The number of hours entrepreneurs work vary with the size of the company, number of employees and nature of the business where sole proprietors tend to put in more work. Online businesses also tend to require more time input at the beginning with some late night and early morning schedules. 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- 40 to 70 hours
I would love to be one of those entrepreneurs who somehow manages to workout at 4am, work a four-hour workweek and learn to make sourdough bread, but the reality is I love my work, my business and the impact it has on our patient's lives. So, I spend a lot of hours working, and I'd say on a slow week I hit 40 hours, though typically I'm putting in about 70 hours a week. I don't think this is sustainable forever, but in the first few years of business this kind of dedication is expected and I am happy to do it. I know that the long hours now will pay off later, but working these hours has allowed me to help build the business and assemble a capable team to take our work further.
Thanks to Alastair Kennett, Optimale!
#2- No set schedule
In my case, work isn't the usual 8 to 5, since I do have clients who are based all over the world. However, I do make it a point to schedule productivity and rest properly, so that one does not encroach upon the other. While I have had some training in making the most out of any situation, with my legal and military background, I find that it's beneficial for everyone to really try to maintain a work-life balance as much as possible. But what does that mean for me? I can start the work shift as early as 4 am, and end as late as 10 pm. However, rarely do I let myself do a 4 am to 10 pm workday. I wouldn't call that schedule productive at all.
Thanks to Stanley Tate, Tate Law!
#3- 40 – 50 hours
When you are an entrepreneur, work hours mean nothing; it's what you get done that matters. I set goals to define what I want to accomplish in my day and a week, and then I create a schedule and stick to it. I always plan my time and know exactly what I need to do during the day. That allows me to prioritize tasks and do the most important ones during my peak productivity times. My total working time is 40-50 hours per week, so I have enough time for other aspects of my life and maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Thanks to Illia Termeno, Outsourced CMO!
#4- 58 hours
I work about 10 hours a day on weekdays and 4 hours a day on weekends, so about 58 hours a week. Being an entrepreneur and running a company means you’re probably always thinking about different aspects of your business. Your business is your passion and your “baby” which means you want to do everything you can to nurture it and help it grow. Long work hours and minimal time off is just part of the job, but that’s okay. It’s also important to know when to spend time with your family and life. An unhealthy work-life balance will do harm to anyone’s lifestyle and ventures.
Thanks to Teri Shern, Conex Boxes!
#5- 38 hours weekly
I strictly follow the regular working hours so I try my best to only work for 38 hours weekly. Why? It’s to avoid burnout. It may surprise you that many executives and business owners can experience burnout as well. This is because of the stressful burden that’s upon us that if we make wrong decisions, the entire company could fail. That’s why I try to set a regular working time for myself every day to make sure I have time for my family, friends, and my leisure activities. I also give time for physical activities to keep myself healthy, too.
Thanks to Mick Humphrey, Z Grills Australia!
#6- 20 hours
Entrepreneurs and business owners are often seen or perceived as working endless hours. For some, that may be true. But, as a business owner and entrepreneur with a young child, that just isn’t possible. Before the pandemic started, I worked 5.5 hours a day, 5 days a week. I built an entire business during my daughter's school hours. When virtual learning started, those hours dropped to about 3.5 a day for several months. While it was very challenging to shift my priorities and focus during that time, it did allow me to zero in on the key activities that really grow my business. I was able to 3X my business during that time while only working about 20 hours a week. When you have the right systems and processes in place and know the exact activities to grow your business, it is amazing what you can accomplish in a very limited time.
Thanks to Megan Sumrell
#7- Fluctuates between 15 and 25
I work about 20 hours a week in total. This is really great being able to cut the working week down but working remotely offers this type of flexibility. I am able to work fast and smartly, using my own initiative. This allows me to get my tasks done efficiently and in a shorter time frame. For me, work/life balance is important so I create the time for myself and for my work. It is not strictly 20 hours a week when I log off, it is completely project and task orientated. Some weeks it’s 25 hours, other weeks 15 hours.
Thanks to Jerry Han, PrizeRebel!
