Don’t Let Perfection Get in the Way of Getting it Done

by Elizabeth Denham

As a successful entrepreneur, franchisor Shelly Sun bears the weight of responsibility for more than 340 locations, 200 small business owners and more than 20,000 families served by BrightStar Care® and BrightStar Senior Living® and Memory Care. And she tackles that role while raising twin sons, making time for herself and nurturing relationships with her vast circle of friends and mentors. How does she do it? The recipe is simple: Don’t let perfection get in the way of getting the job done.

“I think we put a lot of expectations on women as a society,” Sun said. “And we put them on ourselves as women. The same questions about work/life balance are not frequently asked of men or fathers, yet they are involved in their children’s lives as well. For me, it’s about giving myself permission not to be perfect every single day and to look at my journey as a woman, as a mother and as an entrepreneur over time. I look back and make sure that I have spent quality time and have made a positive impact in all three areas of my life with my friends, with my boys and with my business.”

Over the course of one day, Sun said she will never be great at all three areas of her life, but over the course of a month, she usually feels good about each one.

“It differs which two of the three are going to win on any given day and that has to be okay,” she said. “There are some days I’m a better entrepreneur than I am a mom and there are other days I am a better mom than I am an entrepreneur.”

Sun has been on her entrepreneurial journey every day her boys have been alive. She started BrightStar Care three or four years before they were born. A typical schedule for her includes getting up at 5 a.m. or 5:30 a.m. and getting a workout in before the boys are up. She tries to have breakfast with them to start the day, and she tries to be finished with work by 3 p.m. or 3:30 p.m. to do homework and have a homecooked meal as often as she can.

“Life is too short for guilt. Shelly Sun

“Out of 20 days of school in a month, I would probably have 10-12 dinners and homework sessions with them,” Sun said. “Not a bad batting average, but that batting average has to be okay with me. Life is too short for guilt. And I know I have made a positive impact on their lives, and I know they see me as a role model.”

Sun recognizes that women often struggle with guilt over how they spend their time. But she has no place for guilt in her life.

“Guilt is a wasted emotion for me. It’s taking me away mentally and emotionally from what I could otherwise be spending time on and giving my best self to,” she said. “Oftentimes, we let ourselves feel guilty that we are not able to be super mom and super woman. There is an embedded predisposition that we should feel guilt, and I think life is way too short. Our male counterparts do not get asked the same thing. And they are not made to feel like they should have any guilt. So why should we? We should free ourselves, do our best, and if we are doing our best, that has to be good enough.”

That does not mean Sun has not made sacrifices for both her kids and her business. When COVID-19 hit, she moved back in with her ex- in-laws and her ex-husband for the sake of her kids and her business.

“COVID presented a unique opportunity. You will do anything for your children,” Sun noted. “So, I moved back in with my ex-inlaws and ex-husband to raise my children in the same household because the boys needed that. My business was 24 hours a day in healthcare trying to get PPE from all over the globe and trying to get every franchisee PPP loans.”

Sun is happy her boys have gotten to see her work ethic and compassion, but during the pandemic, she has prioritized taking 15 minutes out of every hour to hug and kiss them and make sure they have a snack or take them swimming while they are learning remotely.” “I’ll still be on my laptop ‘til midnight every night, but I have taken the critical time to have dinner with my kids. For me, it’s about scheduling in time – we shouldn’t have to think about scheduling breaks with our kids, but if we don’t sometimes it doesn’t get done.”

Shelly Sun is the CEO and Founder of BrightStar Group Holdings, Inc., the parent company of BrightStar Care and BrightStar Senior Living & Memory Care. BrightStar Care is a premium healthcare staffing company providing the full continuum of care, from homecare to supplemental staffing for corporate clients such as nursing homes and physicians. For more information, visit https://www.brightstarcare.com/