The Holiday Season of my childhood was magical. Filled with warm memories of Thanksgiving meals, presents by the beautifully decorated tree and family traditions.

Then I grew up and became an entrepreneur.

Before I learned to balance and plan, I struggled as many entrepreneurs do, with the overwhelming stress monster that took over the Holiday Season as I had known it. Family meals were spent checking e-mails from my phone under the table. I skipped Holiday parties to finish work from home.  What happened to the most “wonderful time of the year”?

Something needed to change, I wanted that magic back.

I read a great piece of advice that I have taken to heart and I think every entrepreneur needs to hear, “If you are not able to take a vacation, it means you have done a poor job as a manager. Your business should be able to run without you if you’ve done a good job at setting up systems and structures.”

Systems and structure take planning. It is a bitter pill to swallow, but from Thanksgiving and Hanukkah to Christmas and New Year’s, employees and founders of small companies juggle current projects, plans for the upcoming year and closing the books for the past year. Don’t make the mistakes of Christmas Past, nobody likes an Ebenezer Scrooge.  Start planning now and avoid the hustle and bustle, and actually enjoy the season’s pleasures. (more…)

“Life isn’t a matter of milestones but of moments”
-Rose F. Kennedy

I have lived much of my life, as many of us do, waiting, planning and pining over the “BIG” moments to come: the next launch, the proposal, the next trip. Sure, these are clearly unforgettable, but when you look back over your life, will these make up your life in its entirety?

No, those are few and far between. Real life is right in front of us each and every day. Moments so small, we sometimes take them for granted, but ultimately, these are what will cumulatively create a life well lived.

It is time to embrace and celebrate these epic, small moments, (more…)

Ambitious and career driven, you have been that way as far back as you can remember. And what is wrong with that? Long hours and late nights have become routine. A 24/7 lifestyle has led you to success, but where else could you be heading?

What happens when you mentally and physically hit a wall?

And more importantly, if you haven’t hit that wall yet, how can you prevent inevitable burnout?

An alarming number of young professional women are burning out at work before they reach 30. They appear to “have it all”— great salaries, benefits, paid vacation, but behind closed doors exhaustion and high stress levels are stacking up. In statistic provided by McKinsey research, the corporate ladder reflects this. (more…)