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You don't need to work those long hours.
- David Finkel is the author of 12 business books, including his newest release "The Freedom Formula." Finkel is the CEO of Maui Mastermind, a business coaching company. Over the past 20 years, Finkel and the other Maui coaches have personally scaled and sold more than $2 billion worth of businesses.
- Finkel used to think that the only path to success was long hours. But after his twins were born, he realized he couldn't work that much anymore. Now, he works no more than 40 hours a week - and still scaled his company.
- He prioritizes high-value activities at the start of the day, designs out menial tasks, and plans ahead for which days to focus versus push days.
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For a long time, I thought working impossibly long hours was the only way to be successful. This was in part because of what I saw my dad do I when I was young. As the owner of a small medical practice, he was often gone, and I thought about the soccer games he would "watch" while still fielding phone calls. I was constantly reminded of all of the sacrifices that entrepreneurs make to run successful companies.
Courtesy of David Finkel
David Finkel.
When I first started my company, my work ethic reflected this principle: I needed to work those long hours and make compromises in my life to reach my goals. My life became an endless stream of putting out business fires, with work slowly consuming every aspect of my life.
But when my twin sons were born, everything changed. I realized that, in order to be the best dad I could be, there was no way I could work the hours I did before in the way that I did before. Becoming a father, in a way, meant that I couldn't take the kind of business risks I did for the last 20 years.
Here are three ways I learned how to scale a successful company while working no more than 40 hours per week.