Around the world—but particularly in America—our identities are often inextricably interwoven with our occupations, and that’s arguably even truer for business owners. In fact, many people generally consider it a great point of pride, making it the first detail they share when meeting someone for the first time, not only professionally at a conference but also casually at a social event.
But as the truism goes, too much of a good thing can become bad. According to an April 2025 survey by the online publication Founder Reports, 87.7 percent of entrepreneurs admitted to having at least one mental health issue, with over half dealing with anxiety and over a third experiencing burnout. Discover why you should strive for better balance, both for yourself and for your team, and how to go about it.
A work-based identity can become ingrained in us long before we get our first job, starting with adults asking kids what they “want to be” when they grow up. (A better question would be who they want to be.) This soon morphs into questioning teens about what they “want to do” after graduating high school and pressing twentysomethings about their postcollege plans.
It’s perhaps no surprise, then, that so much emphasis is placed on occupation in our culture. One reason this can be problematic is how it may lead your sense of self to get lost along the way. There’s a psychological term related to this called enmeshment. It primarily refers to one’s inability to distinguish their identity from someone else’s—think married individuals who seem to operate as one person—but such blurring can also happen with job titles, especially for those in high-risk, high-reward careers that require long hours and constant availability.
These individuals allow the quest for corporate greatness to engulf their lives, often at the expense of personal relationships and their own health. The situation can be made worse if they feel like they have no control over the matter, leaving them stuck in an endless work loop they may not even want to be on and pushing them into an existential crisis.
Does all this sound familiar? Don’t worry—it is possible to take a different path.
You’ve undoubtedly experienced the thrill of getting a new job or promotion (while proudly displaying either on new business cards!), and the feeling is exponentially greater when starting a business. Such a journey is meant to be financially rewarding, of course, but it also teaches valuable skills like ingenuity, problem-solving, steadfastness, and resilience. For many entrepreneurs, their entities become an extension of themselves and their values with the potential to form a legacy of sorts, lasting long past their own lives and spanning generations.
When it gets to be too much, however, it can harm both your well-being and your business by causing physical and mental exhaustion, worse decision-making and increased mistakes, and strained relationships with your team and your loved ones. Here are some ways to help keep the demands at bay so you can be the best leader possible.
Admit there’s a problem
If you notice any of the aforementioned symptoms, fight back against the tendency to “suck it up.” Instead, address them as soon as possible before they turn into a full-blown crisis.
Remember your why
It’s remarkably easy to lose sight of your motivation in the shuffle of building a business, and returning to it can help keep you grounded when things get chaotic.
Set boundaries on your time
It can be quite challenging for entrepreneurs to say no—not in the sense of making decisions but in valuing their own time. Be sure to block out hours when you’re unavailable, such as late at night or on weekends. Then stick to these boundaries even if it means ditching your phone.
Let it go
Your business is your baby and, at this point, your life, making it difficult to trust others with it. However, delegating certain responsibilities will allow you to not only show trust in the team you’ve built and prioritize your family but also . . .
Do something for yourself
Indulge in an activity that brings you joy, such as golfing or a spa treatment. (As a bonus, doing so can remind you of your interests—and therefore your identity—outside of work.) And aim to get away every now and then, whether it’s simply leaving the office at lunch, taking a day for a mental reboot, or planning a dedicated vacation.
Revisit and adjust your balancing act as needed
Nothing is static in business. When your company grows, for instance, it will need more of your time. But if you anticipate this, you can ensure that it doesn’t overwhelm you or your loved ones.
The benefits don’t end with you, though. Your team members can experience identity crises and burnout as well. In fact, source after source indicates that employees are increasingly vocal about this issue, valuing work-life balance even more than climbing the corporate ladder—with a 2023 Randstad survey concluding that a whopping 94 percent of workers consider such equilibrium to be important.
