’m driving kids around from 3 to 9 p.m. most weekdays, and I typically don’t respond to emails during that time. If you’re home with kids during the day, afternoons and evenings might be your prime work time. And if you’re a single mom, you might have to juggle late-night work and big batches of work while the kiddos are with Dad (or grandma).

Find the boundaries that you need to keep you sane and your kids taken care of and then stick to them. Fit your business into your life, not the other way around. It’s one of the most precious joys of business ownership.

• Find Your People

The people in your business can help to make you; they’re instrumental in your success and growth. They’re not the people you hire as part of your team, but rather the people who support you–both in a paid and unpaid capacity.

Masterminds, life coaches and mentors are all the people you invest in to help you move your business forward. But aside from paid support, you’ll also want to find accountability in the form of a biz bestie.

Your tribe is your water cooler, shoulder to cry on and board of directors all in one. And you can’t do business without them.

• Build a Framework

I’m a student of the 90 Day Year because I knew I needed another perspective when putting together my vision of what my business would look like. Knowing what your business can do in terms of organization and scalability is a huge part of building a framework that can carry you further.

Having a true framework can also help you communicate with your like-minded peers. It helps to establish a common vocabulary that keeps the lines of communication open. (I mean, how many times have you tried to talk to a family member about what you do, only to be met with blank stares? That doesn’t happen when you have a community.)

A framework isn’t stifling or limiting. In fact, it’s what gives you limitless potential because it saves time and money (and frustration) that you can put back into your business over and over again. Except the frustration. Just kick that to the curb already–because you have your tribe and your framework.

A biz framework isn’t limiting; it gives you limitless potential.Click To Tweet

• First Things First

When you know your vibe, you can find your tribe (and your footing in business). If you’ve been struggling, I recommend you first identify your mission, vision and core values. When you know what you value in business and learn to use boundaries, you start to attract others who have similar values. And the best part is they’ll respect yours too.

If you want a business that fills you with a limitless potential of time, freedom and money, you need to know what’s important to you first.

Ready to Take Action?

Grab my free Mission, Vision, and Values Guide below!