The Myth of Saturday
It’s another day of the week that ends in “day”.
It’s the first day of the weekend.
But for entrepreneurs, Saturday’s don’t exist.
Let me give a little context here.
I come from a family of immigrant entrepreneurs. I was raised in this stuff. My parents, uncle’s, grandparents, and cousins all came to this country not speaking a lick of English and many have gone onto be very successful entrepreneurs and small business owners (yea, I believe there’s a difference).
Regularly, I engage my uncle, who is one of the most intelligent and successful entrepreneurs I know, in conversation about this very topic.
Last night we were talking about how things were going with his businesses and what we’re doing over at Aftermarq.
My uncle has always, since I can remember, been a proponent of two things:
Work hard, play hard.
If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.
As a kid, and later, as a young adult, I couldn’t figure out how those could work together. “You’re nuts, Zio”, I’d say.
The picture at the top of this post is the view I enjoy from downtown Columbus, Ohio on my bike rides or runs. I took this picture as I draft this post, which, in reality, could be a Wednesday or a Saturday.
I get out whenever I see fit, usually when I realize that no time is the perfect time. There’s always more to be done, always more that can be done.
I also don’t ignore the world around me. I have a beautiful wife that I enjoy spending time with. I have my hobbies: biking, fishing, photography, golf, cooking, hiking and making wine. I love sports and going to games.
But all that can be done any day of the week.
I don’t wait till Saturday to catch up with friends or go to a game.
Saturday isn’t my saving grace from a week that beat me up, chewed me up and spit me out.
To me, Saturday is another day, one in which many slow down, so I can speed up.
This doesn’t mean I don’t live in the moment either. Being an entrepreneur doesn’t mean you’re glued to your phone or your desk 24/7. There’s a lot more to it than just that. But when I have to bring the work along for the ride, it doesn’t bother me very much.
Going back to that uncle of mine.
He and my aunt would regularly take conference calls at the beach when we’d take family trips to our Florida home. It never made sense to me. “You’re on vacation”, I’d think to myself.
Even though they have “people” to run the business while they’re gone, entrepreneurship takes that special something: sacrifice.
Working for someone and earning a paycheck doesn’t make you an entrepreneur. You’ve got to sacrifice.
Sometimes, even Saturday.
