Owning a food truck business can easily take over your life and relationships. Understandably, the euphoria of owning a food truck is addicting especially if you have always wanted to start your own business. Being part of the retail business, a food truck works even on weekends if one accepts catering or joins events. This can get very hectic and put you in a position where you have to make choices. Since the food truck is an investment and there is an urgency to start making money, usually the choice is to attend to the food truck and let go of a personal life and relationships  for the meantime.

Unfortunately, this is a recipe for disaster because it can lead to burn-out, damaged relationships, and costly errors in running your business because of fatigue and insufficient R&R.  Many business owners put aside time for a personal life but make the fatal error of not being present mentally and you will still suffer the consequences of work-intensive lifestyle.

The Basic Rules of Running a Business

If you want to enjoy life and still have enough energy and time for your start-up food truck business, you need to:

• Have a support system that fully backs up your business plans. There will be many times when business emergencies will eat into personal time. Your family, friends, and partner in life must be able to understand this and not make it an issue.
• Have an outlet where you can go to get away from the business. This could be a sport, a hobby, a place, or being with someone.
• Avoid bringing personal issues into the daily operations of your business and vice versa. Keep it separate even if your business partner is your life partner.
• If your partner is your life partner, spouse, friend, or relative, have an agreement to be professional while at work.

Stick to your Business Plan

Having a good foundation with a realistic business plan is a good start. Stick to it and don’t force the timeline to success. The only exception would be if an investor comes around and want to bankroll several food trucks carrying your product. You see, the learning curve of running a business is an important phase and usually happens during the first 2 years in business. This is not an excuse to forget family and a personal life rather a warning that starting a business is demanding but not everything.  If you can balance your life and manage your business in this first 2 years, you will accumulate a wealth of information and experience that will help you become a success. This is why the business plan is critical to a small business where funds and resources may be limited.

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