Work Life Balance for Entrepreneurs
So many of you have been reaching out lately, telling me you’re exhausted. You’re working late into the night. Missing bedtime stories. Feeling like you’re always choosing between your business and your family.
Here’s what I want you to know: you’re not alone in this, and there’s a better way.
I recently sat down with Amy Porterfield (yes, THE Amy Porterfield) for our podcast. Amy has built a $100 million business. She’s a New York Times bestselling author. She’s someone I’ve been learning from for years.
But what struck me most wasn’t her success metrics. It was her honesty about what that success cost her along the way.
We’re going to talk about work-life balance for entrepreneurs today, but not in the way you might expect. This isn’t about productivity hacks or time management tricks.
This is about the real, messy truth of what happens when we don’t define success on our own terms.
Want to hear this full conversation with Amy Porterfield? Listen to the episode below, and if you love what you hear, subscribe to The Motherhood Anthology Podcast for weekly inspiration and practical business advice.
When Your Husband Says “I Haven’t Seen You in a While”
Amy said there were times when her husband, Hobie, had to sit her down and say something no entrepreneur wants to hear:
“Hey, I haven’t seen you in a while. You’re checked out, both mentally and physically.”
Even Amy Porterfield, an incredibly successful woman helping thousands of entrepreneurs build their dreams, struggles with work-life balance.
This is something we’re always talking about in our TMA community. Photographers tell me they’re editing until 2 AM. Missing family dinners. Feeling guilty about both working too much and not working enough.
It’s this impossible tug-of-war. And Amy’s story reminded me that even the most successful entrepreneurs struggle with this.
When I asked Amy how she defines success now, her answer came quickly:
“If my husband and my son are happy, if I’m in a good marriage and a good relationship, then I know I’ve done well.”
She was honest enough to admit that wasn’t always her answer. Ten years ago, maybe even five or six years ago, she would’ve measured success by the money in her bank account.
Not because she was greedy. But, as a female breadwinner in her family, that number represented security. Responsibility. Proof that she was doing it right.
I think so many of us can relate to that shift. We start our businesses with one definition of success. And somewhere along the way, we realize the goalpost needs to move.
This conversation reminded me why we created our membership with photography mentors to help you along the way. Because you shouldn’t have to learn these lessons the hard way, you shouldn’t have to wait until your spouse tells you they miss you to realize something needs to change.
We figure this out together. And that’s what our community of photographers does every single day.
The Drive That Gets the Best of Us
Amy described herself as “pretty competitive, against myself and driven.”
She talked about taking her business to extremes and being on the road constantly. Letting that drive get the best of her.
“I wish I could go back and fix some of that, but Kim, if I did, maybe I wouldn’t be sitting here with you today.”
Here’s what I love about that honesty. She’s not pretending she has it all figured out. She’s not selling us some perfect version of entrepreneurship where you can have it all, all the time, without any trade-offs.
She’s saying: I drove myself hard, sometimes too hard, and I’ve had to learn how to recalibrate.
For us as photographers, this shows up in so many ways. We take on too many clients because we’re afraid to raise our prices. We offer every package option under the sun because we don’t want to lose a booking. We edit every single gallery ourselves because we think no one else can do it as well.
And before we know it, we’re working 60-hour weeks and wondering why we’re not happy.
Amy’s advice to her younger self?
“Chill out a little bit.”
That’s something I think we all need to hear. Your business will not fall apart if you take a day off. Your clients will not abandon you if you set boundaries. And the success you’re chasing? It needs to be defined by you, not by some arbitrary standard you picked up from Instagram or from watching other photographers.
The Money Conversation We Need to Have
One of my favorite parts of this conversation was when Amy and I talked about money.
I’ll be honest with you. This has been something I’ve struggled with myself.
I’m in Amy’s Milly Club this year (her coaching program for entrepreneurs). And I’ve been almost embarrassed to say it out loud.
There’s something about admitting you want a 7-figure business that feels uncomfortable. Like maybe it’s greedy?
So I asked Amy if she’d ever felt that way.
Her answer was so freeing.
She told me about the first time she and Hobie realized she was making more money than he was. They were getting their taxes done. The accountant read out both amounts. Hers was significantly higher.
Hobie had a look on his face. He didn’t love it. So they left, and Amy immediately asked, “Do we need to talk about this?”
What she learned through that conversation and through therapy changed everything for her:
“As women, we’ve been conditioned to believe that wanting financial success makes us less feminine, less likable, or somehow wrong.”
Then she said something I needed to hear:
“I can promise you, men do want to make a lot of money. No one wonders why a man wants to make a lot of money.”
