The number of hours entrepreneurs work varies due to many factors. Some of those determinants are such as nature of work where some businesses such as online business may require more of your online presence. How much we work can determine our productivity to a huge extent.
We asked entrepreneurs and business owners how they much work and here are the responses.
#1- Depends on projects and clients
As a serial entrepreneur, I work both 24/7 and I am retired. What I mean by this is that my brain is almost always on which is why it's tough to get to sleep, but that's alright because I don't have to get up and go into work the next day. Because I'm a night owl my typical day starts around 10am, I go through my morning routine, open up the laptop and get to work. Work depends on what projects I'm working on that day. I will exercise in the early afternoon and end up working until about 10pm. Everything depends on projects, clients and motivation. This is why staying motivated and keeping some sort of a schedule is key to the success of my day and business. I actually created a planner that helps me stay on top of my goals and life, or else, I might just wake up and wander around like I was retired.
Thanks to Casey Moran, True Path!
#2- Varies if I am in a good groove
A typical workday for me as an entrepreneur includes waking up around 5 am. Checking my phone immediately and review of my to-do lists. Heading to the gym for an hour workout. On my way from the gym grabbing my morning Starbucks. Jumping in the shower, changing clothes. Light breakfast and my morning conference call. During this time I am also weeding through some emails. I work about 2-3 hours straight focusing on a few tasks such as checking my website and social media analytics, making return calls, or content management. I break for lunch around 12 or so. Try not to focus on anything major during my lunch time but often use that time to listen to a podcast. After lunch, I continue to work generally until about 7. I would say overall it varies if I am in a good groove. There are days I wake up at 5 and go to bed at 2 or 3. The minimum amount of time I have ever spent I would say is 3 hours. And the average amount of hours is 6-7 hours per day.
Thanks to Querida Lugo, Styling For Your Life!
#3-I probably work more than 9-5
When I worked a 9-5 I tracked hours but as an entrepreneur, I usually don't track my hours so I probably work a lot. Recently, I've incorporated having very focused time with my family where I turn off the devices and focus on engaging with the family. I guess you can call it quality over quantity. I also make sure I incorporate 3-4 days a week in the gym and supplement those days where I'm not in the gym with a quick home exercise routine.
Thanks to Phil E. Croskey, MD Energy Advisors!
#4- For me, work never shuts off
Social media is a 24/7 industry, and with running international campaigns, we are pushing out influencer content pretty much every minute of the day. In terms of running the businesses, I try to strike a balance of time between Goat, Fresh Press and my own personal downtime. The key to it is commitment, if I'm working on Goat then I'm 100% committed to addressing that work before turning my attention to
other tasks.
Thanks to Harry Hugo, The Goat Agency!
#5- Starts at 7AM
For me it's important to start the day early, at 7AM. In one hour I prioritize tasks and adjust my schedule. Keep in mind that running a company is very difficult to leave your mind blank, so I always reserve a space after taking my children to school to do sports as a form of meditation, which helps me focus on my goals. I have to be available for many hours because I collaborate with different countries, but I reserve hours during the night to be with my family without having to think about work. Before dinner I dedicate time to my own training. Running a technology company that works in three time zones, spending quality time with your family and playing sports on a daily basis may seem like a chimaera. But although it's not easy, I dare to say that it is possible. If I have learned anything in these three years since we created Commite Inc., it’s that starting a business is an activity that can only go well if you work full time. But what is exactly full time? Each one must establish their priorities, in my case: be fit, spend time with my wife and young children and meet my professional challenges.
Thanks to Héctor Giner, Commite Inc.!
#6- More than I used to when working for someone else
As an entrepreneur, I work a ton–way more than I did when I was working for someone else. However, the difference is the flexibility. Rather than working 9-5, I can get started, break, and pick it back up whenever I want. So for me, that typically involves starting work around 6 am. I work for about an hour, then break to take my little one to school. Then I come back and work for about three more hours, from 7:30-10:30.This is around the time I usually break and go to the gym. When I return I'll shower and work through lunch. Most days I break around 2:30 for afternoon coffee. Then I'll generally work until six or so. So on average, that's nine hours or so of work. However, I often end up doing a bit of work after the kids are in bed too. But in the end, the ability to come and go as I please, or break when necessary, makes being my own boss about as good as it gets.
