If only I could feed my clients as well as my children (literally and figuratively). I met a client for a business breakfast and she ordered egg white omelet with bacon and cheddar. My thoughts ranged from how misinformed so many people are about egg yolks to if this client thinks he is getting the benefits of less cholesterol by ordering an egg white omelet, he’s just negated any by adding bacon… and cheddar. Eat the yolks, they’re actually good for you. Enjoy the bacon and cheddar, just don’t eat bacon too often. But, I kept it all to myself because I manage their investments and financial situation, not their food and health. I guess it can all go hand-in-hand- financial health and personal health; but I don’t think my clients want to hear food and nutrition advice from their investment advisor. I’ve got the qualifications to advise them on investments, not nutrition.
I began working from home a few years ago so that I could spend the first few years of my children’s lives with them— nurturing, playing, breastfeeding, just being with them. I tried a couple of hours twice a week without kids to concentrate on my clients portfolios. I also took clients’ calls whenever they called and met them whenever they wanted. Unfortunately my youngest has been battling a fever syndrome since he was just months old. He gets a fever that can go up past 105F every 10 days to 3 weeks apart and can last as long as 9 days. Any daycare/school situation I tried doesn’t allow a child during a fever. He had his tonsils and adenoids out last week in the hopes that it will alleviate the fevers.
And I’ve now found out the hard way that some clients don’t want to deal with an advisor whose fever-stricken toddler is crying in the background. And, even when my youngest doesn’t have a fever, when any of them are at home, it seems the phone signals the moment the kids want to ask me a question, cry or fight with one another— it’s Murphy’s Law. I’ve always looked after the clients’ needs and am good at what I do (some clients keep telling me they wished I’d met them years earlier), but the impression of a distracted mother doesn’t seem like a good investment advisor to some. No matter how I fed them, the appearance spoke louder.
This week I lost a big client. He wanted someone who dedicated all his/her time to clients. I didn’t bother to tell him that I probably spent as much time and effort as the other person, because, as I said, the impression that a child crying while on the phone with said client can never be overcome. There are the times I dedicate to the work but I also have kids and boy do they take a lot of time and effort. Throw in one with a chronic fever syndrome and another with Asperger’s and wow, it can be overwhelming at times. Ironic that the client long ago said to me that when I’m older I’ll never wish I spent more time in the office instead of being with my children. And in my business I need more money to get more money—especially money for childcare so I can dedicate time to woo new clients.
I am a good mother and advisor, but not a very good house keeper. Really, something’s gotta give. My house is clean but hardly ever tidy. I have too much clutter that I know needs my attention, but my priorities are the kids and clients before house. I know that feeding my children well is more important for their long term health than having a tidy house. There’s only so much I can juggle.
How does anyone do it all? How do we give our children what they need and have a business that demands our attention and have a clean and tidy house? There’s never enough time in a day. For now, my children will eat as well as I can feed them and when the youngest is in school I can dedicate more time to acquisition… which will maybe be enough so I can hire a cleaning person so that my house will also be tidy.
Hopefully in the meantime, I can continue to feed my other clients’ needs as well as my children’s.
© 2010 mykidsreallyeatthis.com
