Levi Roots Four ways to balance passion with work - Viewpoint Viewpoint careers advice blog

Levi Roots Four ways to balance passion with work - Viewpoint Levi Roots rose to fame on UK investment TV show Dragon’s Den. His jerk barbecue sauce, Reggae Reggae Sauce, is one of the biggest success stories from the programme. He explains how he balances his business with his passions for food and music. 1. Be patient People just starting their business will have a plan and think they can conquer the world with that, but it is often the scenario that they are not prepared for business itself. The start of a business is when you need to be focused, so it’s not always right to go out and enjoy yourself. It takes real, deep concentration in those early days. Later in life, you can often take your foot off the pedal a little bit, but the early days aren’t always the right time for enjoyment. I’ve never worked as hard in my life as I did in those first stages to get the sauce business up and running. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, it was about eight years of real, intense work. 2. Plan for success The start of a business is when you need to be focused. It takes real, deep concentration in those early days. Use finding time for your passions as a motivator; it should be in your business plan. When I started working through my long-term plan, if I felt down in the early stages I’d look ahead to where I wanted to end up. I’d think about when I would have the money and more time and a TV show. That was all in my original plan. It’s a great way to have a vision that looks further ahead because you can then take your time knowing you’ll catch up on those things in the end. Your business plan should include your life plans. 3. Be true to your roots Building links between the UK and Jamaica is something I’m very proud of. It’s always been the way that if you lose your accent, you can no longer call yourself Jamaican. Because I’m about business, people have really gotten behind me. In Jamaica, we have a lot of people who can kick a ball well or run fast, but less representation in the world of business. I’m taken aback by the support I get there and in the UK. It’s a responsibility and a massive one. I’m one of the only people out there on TV, working with chefs, who has to think about their community. I’m the only one with that weight on my back because everyone wants to see me do well. 4. When you reach your goal, take the time to enjoy yourself Slow down. If you can’t find time to replenish your soul by taking time out and giving back to yourself, things aren’t the way they should be. You’ve got to feed yourself, and I’m not talking about food. You have to feed yourself with things that make you smile and feel happy about yourself. If you enjoyed reading this Hays Journal article, here are some other blogs that might be of interest to you: How to improve your work-life balance 11 ways to become more productive at work 4 ways to get more done and feel less overwhelmed