My best friend started a coaching business to give her the freedom to live in Portugal during the summer and Los Angeles in the winter. My mom created her own agency when I was a child, so that she could work from home and spend more time with me. I’ve seen firsthand that there are so many reasons why people want to be entrepreneurs.
But if you’re like most small business owners, somewhere along the way, your phone (or BlackBerry, in the case of my mom—remember those?) became a 24/7 to-do list. And the line between “on the clock” and “off” got blurry. Suddenly, it’s hard to tell where business ends and your personal life begins.
Here’s the good news: with the right tools, you can draw a clear boundary without sacrificing customer service or growth.
So, without further ado, I’d like to introduce you to… (drum roll, please) the Grasshopper phone service and Ruby’s virtual receptionist solutions!
Grasshopper phone service: your business phone number, reinvented
Grasshopper phone service is a virtual phone system designed specifically for small business owners, freelancers, and solo entrepreneurs who want a professional business presence, without the need for a second phone. With the Grasshopper phone service, you can get a dedicated business number (local or toll-free), set up custom call handling rules, and manage everything from your existing mobile device.
Through the Grasshopper phone app, users can:
- Make and receive calls from their business number
- Send and receive business texts
- Listen to voicemails and view transcriptions
- Route calls to different team members
- Keep work and personal communications separate
For anyone trying to stay organized while running a business on the go, the Grasshopper phone app brings structure and professionalism to your communications, without adding a single device to your life.
How Grasshopper phone service supports ✨ balance ✨
Grasshopper lets you separate your business number from your personal number, so you can choose when to be available, protecting your personal time without missing important calls. You decide when you’re available and (most importantly) when you’re off the clock.
No matter your business, the Grasshopper phone gives you the flexibility to handle calls on your own terms, from wherever you are.
And when you have an SOS moment? That’s when Ruby is there to jump in.
Ruby receptionists: the human touch your customers deserve
Ruby is a U.S.-based customer communication company that helps small businesses create real, human connections with every call. With a team of highly trained virtual receptionists and a suite of smart communication tools, Ruby makes every customer interaction feel personal.
Ruby’s services include:
24/7 live phone answering services
Call screening and forwarding
Lead qualification and appointment booking
Spam filtering and outbound call handling
HIPAA-compliant support for sensitive industries
Where many businesses rely on impersonal phone trees, Ruby delivers something much more powerful: a real person, answering in your company’s voice, available whenever your customers need help.
How Ruby supports work/life balance
Instead of being tethered to your phone all day, Ruby gives you time. Our receptionists pick up the phone, so you don’t have to—filtering out spam, capturing leads, and making sure no opportunity slips through the cracks. Whether you’re in a meeting, baking cookies, or camping in the mountains for the weekend, your callers still get the warm, friendly, and helpful service you’d want them to, 24/7.
Together, Grasshopper and Ruby give you the flexibility to run your business on your terms. Grasshopper makes it easy to keep work and life separate. Ruby makes sure your customers are cared for, even when you’re unplugged. And let’s be real, we all need to be unplugged more often—and I’m saying this with love… and as someone who has downloaded and deleted TikTok several times.
With Grasshopper and Ruby, you get freedom and responsiveness, so your business can flourish without giving up your peace of mind.
What balance actually looks like with Ruby and Grasshopper
1. Jasmine: the interior designer who gets her evenings back
Imagine Jasmine, a home-based interior designer who uses the Grasshopper phone app to manage her business number. During business hours, she checks voicemails, replies to texts, and returns calls—all through the app. After 6pm, she turns on Do Not Disturb and heads to a rooftop bar with the girls or the gym to lift weights in peace. Ruby’s live receptionists take over from there, answering questions, booking appointments, and forwarding only the most urgent calls.
Jasmine gets her evenings back. Her friends are happy to have their friend’s full attention again. Her clients get great service. Everyone wins.
2. Leo: the real estate agent who never misses a lead
Leo is a solo real estate agent who’s always on the go. He uses the Grasshopper phone service to keep his business line separate, managing calls and texts from clients right inside the Grasshopper phone app. When he’s in showings or closing deals, Ruby steps in to answer incoming calls, qualify leads, and send Leo timely summaries.
The results? He stays focused during the day and doesn’t feel pressured to pick up the phone during dinner. Ruby handles the calls. Leo closes the deals.
3. Priya: the wellness coach who stays fully present
Priya runs a thriving one-on-one coaching practice from her home studio. She uses Grasshopper phone to give her clients a professional number and keep her personal life private. During client sessions, her phone stays silent while Ruby’s virtual receptionists take over—booking appointments, answering FAQs, and taking detailed messages. When she’s ready, Priya checks the Grasshopper phone app to follow up.
Her clients feel cared for. She stays present and grounded. That’s the balance Ruby and Grasshopper make possible.
Bonus features to reinforce work/life boundaries (without losing business)
Grasshopper and Ruby are a powerful duo, but they work even better when paired with a few lifestyle tools:
- Focus Mode and Do Not Disturb on your phone to limit non-urgent notifications
- Google Calendar or Calendly for clear scheduling windows
- Ruby and Zapier integration: Automate small tasks to save time and reduce distractions. With Ruby connected to Zapier, you can automatically log call details, update your CRM, or send follow-up emails—without lifting a finger.
Together, these help you protect your time while still showing up for your customers.
Work/life balance isn’t a luxury. It’s a business strategy.
Work/life balance isn’t just about self-care, it’s a smart, long-term business strategy. Burnout is just inevitable when you’re constantly glued to your phone. As a writer, I seriously notice when I’ve let those boundaries get too blurry between my work and personal life. My top red flags are writer’s block, dips in creativity, and the constant urge to nap. Not fun. But when I create the space to step away from work and recharge, my work life immediately improves.
A healthy work/life balance leads to:
- Sharper focus and better decision-making
- Higher-quality customer interactions
- More time for strategic thinking and growth
- A consistent, professional image
- Actually enjoying your work
- Increased creativity
- A work rhythm you can actually sustain long-term
Together, Ruby and Grasshopper give you the freedom to unplug without losing momentum. You get peace of mind knowing your customers are taken care of, and your business never misses a beat.
- The Grasshopper phone app gives you a separate business number on your existing phone, so you can set hours, forward calls, and turn off notifications when the workday ends.
- Ruby’s virtual receptionists answer your calls live, screen out spam, capture leads, book appointments, and forward only what’s urgent—so you’re never interrupted unless it truly matters.
That’s real balance. And smart business.
Have it all: keep your freedom and your customers
Your phone doesn’t have to control your day. With smart tools like the Grasshopper phone and real people like Ruby receptionists on your side, you can stay connected without being consumed.
Ready to reclaim your work/life balance? Of course you are 😉
Make your phone work for you and get started with Ruby and the Grasshopper phone app today.