So it’s worth your while to make your company a place they want to deeply identify with. A good start is being a role model for it, as discussed earlier. But also work with your managers to find reasonable ways to actively encourage a healthy balance, including offering flexible hours, remote work options, and a generous time-off policy. (Amazingly, research has found that remote workers tend to get work done more efficiently and, without a commute, may put in more hours at their jobs.) In addition, encourage the mindset that your employees—and, by extension, their loved ones—are part of your corporate family, especially if you own a small business, where get-togethers and the like are easier to foster.
The title of “business owner” is a double-edged sword: both a badge of honor and an entity that can easily engulf your identity. The good news is that with self-awareness, perspective, and planning, you can control how embedded it becomes, positively impacting not just you and your company but also your team and loved ones.
TAKE ACTION:
Pause to reflect on your identity, determining what other titles you value as much as—or even more than—“business owner” or “entrepreneur.”
Every entrepreneur faces the same challenge: too much to do and not enough time to do it in. Between emails, meetings, client calls, and daily operations, it’s easy to feel like you’re working nonstop while still not accomplishing enough. That’s where a tool like the Eisenhower Matrix comes in. Named after the former president who created it, this simple yet powerful grid can help you organize your tasks so you can focus your time on what truly moves your business forward—and stop wasting energy on what doesn’t.
The strength of the Eisenhower Matrix lies in its simplicity. This four-quadrant model helps you quickly sort tasks into one of four sections based on how urgent and important they are, better enabling you to determine what needs your attention now, what can be scheduled for later, what should be delegated, and what can be cut from your to-do list completely.
Quadrant I: Do
(urgent + important)
These are high-stakes tasks with immediate deadlines, including projects with upcoming delivery dates and emerging client or financial issues. While you may inevitably always have a few on your plate, too many could indicate that you’re constantly reacting instead of planning.
Quadrant II: Schedule
(not urgent + important)
The items in this quadrant may not be actively clamoring for your attention, but they are essential for strategic growth and long-term success—think team building, corporate partnerships, and business development. Ideally, most of your time should be spent here, doing the proactive work necessary to set your company up for success.
Quadrant III: Delegate
(urgent + not important)
Some duties with fast deadlines don’t require your direct involvement, such as scheduling meetings, managing calendars, and replying to noncritical emails. So instead of handling them yourself, delegate them to a team member or virtual assistant to lighten your load, freeing up your schedule and energy for more essential opportunities.
Quadrant IV: Eliminate
(not urgent + not important)
These are ultimately distractions that consume your time and attention without delivering real value. Excessive checking for industry updates (i.e., social media scrolling), superfluous meetings, and busywork like reorganizing files fall into this group. If a task doesn’t directly support your goals, it should be cut without hesitation.
One of the best aspects of this framework is that you don’t need special software or a complicated system to start seeing results—it just takes a little time and strategy to get your priorities sorted.
List your tasks
At the beginning of each day or week (depending on your preference), write down all the tasks on your radar to complete. Include everything from big-picture initiatives like updating your business plan to small, recurring items like checking your inbox.
Draw the matrix
Make a large plus sign on a sheet of paper or whiteboard to create four quadrants. Label the top row “Important” and the bottom row “Not Important.” Then label the left column “Urgent” and the right column “Not Urgent.”
Sort your tasks
Go through your list, and assign each task to a quadrant. The key is to be honest with yourself—though many may seem urgent and/or important in the moment, that doesn’t mean they actually are. For instance, a marketing report that’s due Friday is both pressing and pertinent, making it a clear fit for Quadrant I. Meanwhile, tweaking your website layout for the third time this week might feel productive, but if it’s not tied to a pressing deadline or strategic goal, it likely belongs in Quadrant IV.
Strategically tackle your workload
Now that your tasks are categorized, decide how to handle each one based on their quadrant:
When you’re done, remember that the Eisenhower Matrix isn’t a one-time exercise; rather, it works best when used regularly. And, over time, it can help train your brain to instinctively separate the truly valuable from the mere time wasters. You’ll feel less overwhelmed, more in control, and better equipped to make intentional decisions that move your business forward.