She’s right.
Most men don’t apologize for their ambition. They don’t whisper their goals. They don’t feel embarrassed about wanting financial success.
So why do we?
Women steward money differently than men. Our decisions come from a place of service, compassion, and heart.
When women make money, we make bigger decisions in this world. We get invited to more tables. More opportunities open up for others.
“I believe women deserve to make as much money or more than they want, and they have every right to do it.”
Y’all, I needed to hear that. You probably do too.
This is precisely why we talk so openly about pricing and profitability in our TMA membership. Because if we don’t normalize these conversations, we’ll keep undercharging. Undervaluing ourselves. And burning out trying to make up the difference in volume.If you’ve been afraid to raise your prices, afraid to talk about money, or afraid to admit you want more, I want you to know: you’re not alone, and there’s nothing wrong with you. In fact, our photography business plan guide can help you set those financial goals with confidence.
Finding Your People (Because You Can’t Do This Alone)
One of the things Amy credits for her success is her network.
She has two close business friends who voice text every single day, Monday through Friday. They don’t have to. They’ve never made it a rule. But they share what their day looks like, what they’re struggling with, and questions they have. Sometimes they just rant or cry.
She said something that really stuck with me:
“Entrepreneurship, building your own business, leaving your nine to five, can feel extremely lonely. So my advice here is find your people early on. And the secret is you make the effort. Don’t wait for them to come to you.”
This is something I see happen in our TMA community all the time. Photographers come in feeling isolated. Like they’re the only ones struggling with pricing or client communication or work-life balance.
And then they realize: oh, everyone’s figuring this out together. There are 700+ other photographers right here who get it.
That sense of community, of not being alone, of having people who understand what you’re going through? That’s not just nice to have. It’s essential for sustainable success.
Amy’s right when she says don’t wait for community to come to you. You have to make the effort. Show up in Facebook groups. Reach out to photographers you admire. Join a membership where you can connect with people who are on the same journey.
Because here’s what I’ve learned: the photographers who thrive aren’t necessarily the most talented or the hardest working. They’re the ones who build relationships, ask for help, and surround themselves with people who believe in them.
What Real Success Actually Looks Like
Toward the end of our conversation, I asked Amy some rapid-fire questions. Her answers were so good I have to share them:
What’s the one thing every woman in business needs to stop doing if she actually wants to grow?
Amy didn’t hesitate: “Doubting her ability. Instead, you have to bet on yourself.”
When you look at people who make it versus the ones who give up, what’s the real difference?
“The people who make it understand that it’s going to be uncomfortable, understand that it’s messy, understand that they’re going to fail, and they continue anyway.”
Read that again.
It’s not about talent. It’s not about having it all figured out. It’s about continuing anyway.
Best advice you were ever given?
“Stop being a people pleaser.”
These aren’t just business tips. These are life principles. And they apply to every single one of us building photography businesses.
You’re going to have moments when you doubt yourself, when you wonder if you should just go back to your nine-to-five, when you compare yourself to other photographers and feel like you’re not measuring up.
And in those moments, I want you to remember Amy’s words: bet on yourself anyway.
The discomfort, the mess, the failure? That’s all part of the process. That’s not evidence that you’re doing it wrong. That’s evidence that you’re doing something brave.
Building a Business and a Life You Love
This conversation with Amy reminded me why we started The Motherhood Anthology in the first place.
It’s not just about teaching you how to take better photos or edit faster or book more clients.
It’s about helping you build a photography business that supports the life you actually want to live.
Because what’s the point of hitting six figures if your husband says he hasn’t seen you in a while?
What’s the point of being fully booked if you’re missing every family dinner?
What’s the point of success if you’ve defined it by someone else’s standards?
Amy’s building a house on 70 acres right now. She’s launching a new coaching program. She’s continuing to grow her business.
But she’s doing it with clear priorities: her marriage, her son, her life outside of work.
That’s what I want for you, too.
I want you to look at your calendar and see white space. I want you to charge what you’re worth so you can work less and earn more. I want you to have the confidence to say no to clients who aren’t the right fit.
I want you to build something sustainable. Something that doesn’t require you to sacrifice everything you love.
And if you’re ready to start figuring that out, I’d love for you to join us in The Motherhood Anthology membership. We’re a community of 700+ photographers learning how to price confidently, work efficiently, and build businesses they love.
Through monthly education, mentorship from 15+ industry experts, and daily community support, we help each other create the kind of success that actually feels good.
Because you don’t have to choose between your business and your life.
You just have to be willing to define success on your own terms and build accordingly.
Here’s to working smarter, not harder, and to building businesses that support the lives we love.
