Do you think it is important to be a morning person when running your own business?
I have read a lot about productivity and success. It seems that many of the most successful people start their day early. I am curious what others think about the importance of starting your day early to maximize your chances of success.
Expert Answers
Sort by Date
Sort by Votes
Jun 6, 2016
Hi John and Beverly,
In the global digital age, the more accurate question might be, morning where? If you are doing business in your local time zone, then yes, it pays to be a morning person if your target market is open for business then.
But if you're doing business abroad, and their morning is night in Massachusetts, then a nightowl would fare better :-)
Know your rhythms, and when you can best serve your clients. If these are out of sync, take steps to remedy the situation: e.g., hiring an overseas business manager, or a bright-eyed and bushy-tailed manager to hold down the fort in the early hours here until you get in later.
Hope this helps. All the best ~
Jun 6, 2016
If your business is open during the day, by all means it is important to be up early and rested in order to be fresh, alert, and ready to make important decisions for the day ahead. When one arises early and rested, they are much more likely to have a good attitude towards their employees, and customers. When a person doesn't get enough rest, many times they have the tendency to be "short spoken" with others, therefore, not only setting a poor example of leadership, but affecting the morale in the workplace.
Jun 7, 2016
Morning routine undoubtedly results in higher productivity. You can always condition your communication timings with clients without impact yours or theirs routine if it is a global audience. One is high on energy, fresher at mind and saves more time to do other stuff at evening.
Those who can manage to follow a power morning routine can actually done worth 48 hours in 24 hours - that includes a sound sleep.
This Interview of 5amhacks founder and coach Dan Luca is truly enlightening. Read when you have time
http://www.sunitabiddu.com/dan-luca-morning-routine
Jun 8, 2016
There are lots of things that are really important to be successful in running your own business. I would consider being a morning person is one of the least important things. There may be a few businesses where being a morning person is important but knowing your market, being able to relate to customers, being financially wise, being able to step back and look at how you are running your business with an open mind, Being able to develop a good business plan and to follow through with your agenda. Being able to provide good customer service. Things like that are far more important than being a morning person.
Jun 8, 2016
No. I don't. I do the majority of my work between the hours of 10pm and 2am. I do wake up early (before 6am) every now and then if I think I have something that is pressing or morning meetings to attend, but for the most part I think people should be productive when they feel their best. A colleague of mine works best between 1 and 5pm, so that's when they do the bulk of their work. Find a time that suits you and one in which you feel the most comfortable then work away! OH forgot to mention, I'm in the digital design/marketing field so my work CAN be done anywhere and I'm not relegated to an office setting.
Jun 6, 2016
Hi John and Beverley,
Here's my 2 cents - "The early bird catches the worm". Happy to elaborate.
Hope it helps. Feel free to connect if I can be of any further help..
Best as always
Jun 6, 2016
Only if the late worm manages to flee the nest and by which time, there'll be nothing left - laws of nature.
Jun 7, 2016
As the laws of nature would have it, convenience almost always prevails. While the late worms remain underground, far from an early birds nest, sight and easy reach, the early birds feast on a breakfast of the most readily available food that they don't have to hunt or dig for. aka Early worms.
Jun 6, 2016
Jun 6, 2016
I agree with ED----One of the great leaders of the Western World during WWII was Winston Churchill who slept late, stayed up late, smoked cigars and drank whiskey.... OH and was an Artist on the side.....Figure out which part of the day is best for you..... Mine was usually afternoon through early evening
Jun 6, 2016
It's more important to maximize how you best operate. That may be early mornings for some people and late nights for others. With the online world being open 24-7, the time that you start your day is becoming less relevant.
A couple of great books to read related to productivity and motivation are Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Drive by Daniel Pink. Both are well worth reading for any entrepreneur and small business owner.
Jun 6, 2016
There are no specific rules, actually. I know successful entrepreneurs that practically "don't exist" in the morning. However, everyone has a different challenge. Maybe your challenge is waking up early in the morning for some time. You need to understand what kind of challenges you need to face in one specific stage of your life.
I read some days ago, through Linkedin: "Comfort zone is very nice, but nothing grows in there".
