Small Business Owners Working Longer Hours

Small business owners appear to be spending well in excess of the normal 40 hours a week helping develop their businesses for long term profitable growth.

It was always assumed that small business owners would be working their socks off to generate customers and profits in the first year and that’s the lesson from many a Dragon’s Den programme and a poll over at another business forum seems to suggest they work even harder to make their business a success.

The question asked was “how many hours a week do you work” with the answers being a choice of:

• part time work under 27 hours
• normal full time work between 35 and 39 hours a week
• full time and a half between 40 and 60 hours per week
• and excessive working hours over 60 hours per week

The results so far suggest nearly 80% of small business owners are working over 40 hours per week with 40% of all business owners working over 60 hours per week on a regular basis. Coupled with the risk that new business entrepreneurs take, the increasing paperwork and rules the government impose and the increasing tax smaller businesses have to pay these people are certainly the bedrock of the economy.

Many people are saying this has been going on for many years and certainly their social lives are suffering but many attempt to take at least one day off per week at the weekend. It’s a case of making ends meet and serving customers at the beginning of this economic downturn that spurs people along.

At the weekends most people are working some of the time because a lot of internet businesses are being run these days and that’s a 24×7 business.

So small business owners are certainly dedicated and if this is a sure sign of the work ethic then of course there needs to be some spare time to relax and recharge – so here are my top but basic tips:

• Get at least one full day off per week if you can
• Eat properly including fruit and vegetables to keep a sharp mind
• Take holidays where you can completely switch off
• Don’t take your laptop on holiday
• Attempt some form of time management as everything doesn’t need to be done today (although the important things do)

Small business owner make the UK economy the way it is but let’s hope not many of them over exert themselves so they can’t work at all.

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