#8- As many as I have to
Running a business and managing employees often goes beyond a full-time commitment. I typically will work 50 hours per week but if I have to I will sometimes push it to 60 in order to reach a deadline. It can be exhausting but it's well worth it when you are doing what you love.
Thanks to Alexandra Seagal, Animalso!
#9- Approximately 60 hours
As the co-owner and partner of LA Tutors, the number of hours worked on any given day will range. Especially since working from home, the line between work life and home life has blurred significantly, but I would estimate that I work approximately 60 hours per week.
Thanks to Eric Kim, LA Tutors!
#10- Average of 50 hours
Our business recruits for industries with a 24/7 work environment, so it’s common for potential clients to require our assistance at any hour of the day. Business owners must be open to remaining flexible with their schedule and expecting the unexpected. I actively try to unplug when I can to achieve a work-life balance, but I also admit to working at the most unconventional times. So much so that we now have a digital photo album entitled “Where Ben Works”. The most unusual photo of the bunch is of me checking my work email (from my cell phone) while on a snowmobile.
Thanks to Benjamin Farber, Bristol Associates, Inc.!
#11- 50 to 80 hours
Being a co-founder and a leader of an agency which operates remotely and also managing my own brand as well, my usual working hours ranges from 50 to 80 hours a week. This means that there are times that I needed to sacrifice my weekends just so I can make sure that everything is smooth sailing in my company, as it is my responsibility to make sure that my company is performing well in order for us to sustain our employees which is the asset of our company. As I am also a father and a partner, I make sure that I have ample time for my family as well and not allow my business to take me from them. After all, it is mostly for our kids that we work this hard.
Thanks to Darrell Evans, Yokel Local!
#12- 40-55 hours
I work anywhere from 8 to 10 hours a day. The normal 8 hours are typically more work-related tasks, while the other 2 (or more) hours in the day are more administrative, like answering emails. However, as a CEO I feel I always have to be ready to switch into work mode, because problems that need my attention can come up any time of the day or night. Even though I might only be working 40-55 hours a week, it certainly feels like more because of this.
Thanks to Kevin Miller, GR0!
#13- 40 hours a week limit
I limit to working for 40 hours a week, despite my very busy schedule. When working from home, I follow a basic daily schedule that is reasonable and flexible, but consider making time for all my priorities as well. My family and I use technology to spend time together (such as online games together) but we also make sure to spend time without it.
Thanks to Matt Satell, Prime Mailboxes!
#14- The many I want to
This question can be answered very easily. It's how many hours I WANT to work. I could get by with not working at all but eventually all the sites I run would start to falter. On average, I put in at least 20 hours a week if I am going to put a number to it. This does vary of course and there have been times where I put in just as much as a 9-5. What I like is the flexibility and working how much and when. The entrepreneur life beats the 9-5 hands down even if I were to work twice as much!
Thanks to Drew Mann, Drew's Review!
#15- Between 55-65 hours
I’m an elopement photographer based out of Denver, Colorado. While I am an entrepreneur, I know that self-care is just as important for my business as anything else. For me, if I don’t take the time for my morning rituals, nightly rituals, and to exercise, I will not give my best self to my business, and therefore my business will not do as great as it could. With that being said, it’s extremely hard to know exactly how many hours per week i’m working on my business. I feel like I’m always working! Whether it’s brainstorming a new blog post idea, and jotting down ideas in my notes on my phone, replying to comments on an Instagram post, editing photos, on-scene taking pictures for an elopement, or actually sitting behind a computer working on a new web design. It’s all working towards my main goals. If I had to logically guess how many hours I’m working per week, I’d say it’s between 55-65 hours per week. I usually take 1 “off” day per week. Although, is thinking about new marking ideas considered work? If so, I never stop working!
Thanks to Kelly Shoul, In Love and Adventure -Elopement Photography!
#16- 80 hours per week
I work approximately 80 hours per week depending on the number of projects we have and their complexity. I find that starting my day early at 5 am when the phones are not ringing, and emails are not coming in is a great time to knock out a lot of work before the day begins. The weekends I use to do the thinking and planning for the week. The weekdays are for the execution of those plans.