TAKE ACTION:
Take fifteen minutes to list your tasks and sort them into the Eisenhower Matrix, using it to guide how you structure your time and where you focus your attention.
Golf is unquestionably woven into the fabric of American leisure, luring players from all walks of life to battle for the lowest score across eighteen holes against the backdrop of exquisitely manicured natural scenery. And the nearly 14,000 courses speckled throughout our landscape—from high-end resorts to municipal parks—indicate that this sport with ancient origins isn’t fading anytime soon.
Among the stalwarts keeping the game thriving are ambitious businesspeople, who leverage this setting not only to unwind from office stressors but also to broker some business deals in the meantime. After all, certain elements of golf are right on par with specific professional aims. Get a look at the core benefits of taking to the course with one or more business contacts and how you could walk away a champion in more ways than one.
Just about every professional interaction requires you to make some sort of sales pitch, whether you’re promoting a product, encouraging a new contact to collaborate, or even inspiring your team members to commit their top efforts to your organization. In any case, the best sales techniques often rely on being organic and subtle rather than overly direct with your language—a slow-burn spiel that flows naturally from casual conversation into a formal request. And perhaps one of the greatest environments for hosting such rewarding communication is a golf course.
When you invite an important contact to unwind with you at a fresh-air venue rather than the confines of a stuffy boardroom or desk, you’re more likely to inspire relaxed discussion, consistent engagement, and camaraderie. The peaceful atmosphere and stimulating activity beckon players to let down their guard and share ideas over the approximate four-hour period it takes to get through an eighteen-hole course, which is plenty of time to lay the groundwork for your eventual hard sell.
However, be sure that you’re up for the task—in order to be a good golf companion, you need to have the conversational skills to fill a full morning or afternoon. Fail to remain engaging, and you could turn off a potential business partner or client with no possibility of taking a mulligan. To fuel rewarding interactions, utilize the FORD method, asking about the following:
These proven discussion tactics can help you foster ongoing relationships with all kinds of business contacts, expanding your professional network and encouraging profitable deals with big-ticket clients.
Golf could be just as motivating for individuals within your organization, offering stupendous team-building potential. Michael Alexis, CEO of the employee-engagement service teambuilding.com, reports that investing in socializing among your workforce stands to enhance intercommunication by more than 50 percent—just one of many benefits. Invite a few employees to a round on the green, and you may just see a boost in their collaborative skills, project-brainstorming performance, and ability to collectively resolve issues.
As you plan such an outing, note that a standard round of golf typically accommodates up to four players, so you’ll need to separate your team members into small groups. Make sure to do so thoughtfully, apportioning them in a way that spurs strong connections. You could pair those who often collaborate digitally but don’t interact face-to-face regularly, or consider randomly shuffling people from different departments. Though your approach will depend on your goal for the activity, the end result will be the same—a stronger work culture and greater performance.
To gain even more team-building benefits, host a postgolf meeting at the clubhouse to review the important lessons to be learned from the experience. Poll your employees on how they utilized skills such as problem-solving, creative thinking, strategic forethought, and competitive analysis throughout their round. For instance, did anyone witness their abilities flourish between holes one and eighteen? What did this teach them about their aptitude for taking on difficult projects? By connecting the dots between their fairway lessons and their work, you can better ensure that they carry over into the office once everyone returns.
Depending on who you ask, this environment doesn’t qualify as golfing, but spending an afternoon at such a venue may offer some of the same advantages as playing eighteen holes—and perhaps other added perks. Hitting balls at a driving range is a less complicated activity bogged down by fewer complex rules than standard golf, making it minimally challenging to take up for newbies. It’s also far less time-consuming since you can dictate how long you want to play rather than being at the mercy of the course.
