Weekends

[billsines]

Thanks for all the replies! I am in the same boat as many of you...extra time for the rest of life outside of work has become more important. We started 14 years ago when I was 28..now I'm 42. I have less ambition and drive to make every single buck I possibly can. I feel like we've crested the upward battle of business ownership. We have systems in place that allow us to work extremely efficiently. I am so grateful to be where we are today. I don't work weekends...this time of year, it's for softball and track (and mowing and cleaning flowerbeds), and of course, church on Sunday.

Pay yourself in time off...the IRS can't tax time off...

 

[StarSign]

Time management is crucial in maintaining your sanity!

 

[TheSnowman]

I'm glad to see the responses here. I've been around this place a long time (although I've tried to cut back on "social media" lately, so not as much as in previous years) and everyone always talked about how maximized out they were and how they couldn't keep up, working a billion hours etc.

I'm in the same boat as the rest of you. I've been at this 15 years now (my grandparents started the company 25 years before that) and I've learned there's more than just work. Our model has changed a lot over the years now too, to where it kind of lets me work when/how I want. Some times when I can't sleep, I'll get up and go in to work at 3-4AM and work till noon, then come home and be a husband or dad depending what I need to do, then I may grab my laptop and do a little catch up on what's come in since I was out of the office. The fact that 90% of my work comes via an email instead of a phone call (and I've closed my door to walk-ins and am about to move to an undisclosed location) let's me just do what I need to do for my own schedule, and then I deliver the item when it's done, bill them via email (where they can pay online with a card) and it's done.

Our model hasn't changed too much over the years, but we continue to still have a viable business that lets us live a nice life. Something can always change in the future, and like everyone else has said, I never intend to work on a weekend unless I just enjoy it, or someone is offering fat cash, but as for now...I'm trying to camp with my family about every other weekend in the summer. Life's too short. When I'm dead I'll not wish I'd have worked more.

 

[TimToad]

This was the cherry on the top of this discussion for me after reading all the great responses last week. We left work early on Friday, went camping for the entire weekend with about 30 friends and their families to celebrate three of our birthdays at a fantastic, secluded oceanfront beach campground miles from any town AND there was NO cell service starting about 20 miles from the campground.

Even with a few PITA's to deal with today, it just felt that much easier.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

Good for you on vacation Toad... We're still on ours in Colorado... We even ran into Gino out here

 

[TimToad]

Good for you on vacation Toad... We're still on ours in Colorado... We even ran into Gino out here

Even if in a zoo, glad your girl got to see one before they go extinct.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

Even if in a zoo, glad your girl got to see one before they go extinct.

Yup, thanks to global warming, all those lil Ginos will go extinct. I'm going to start a fund to help buy them air conditioners.

 

[equippaint]

I'm addicted to this industry and business in general. I have a hard time leaving before 8 or 9 pm. I work weekends as well...

My wife is happy and we are able to help both sides of our family as needed. I get great joy working on our companies marketing efforts and love to create new market segments. If I had the option to attend some dinner party, watch tv/movie, or just hang around the house....or get quality time without distractions as I work on new growth opportunities for our companies it's easy to pick. I LOVE to work as it provides a great amount of joy to me...

I have plenty of great family memories and when I want to create them our work has allowed us to make it happen. When my wife ask that I leave work, I leave work and spend time with her needs. Owning our own business allows us to work the hours we choose to work. Otherwise I build the foundation for what is to come for our family. The old expression... you can't take it with you. Well yeah, that's obvious, but it's not about what you take with you, it's more about what you leave behind from those in your family. My goal is to leave behind great family memories, make a positive impact on my community, and multiple bank accounts with enough money to cover all of my families concerns.

There is a VERY low chance that our companies would be where they are today without the extra hours!

Everyone has different goals and agendas. Make the best of yours and it will all work out.

With all of the hatred towards working I'm almost embarrassed to say that I also like it. I love sales and marketing and spending time stewing over strategies, looking at the P&L, analyzing year over year etc. I've tried to get into golfing, fishing, gardening, football but it never really sucked me in. This is my occupation and my hobby. I'm not sure why working is so taboo and to be normal you must have some past time. If you hate it, why not just go get a job rather than be in business? Much less stress and worry. Had a redneck customer ask me once - do you hunt? no. Do you fish? no... well then what da ya do? haha was 15 years ago and wont forget it

 

[FireSprint.com]

With all of the hatred towards working I'm almost embarrassed to say that I also like it. I love sales and marketing and spending time stewing over strategies, looking at the P&L, analyzing year over year etc. I've tried to get into golfing, fishing, gardening, football but it never really sucked me in. This is my occupation and my hobby. I'm not sure why working is so taboo and to be normal you must have some past time. If you hate it, why not just go get a job rather than be in business? Much less stress and worry. Had a redneck customer ask me once - do you hunt? no. Do you fish? no... well then what da ya do? haha was 15 years ago and wont forget it

Running FireSprint can get pretty stressful at times, but I am with you. I love what I do. I love the people I work with and the challenges we face together every day. If I wasn't working 12-14 hour days doing this, I would be doing something else for 16. I never cared much about the money, I just want to see how far we can all get together! Been a fun ride for 12 years now!

 

[d fleming]

Been working my but off for a while now building a distillery. Now that it is open and we have product on the shelf my weekend time is about gone. I make sure I have Sunday off but if I haven't taken a stab at the yard here and there during the week it kills the day. Doing my in laws yard now too that they can no longer do it. Starting to sl;ow the sign biz down a touch. Subbing more out than ever before. The distillery should make life a little easier soon. I hope. lol

 

[Pixels Are Bad Mmmkay?]

This was the cherry on the top of this discussion for me after reading all the great responses last week. We left work early on Friday, went camping for the entire weekend with about 30 friends and their families to celebrate three of our birthdays at a fantastic, secluded oceanfront beach campground miles from any town AND there was NO cell service starting about 20 miles from the campground.

Even with a few PITA's to deal with today, it just felt that much easier.

Funny, last weekend was my wife's Birthday and we (us and ten others) went to her families cabin out in the sticks for the weekend to relax and have fun. We still had cell service though, as it's not THAT remote and secluded, but it's still a nice quiet place to get away with a pond and only a few cattle.