You may want to think twice before launching your own design shop, blogvertising agency or brand consultancy. According to Inc. the majority of small-business owners work at least 50 hours per week, according to a recent poll — far more than the national average of 33.8 hours per week reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Thirty-three percent of small-business owners reported working more than 50 hours per week, while an additional 25% said they work more than 60 hours a week, according to a poll of readers of the New York Enterprise Report. The poll, conducted throughout January and February, found that 70% of respondents also worked at least one weekend on a regular basis.
“Often, people go into business for freedom,” said Robert Levin, the report’s publisher. “The ironic thing is that you lose some of that freedom when you go into business for yourself, because you have to work so many more hours.”
However, entrepreneurs can take comfort in the fact that running their own business may pay off in the long run. “Finding meaning in what you do is one of the most important dimensions of resilience,” said Amy Richman, a senior consultant for WFD, a workplace consulting firm based in Newton, Mass.