Thanks to Chris Brantner, SleepZoo!
#7- 10 hours
I normally like to wake up early between 6-7am. I'll sift through emails first thing and then get right into my task list I created the night before. As a professional blogger this normally entails writing, social media, graphics designs, etc. I normally take a break from 12-1pm to grab something to eat and get a workout in at the gym. I'll get back to work and continue to work until my wife Brittany gets home around 4-5pm. We do our best to not work at night while we are together but many times there are things that just need to get done. So, all in all, I work around 10 hours a day. Working from home is a big benefit in maximizing my time.
Thanks to Kelan & Brittany Kline, The Savvy Couple!
#8- Typical day starts at 7:30 am
My company is still in its first year of business, so as much as I value work/life balance, my focus has been on growth and sustainability, which means I am almost always connected and stay accessible for my clients. But owning my own business means those hours are flexible, and I can set the pace of my work. A typical day might start at 7:30am or I might decide to take a fitness class in the morning and get a later start. If I need to take a break in the middle of the day for anything, I'm able to do that as long as I plan for it properly. Having that flexibility makes me feel in control of my work and motivates me to go above and beyond for my clients and make sure I leave a lasting impression so that they come back or refer me to others.
Thanks to Brittany L. Stalsburg, BLS Research & Consulting LLC!
#9- Flexible working hours
I don't know that I work anymore or less than I did when I was a regular 9 to 5 (or 6, or 7) employee, but as a business owner, I find that *when *I am working has changed a lot. Being an entrepreneur means having the flexibility to meet friends from out of town for a two-hour lunch or knock off early to get a jump start on the weekend. It also means that I find myself reviewing accounting and taking care of billing on a Sunday evening and when a deadline looms, I am up at 5am at the computer or blocking off large parts of a Saturday to deliver what my clients need. One of the best pieces of advice I got when I started out was to create separation between work time and personal time. While I find that I can do that for the most part, sometimes you need to blur the lines to be successful.
Thanks to Kevin Smith
#10- 5:30am to 5pm
Each morning I start my day at 5:30am. I wake up and drink 2-3 full glasses of water and take a cold shower. Then I have a high-fat breakfast (usually avocado toast), then I meditate and plan my day. Before 9am I have already reached inbox zero, and start sending out requests and day overviews to my team. I typically work for 2-3hrs in the morning, then workout with my trainer. I typically do an outdoor activity in the afternoon and check back into the office around 3pm. I make calls and work on business development in the afternoon and finish up around 4pm or 5pm.
Thanks to Kyle Michaud
#11- Two hours
I work 2 hours a day trading cryptocurrency. Although that brings in a significant profit, I wanted to diversify my revenue stream by launching something that would bring in passive income. That’s why I created an online course that helps people learn how to day trade cryptocurrency. Now revenue from the course is $50,000/month and requires just a few hours per week to maintain.
Thanks to John Omar, Chain Operator!
#12- 40 hours a week
When I started the company I used to work a full-time job. I would then start work on Find Me A Gift when I got home from work at 5pm, I'd then work until 2am, and Saturday and Sunday from 10am until 2am. Now the business has been going 18 years, and I'm married with 2 children there has to be more of a balance. We have a team of 60 amazing people that do all the hard work, so I work a normal 40hr week. However you never switch off, I think about the business and our team and how to make it better every waking minute of my day; especially when I go to bed and try to get to sleep. I'm always on my phone looking at emails and ideas for the business. A typical workday starts with checking for urgent emails, then taking actions to ensure my 2 keys objectives for the week are complete, I apply an agile process to my work and don't work on stuff that diverts me from my objectives, unless it's critical. Plus lots of meetings which I do try to keep to a minimum, I believe in empowering people to let them get on with their objectives and give them support when they need it, followed by reviews and feedback.