All this means that a quick stopover at a driving range could be more appropriate for a team-wide activity or casual business meeting. It may be an especially popular choice if the invitees in question vary in age and background. Older individuals and those with mobility issues, for instance, might not be up for all the walking, even with a golf cart. Likewise, someone with a tight schedule may not be able to while away a morning or afternoon golfing between their commitments.
Another bonus is the potential to wrap the golf course and clubhouse into a simultaneous social activity. Many successful brands like Topgolf serve food and drinks while you play, allowing you to talk business over some delicious eats before grabbing the club for another round. On top of keeping everyone’s energy up, it will also keep your spirits high. Who can stay upset about a bad shot with a mouthwatering meal in front of them?
For a more whimsical alternative with equal upside, consider spending an hour or two at a mini golf course. If you operate in an industry with a creative and youth-oriented focus, such as media production or event hosting, potential clients or partners may be more than thrilled to meet you at such a venue.
When planning professional meetings and team-building events, always be sure to gauge your guests’ hobbies and preferences, verifying that they’d be interested in golfing or visiting a driving range. Doing so is key to executing a mutually enjoyable event, especially one you hope to walk away from it celebrating a lucrative deal. But if a cohort does agree to meet you on the green, carrying exceptional conversation could encourage strong connections with people inside and outside your organization—and spell a hole-in-one for your business.
TAKE ACTION:
Call up at least three individuals who you could invite golfing, noting what you specifically aim to achieve from these gatherings.
Wall Street executive-turned-entrepreneur Ruchi Pinniger (rhymes with Gucci) discusses her career and her quest to help female business owners redefine success.
What led you to the financial field?
I was born in Denmark and lived in India before my parents moved our family to America in the seventies. My dad died when I was very young, and my mom raised my brother and me while reinventing herself here. She started out as a bank teller and worked her way up to an executive role at a bank, which inspired me as I was growing up.
Unfortunately, she passed away when I was fifteen, so I moved in with my aunt and uncle in New York. When it was time for college, my goal was to major in psychology since I enjoyed helping people work through their problems. But my aunt and uncle said they thought I’d be good at business, based on both my grades and my mom’s influence, and convinced me to get a business degree. I worked on Wall Street for many years until I started my company, Watch Her Prosper®. A lot of clients now call me their “financial therapist”—my original calling has come full circle.
Was there an “aha” moment that made you decide to do something different?
There were a few. One was buying myself a Prada bag as validation of “making it” on Wall Street, only to quickly realize that I still felt empty and yearned for something more. I wanted to help people in a deeper way, and I didn’t feel that at my corporate job. I sought it out in various forms, including becoming a committee cochair of our Women’s Network, joining leadership programs, and being active as both a mentor and a mentee, with no luck. I even tried HR, but that bombed.
I was also constantly hearing stories from incredible, well-educated women who started businesses and loved what they did yet would insist they weren’t good at numbers—to the point that they’d just ignore them. That was my true “aha” moment since I knew I could fill that need. So I left my comfort zone of moving up the corporate ladder and took a total leap of faith in myself.
Why may some women have such money mindset issues, and how can they overcome them to improve their relationship with their finances?
Women have traditionally been taught that it’s not polite to discuss money, with society pushing that it is more of a men’s realm—up until around the time I was born, women even needed a male cosigner just to get credit! Self-criticism is also a big problem: women feel judged, and they judge themselves. As a result, they tend to feel uncomfortable about finances. In fact, in a well-known report, 61 percent of women said they would rather talk about their own death than money.
But if we can let go of all that, it opens up so many possibilities. My company creates a comfortable space for women to share their struggles and feel like they have a numbers partner. Many times, a lot of unexpressed emotion comes out as we work with clients.
How did your experience on Wall Street shape your approach to helping women?
