December 20, 2018

 

Life as an entrepreneur is packed full of family, business, adventure, headache – at times, all of those things at once – but it’s that busy, jam-packed lifestyle that makes entrepreneurism so exciting. From crisis management at home to constant innovation in the office, a day in the life of an entrepreneur anything but ordinary.

And while there is no “typical” day as an entrepreneur, we spent the day with Randy Gerber to find out what consists of a casual Tuesday. Let’s walk through a day in the life of Randy below!

5:30AM | UP AND AT ‘EM
As soon I wake up in the morning, I intentionally try to put my energy in a positive place. Mornings are typically my only alone time. I stay away from work as much as possible, and forbid myself from reading emails. Part of my morning ritual is to make myself laugh to set the tone for the rest of the day. What usually does the trick is listening to something humorous right off the bat. I don’t want to watch the morning news, but instead usually opt for the Jimmy Falon show or SNL skits from the night before.

6:00AM | DAILY GRATITUDE
In an effort to live life deliberately, an alarm goes off on my Google watch early each morning, reminding me to have gratitude throughout the day. This is a trigger for me to stop and think about what I have, put all stressors aside, and to remind myself to be grateful for the day.

6:15AM | VITALS CHECK-UP
At this time each morning I generally have a grasp on where I’m at mentally, but I check my blood pressure to see where my body is telling me I am. That’s always an interesting experiment for me to see where my mind and body diverge. One of the challenges entrepreneurs must face is stress. I know that if you don’t manage it, it can get to you, so I have conditioned myself to be aware of what my mind and body are telling me.

6:30AM | WORKOUT
I have accepted the fact that if I don’t work out in the morning, it won’t happen. So 6:30AM is the ideal time for me to head to Orange Theory, or start the day with a private yoga session. (No, I am not flexible). Doing this early in the day puts me in a good headspace. The combination of setting my mind positively and the physical workout allows me to hop into the shower in a really good place, ready to take on the day.

7:30AM | OFF TO WORK
On the way to work, I listen to music that I like to keep the positive energy flowing. I usually opt for my “rock hard” playlist including The Smiths, Led Zepplin, Lenard Skinner, Echo and the Bunnymen, U-Two and some Kings of Leon.

8:00AM | GAME ON
At 8:00AM (at the latest) I walk into the office (ready or not) to tackle the day.
My days are back-to-back in terms of servicing clients, helping out our team where I can, mitigating issues (client and organizationally), managing the business, and possibly a little client entertainment (prospecting or personal) if the calendar allows for it.

The best entrepreneurs I know can take breaks for “play time,” such as setting up a golf net in office, but that’s not for me. At times, I can feel my blood pressure amp up throughout the day, so I will instead take a “time out,” and a couple laps around the office when necessary, but I much rather prefer taking minimal, if any breaks throughout the work day. I like to work hard so that I can trade weeks for hours - allowing myself occasional vacation time with my family, rather than taking time off in the office.

11:00AM | DAILY GRATITUDE PART DEUX
Another alarm hits on my Google watch to “have gratitude.” This tends to be the perfect time of day –in the midst of the madness– that allows me to reset my attitude. If something has upset me (a hiccup in client servicing, or someone simply pissed me off) I glance at the reminder around my wrist and reset.

NOON | LUNCH
I try to take a break during this time. While my goal is to utilize this time for prospecting and other business–related items, I find it most valuable for me to take this time to step back and not think about work for a minute. If I don’t have any meetings, I make an effort to physically get outside and leave the office, even if it is just across the parking lot at Flat Iron Grill. I like to have my lunch alone, maybe read the paper, catching up on industry-related news before I head back to office to resume tackling my workload.

5:30PM | HEADED HOME
The “ideal” scenario on my drive home is to relax and enjoy listening to some “rock hard” jams. In reality, I still have work on the mind and generally use that time to return phone calls.

5:45PM | HOME
After walking in the door, I am immediately greeted by our newest addition to the Gerber family, our goldendoodle, Eddie, which always puts a smile on my face. In an effort to be present at home, I lock my cellphone, placing it in my office and shutting the door. I work hard to have a meaningful conversation with each person in the household (a daily activity on my living legacy). This is the perfect time to touch base with my three children – learning more about what’s going on in their lives and how their day was - typically requiring me to ask them specific questions to avoid getting one word answers.

6:30PM | DINNER
On the off-chance our children don’t have an after-school activity (track, lacrosse, tennis), dinner time is family time. All five of us sit down to share a nice, home-cooked meal together almost every evening. It is a rare occurrence not to. I honestly love to cook so when I have the luxury of time, I particularly enjoy preparing Greek food for my family, though pizza is always a family favorite as well.

8:00AM | “ME TIME”
After we eat I like to take about twenty minutes of personal, come-down time. Generally this means watching the news and catching up on social media – personal and business.

8:30PM | DROP THE SMART PHONE
By this time I head upstairs to read, and try my hardest to read something non-electronic. I try my hardest to stay away from business periodicals and instead look for a paperback book to enjoy for 30-45 minutes. – Tom Clancy or Dan Brown are some of my favorites right now.

9:30 | LIGHTS OUT
Head to the pillow, I’m out.

The “average” day for an entrepreneur is anything but average. Which is why you need a plan. – to live life deliberately. We want to see your business grow and thrive, but we also want to make sure your life goals align with your business goals. Explore our ALL-INCLUSIVE GUIDEBOOK and share your business and life visions with us to get instant advice based on your needs.