Thanks to Adam Gore, Find Me A Gift!
#13- 8am-6pm
When I was starting out with CoinGecko, I worked almost 24/7 with very little sleep. This is also especially when I was working primarily from home; I could not tell the difference between time at home and time at work. After experiencing first hand how that’s taking a toll on my health, I decided to rebalance my lifestyle. The team and I decided to move into a co-working space. Since I am a morning person, I try to start my day earlier at 8am and get off work by 6pm. While I now have to commute to the co-working space, this at least gives me a sense of separation of personal time and work. Working long hours and excessively rarely result in the best “Return on Investment” in the long run. Balance your work life!
Thanks to TM Lee, CoinGecko!
#14- My workday varies wildly
I do try to stick to a regular workday format, maybe taking some time in the morning to research, exercise, and get my mind set for the day, then work an eight hour day starting late morning. For most days I tend to work long grueling hours for a few days in a row and then have a very short workday where I recoup. This is because there is efficiency in completing large projects while inflow. Once the momentum is gained I stay with it until exhaustion sets in. This may be several 12-14 hour days in a row. After this I am no longer able to work efficiently so I simply don't I let my mind and body recoup, only putting in an hour or two to get the things done that are absolutely necessary. This gets the big projects that move the business forward done as quickly as possible.
Thanks to Liz Weaver, Learning Success!
#15- At least 12 hours
A typical workday is never typical. When you own a small business, you wear a lot of hats. I deal with marketing, operations, and finances, while my partner and employee focus on driving sales. I always tell people I work half days, at least 12 hours and even that usually isn't enough.
Thanks to Rob Kessler, Million Dollar Collar!
#16- About 70 hours a week
I live in Los Angeles. I typically get up at 4:45 am and be at work (Starting to work) at exactly 6:00 am. Work from 6:00 am to 4:00 pm in the office. I have one toddler and one newborn (just two weeks old) As soon as I get home, I see them only couple hours. My wife usually goes to bed early because of the newborn baby. They end up sleeping around 7:30 and 8:00 pm. So I work from home office between 8:00 pm and 11:00 pm; an extra 3 hours during weekdays. My wife allows me to work about 3 hours on Saturdays and Sundays. So my usual work week is about 70 hours.
Thanks to Aydin Karadeniz, PromoCodes.com!
#17- More than an average employee
As a Digital Marketing expert and CEO of an online Coupon platform, my entire business process run through internet and for the same reason, I have clients at different time zones over the world. Therefore, anytime of the day is supposed to be my working hours. But, like other human being I also sleep at night, at least try to. I start my usual days with looking the to-do list for the day first. Then taking a quick personal time, I reach my office and according to the priority, I start working on the scheduled jobs one by one. During lunchtime, I check my mail inbox and immediately after lunch answer the mails those need to. My regular work continues till the evening at my office and on the way home, I make the required phone calls for the day. After spending some personal time and dinner, I have to work on the certain projects which need some special attention or I have to interact with those clients who are waiting at the other sides of the globe. After dinner work lasts till midnight on my typical working days. As a small-scale entrepreneur, I have to spend a lot
more time of a day than an usual employee spends for earning.
Thanks to Andrei Vasilescu, DontPayFull!
#18- Whenever my business needs me
I work as often as my business needs me to, but with sensible limits and fail-safe's built into that statement. In other words, as an entrepreneur, I live and breathe my business. Rather than limit myself to a constrained 9-to-5, I make sure to give my business the attention it needs when it needs it. This could mean working at 3 in the morning, and it could mean *not* working at 12 in the afternoon. However, if things get to be too overwhelming in terms of the workload, I make sure to scale things back accordingly. I try to find at least one full dedicated non-business day per week, as well as family time during the evenings during which I cannot engage in any sort of ‘work.' Necessity will sometimes dictate that I violate these parameters, but in a general sense they help me to step away when I need to for the sake of the business as well as my own mental health.
Thanks to Nate Masterson, Maple Holistics!