I love that you brought this up. Wall Street is known for having a lot of masculine energy: a nonstop, go-go-go attitude. That creeps in with business owners as well, who feel like we have to do it all and must control everything—and it tends to be heightened in women, who are often pulled in eight different directions between their company and home. But in the work I do, there’s so much feminine energy: learning to pause and assess where we not only need support but also accept it. That’s a key to growing a business, and it’s something we’re not necessarily used to in the corporate world.
To be fair, though, this male/female energy dynamic has certainly changed greatly from when I was growing up. The men of today, like my husband, tend to be more family focused and collaborative.
Your mission statement says that your aim is to help women live their most prosperous lives. Why not have the most prosperous businesses?
We take that approach because prosperity is about more than just money. For many individuals, though, the two are inextricably linked. That’s why when they think about business, they focus on revenue and how many six or seven figures they make. But I want people to look at it holistically. What does it mean to live a prosperous life? And how can we intentionally build that mindset? People always seem to wait for some future thing to happen to feel joy, thinking “When I get x amount of money, I’ll be content” or “When this big event happens in my life, then I’ll be happy.” There’s no reason to wait, though—we can feel prosperous every day.
So our method is different. We work with clients to align their personal goals with their business goals, helping them redefine prosperity by focusing on the life they want first and then building out what number they need to achieve it. Primarily, I love pointing them to emotional objectives. How do you want to feel every day, and what’s stopping you from feeling that way? When you let that vision be your North Star and align your business decisions with it, the money will follow.
You break prosperity down into three pillars. Would you elaborate on them?
Absolutely. The first is well-being. I ask my clients to reflect on what would bring them true joy, especially since women tend to neglect themselves. For me, it’s taking long strolls in Central Park, which whisks me away from all of life’s demands. That’s the thing about joy: it’s available for all budgets. My walks are free except for my time—and my $5 Starbucks coffee. [Laughs]
Spirituality is the second pillar in the sense that we are all connected and what we put into the universe is what we get back. I focus on what I call my RIR Method™: Recognize, Interrupt, and Reframe™. So recognize when you’re having negative, disempowering thoughts, interrupt them, and reframe them with something more positive and prosperous. For example, if you’re convinced that you’re bad at money, face those thoughts and refocus on trusting yourself with it more.
The third pillar is healthy relationships. Are your personal ones built from lifting each other up or doing the opposite? Also, consider how other people’s beliefs about money are impacting yours. Do you feel comfortable talking about your finances with them, or do you lie about how much you make to keep up with them? That’s influenced by your past experience. Someone whose parents fought about money, for instance, will carry that memory with them through life and see it influence their mindset and money habits.
In what ways does your company help business owners become more financially literate?
Our clients are mostly service-based small businesses, such as coaches, consultants, media, and PR agencies, who are the best at what they do but don’t necessarily want to be full-time CFOs. We bridge that gap, creating a safe, judgment-free space where clients can get help with bookkeeping, financial guidance, and even tax-time readiness. We meet with them regularly, walking them through understanding the numbers so they can understand them and develop amazing habits to save money and grow their businesses. That’s why we call ourselves financial guides.
You also help women financially beyond America. Would you talk about B1G1, the charity you sponsor?
We’ve been involved with B1G1’s global giving initiative for about four years. It was founded knowing that a lot of business owners want to give back but will wait for a reason to do so, such as holding off until they’re profitable. B1G1 allows companies to give in small increments, consistently donating so that with every transaction, good happens somewhere in the world. In our case, each time Watch Her Prosper signs a new client or gets a referral that leads to a consultation call, a donation goes toward bookkeeping training for women overseas or microloans for underserved populations in India and Africa. It’s so cool.
How has Watch Her Prosper changed the lives of businesswomen?
Women often feel alone when they’re operating their businesses. We’re here to validate them, support them, and help heal their money wounds so they don’t pass their financial trauma on to their employees or family, which is vital for success. We want them to see what’s possible and have entrepreneurial peace of mind—and that’s the best part about my job.
For more info, visit watchherprosper.com
