Cindy Monroe
Cindy Monroe

Ever feel like it's tough to "do it all?" Everyone talks about the importance of work-life balance, but it can be hard for working parents to focus on success in their careers and at home. Entrepreneur, executive, and mother Cindy Monroe has advice for you...it is possible to strike an equilibrium between career and family-if you work at it.

As the founder of the multimillion-dollar international company, Thirty-One Gifts, Cindy shares her innovative approaches to maintaining work-life balance, offering inspiration and guidance to fellow entrepreneurs and professionals.

Through her widely acclaimed podcast, 'Permission to Lead with Cindy Monroe,' she empowers parents to nurture all sides of their lives. Cindy's unique perspective encourages individuals to build businesses that complement their personal lives rather than compete with them.

A recent episode of her podcast featured a candid conversation with guest and entrepreneur Janet Kinkade, providing valuable insights on how to successfully navigate the delicate balance between raising children, running a business, and preserving one's sanity.

The episode emphasized the importance of collaboration, fearless risk-taking, and positive thinking as essential ingredients for achieving success in both personal and professional spheres. (Listen to the episode here.)

Here are some transformative tips that Cindy shares with fellow entrepreneurs, enabling them to effectively balance their work and family commitments:

Look For Your Cheerleaders:

Amidst the demands of a daily 9-to-5 job, it is easy for working parents to feel overwhelmed and burdened by guilt.

Cindy encourages you to seek support and assistance, reminding you that you do not have to shoulder all responsibilities alone. By surrounding yourself with positive and solution-oriented individuals, as a working parent, you can alleviate stress and focus on what matters most.

For example, sharing household chores and responsibilities with trusted allies alleviates the workload and allows for rejuvenation, ensuring that you can preserve your energy for solving problems at work and investing time with the family.

Expand Your Team:

Attempting to do everything alone is a recipe for burnout. And you're simply not going to be able to know everything your business needs to thrive. Cindy talks about her transitions from launching a startup in her basement, to growing a mid-size company, to leading a large international company. It was vital to bring on people with expertise in everything from systems to fulfillment and product development.

By investing in a skilled and dedicated workforce, you can not only fuel the growth of your company, but you can ensure the mental health and well-being of yourself, your staff, and their families.

Set Goals:

Cindy believes that daring to dream, casting your vision, mapping your steps, and driving to achieve those goals can lead you to flourish at both work and home. Looking specifically at the mapping phase, she encourages entrepreneurs to set small, achievable goals that can pave the way for significant accomplishments.

For example, Cindy's dream for Thirty-One in the beginning was to be profitable by Year 5, defying the odds that most startups fail within the first five-to-seven years. She achieved that dream by setting dozens of smaller goals along the way.

Maintain a Positive Mindset:

A positive attitude in the face of challenges is vital for achieving work-life balance. Staying connected to one's purpose and finding motivation in making loved ones proud can help individuals navigate difficult moments.

Cindy, recognized as the winner of the Enterprising Women of the Year award, shares how she has faced several setbacks and missteps over the past 20 years of building Thirty-One. She credits her faith and the help of positive family, friends, and mentors in helping her overcome these challenges.

Focus on Revived Purpose:

Reflect on the impact your business has on your surroundings and how it fulfills its purpose. Cindy's guest, Janet Kinkade, for example, shares how her business supports other women in providing for their families, which serves as a driving force for her.

Discover similar motivators that inspire you to wake up each day, ready to face challenges head-on.

Cindy Monroe emphasizes that success is not solely dependent on luck but is the result of persistence, consistency, hard work, sacrifice, risk-taking, passion, and discipline. By working to adopt these traits, you can achieve not only a profitable business, but also a happy and fulfilling life.

For more insights that can help you flourish at work and home, follow Cindy's podcast here, and read Cindy's book, "More Than a Bag."