Thanks to Dan Broudy, rushIMPRINT!
#17- Less than 10 hours/week
I primarily build online content businesses. I enjoy writing content in my area of expertise helping others learn about that niche. I used to be proud of all of the 70+ hours of work/week I put in but no more. When building a blog or other passive income opportunities, you must put a lot of work in upfront to reap the rewards later. After working off and on for years on my blog, I'm now able to spend less than 10 hours/week on it while it generates about 2x what my previous 40 hour/week full-time job provided.
Thanks to Adam Bertram
#18- Vary each week
As a parent in a blended family, I have scheduled myself to work more on the weeks my children are with their other parents and less on the weeks they are with us. So my hours vary every other week – one week I will work closer to 30 hours and then the opposite weeks I will work closer to 50. As an executive coach and consultant, this schedule works really well for me and my clients, as most meet with me every other week.
Thanks to Colleen DelVecchio, Maxady, LLC!
#19- Scaled down from 80 to 90 hours
When I launched my first business more than a decade ago, I used to work 80 to 90 hours a week (including evenings and weekends) to get the business off the ground. But I've learned over the years, I need to outsource the projects and tasks that don't impact the bottom line so I can focus on business development and long-term growth. So, now these days, I work between 30 and 40 hours a week.
Thanks to Kristin Marquet Chester, Marquet Media, LLC!
#20- Anything between 30 and 50 hours
That’s not an easy question, as being a CEO covers a variety of activities. If I were to estimate, I’d say anything between 30 and 50 hours. The range is pretty vast, as everything depends on how busy a week is. Sometimes there isn’t that much to do, so, in reality, I work 5 to 6 hours a day, even though I’m longer at the office. Still, there are weeks that require me to be productive for as much as 10 hours a day. We’re a transportation business, and so at the peak of tourist activity, I need to be on top of things at all times. Nowadays, the business is rather on the slower side due to covid, and so I don’t really work as much. In summer, I’m often available from dawn to dusk, and I sometimes even get phone calls at night, so if you count availability as work, then I’d say that I work as much as 12 to 14 hours a day.
Thanks to Jacek Ptak, KrakowDirect!
#21- No specific number
As the marketing director at Cloudtask, I have a wide range of roles to play such as researching, planning, analyzing, and more. Since I am overwhelmed with the tasks to be accomplished, I have a remote team that helps me in various processes. In most cases, I don't let the teamwork without me being closer. This means I have to do close monitoring to ensure a smooth and error-free process. From sending them resources and guides to answering their queries on different topics and more. In the long run, I find very little time to take a break from my roles, which too, leaves me working for an unspecific number of hours per week.
Thanks to Wesley Burger, CloudTask!
#22- Depends on the quality of life I want to achieve
Quality of life, and leaving enough margin to enjoy it, are important to me. I typically work thirty hours per week, and spend another ten further developing my business, working on other skills, and building relationships within several private groups I belong to. I maintain a fairly regular schedule even on weekends which prevents my day from swaying too widely one way or another.
Thanks to Khrys Vaughan, In Her Company!
#23- 45-50 hours
From meeting to meeting, time tends to build up quite a bit when running a startup. It is not like running an established company where there is a chain of command that makes deviating work easier. Here, our small group of employees are the workforce. Hours tend to fluctuate to 45-50 a week, but that could always be more or less depending on the plans I have scheduled for the company.
Thanks to Andrew Pires, The Maskie!
#24- Depends on the business situation
I usually work around 60 hours per week. I used to work much more, especially in the first two years of my business, but I have limited my shifts now. The main reason is the fact I made a few bad calls because I was too tired to work. Now, I adjust my shifts to the needs of the company and sometimes I spend around 10 or 11 hours in the office, whereas other days I stay there only for a few hours. In total, my time worked doesn’t pass 60 or 65 hours per week, depending on the business situation.
Thanks to Stefan Chekanov, Brosix!