🛠️ Work-Life Balance, Kind Of.

& National Small Biz Week

“I’ll be done in 10 minutes”

You said it yesterday.
You said it last week.
You’ve probably said it half the days this month.

The truth is — when you're building something that matters, everything else can start to feel optional. Dinner. Planning that trip. That walk you promised your kid.

But what if the cost of chasing the dream is making you unreliable to the people who believed in it with you?

In this new episode of American Operator, I don’t have a hack for balance. I talk about what’s helped me create consistency — not just for myself, but for all the folks who count on me to show up.

This week is National Small Business Week,

Which is funny — because for most Operators I know, every week is small business week.

You’re fixing the toilet, sending invoices, running payroll, and maybe, just maybe, grabbing a cold one before crashing for the night.

So let’s talk about the thing no one wants to admit out loud:
Work-life balance is tough when you own the whole dang thing.

But I’m not here to preach balance. I’m here to remind you that it’s okay to build your own version of it. That might mean bringing your kid to the job site. Or stepping out of the shop early to coach Little League. Or simply carving out a quiet 30 minutes where no one needs anything from you.

You’re not building a business for the grind. You’re building it to own your time, even if you’re still figuring that part out.

Keep going. And happy Small Business Week. You’ve earned it. And if ya haven’t, go give a word of encouragement (and maybe spend a few dollars) to the folks at your favorite local establishment.

Build smarter. Lead harder. Operate better.

Warmly,

JC & The American Operator Team