Jun 6, 2016
There are always exceptions to a rule, but a rule becomes a rule for a reason. Generationally, if you are a Millenial working on computer code maybe working noon to midnight is your thing and that's fine. If you have to sell in your business early is key for 2 reasons. First, you have to realize there is pay time and no pay time and you want to be doing your pay time when your clients/customers are available. Second, the best time to connect with top decision makers is before 8:30 when the gatekeepers take over the phone. You can get through to the majority of top people early in the morning.
Finally, an early start creates a routine and a discipline that are key to time management and productivity, while it matters less if that's 7 or 6 am, as you pointed out, would you rather copy the routine of the most successful people or the human sloths out there?
Jun 6, 2016
Personally, and for my business, I think it's best to work efficiently when I am at my best - whether that's morning, afternoon, evening or even the middle of the night.
Knowing your customer and when you need to be accessible to them is paramount. Find what works for you and your business and schedule your tasks accordingly.
If you need assistance with this, feel free to reach out - I help my clients be more productive with what really matters to their business.
Jun 6, 2016
More important than when to start your day is how you start your day. A successful day begins with a "Sense of direction that lead to an Understanding fueled with Charity Courage generating Esteem based on Self-acceptance and Self-assurance Focused on Urgency while remaining Loyal." Note the capital letters, enjoy your business.
Jun 6, 2016
Hi
Robert nailed it with his reply.
I once worked for a big group of companies, whose Chairman was nocturnal. He would get things done in the quietude of the night, wake up in the afternoon, play a round of Golf in the evening.
The very reason you run your own business is you want to be your own boss. Enjoy that! And adapt to what suits you and your clients best!
Jun 6, 2016
Chances are, if you are an early bird, you will find like minded clients. The Night Owls naturally gravitate to one another as well. But I do think more Night Owls should take the time to leave early birds an update before they call it a night so the Early Birds can use their extra time in the morning to catch up on all the activity they missed went on after they went to bed.
Jun 7, 2016
I think that it depends on what kind of business you have and what type of person you are. Personally, part of the reason why I went into business is that I am not a morning person. And the type of business allows me to work night hours more than morning hours so it works for me. I don't necessarily think that to be successful you need to wake up early, it just depends.
Jun 7, 2016
In reality, not everyone is a "morning person" or so they think. The fact of the matter is that as a small business owner, you had better be a morning, afternoon and evening person.
I call it the B Schedule. When the business is operating, Be there. Be tuned in, Be excited, Be enthusiastic, Be the leader, cheerleader, financier, motivator, Be with whom the Buck stops!
Early morning is quiet, peaceful, and with a bit of coffee, you can accomplish great things.
Jun 8, 2016
Hi Beverley & John,
I think it depends what business you are in. If it is a night club or lounge there is probably not much happening in the morning. However if you are selling a product or service B2B I would be open when my clients or prospects or doing business. If your business is not bricks and mortar you can respond to any inquiry by phone or email where ever you are. As a self employed person my fear is if somebody tries to contact me and I do not respond in time they will just contact a competitor and that is something I try and avoid.
Jun 8, 2016
You don't say what business you are in and that could be a key element here. If you are in sales, morning people do best. But if you are a creative type, your working hours can be all over the map. One of the wisest men I know (my dad) always said, "Son, you'll make a living from nine to five, but you'll make money from five till eleven." I've followed his advice through a highly successful career (as an Advertising Agency Creative and Owner) that now spans 50 years and I can tell you, he was right.
Jun 9, 2016
You have to try out different times of when you see more results, if the morning & early afternoon gives you more or better results, then you would chose morning. If late afternoon and night gives you better results than you would chose night. The other question is, what kind of business do you have? it is a shop or warehouse or a trade, are you opened 24/7.
Jun 10, 2016
Interesting question but I would agree with it! I think it relates to enthusiasm and this incredible desire to begin another great day! It is a habit of shifting hours but it leaves quiet, focused time to build creativity and plans. I personally find it to be one of the most important times of my day. I get so much accomplished without any disturbances. Check out Morning Routines which shows how others focus their morning times. It has without question given me the most creative moments. Some weeks I find a day (usually weekend sat or sun) when I enjoy sleeping in, but it's not often!
"The late worm succeeds the early bird."
;)