How much time a day do you spend working the appraisal business & other .

[Ray Miller]

....... income producing business ?? How much free time do you give yourself per day, week or month?

Up at 2 this morning working on my general business, then fed stock around 5:30 after the farm report. Work for a couple more hours here in the office. took a 30 min. news break. Now back at the desk for several more hours before I head to the gym for a bit.

Part of it will be for the appraisal business and the rest for my other business interest.

I was just thinking about other self-employed people and appraisers, just how much time do you put into working at your business projects a day and how much into the appraisal business?

Seems like I am working around 10/12 hours a day. Now that is down from 16/18 I was putting in for the last several years. But how do you cut it to a 6 to 8 hour day?

Seems like when I am on the road traveling, I have my cell phone, a couple of lap tops. Make calls while on the road and then spend time on the internet in the motel/hotel rooms when not out and about working.

I thought I called this retirement or semi retirement?

 

[Tony Lehn]

"Self-employed" and "8 hour work day" do not go in the statement. They are opposing forces.

 

[Terrel L. Shields]

8 am - midnight. I have something to do and something that didn't get done. I sold my cattle to make more time. It was a mistake. cattle kept me more active and are usually less stressful. Nothing better for the blood pressure than sitting on the tailgate in the middle of the pasture and letting the baby calves come up close to get a handout of sweet feed.

Tied to this desk had wrecked my health and I am ashamed of it for not being in control of my business. Last week was a final straw and I unplugged the office phone, told my 2 best clients to call on the cel. if they needed me, and the rest can go to ****. I have to get back to a shorter work week and get a vacation soon or I'm going down for the big one.

 

[Big ole Boy]

I spend time . gardening

I like taking out time and planting flowers and recreational corn rows ....

.... corn rows that I use as a studio .... to display my joy of gardening in the spring ....


I planted several rows in the city of Starke at my house ....

planted em .... O .... about 3 days ago .....

got 300 flowers planted on US 301 ...

.... I am rehabbing houses for a management company ......

... gotta do a bunch of wiring today ....

.... appraising? ...... gave it up .... let the license go about a 1 year ago .....

......

 

[Ray Miller]

8 am - midnight. I have something to do and something that didn't get done. I sold my cattle to make more time. It was a mistake. cattle kept me more active and are usually less stressful. Nothing better for the blood pressure than sitting on the tailgate in the middle of the pasture and letting the baby calves come up close to get a handout of sweet feed.

How right you are.

This has been a very long winter with still have three feet of snow on the ground and below 0 last night and calling for it tonight.


Tied to this desk had wrecked my health and I am ashamed of it for not being in control of my business. Amen Last week was a final straw and I unplugged the office phone, told my 2 best clients to call on the cel. if they needed me, and the rest can go to ****. getting near that point myself. I have to get back to a shorter work week and get a vacation soon or I'm going down for the big one.

Same here.

I am just pushing to many hours. Just maybe things will slow down at the end of April. Son should be moved back here and pick up the reins of the business for the most part. I have got to start spening as much time out and about the land and livestock as I can.

I was just trying to get a feel for what others had for work hours and free time.

 

[Beth Stevens]

I'm in the same boat with the extremely long hours. I left a government 8-5 job for THIS???!!!??? I've got four kids at home. Thank heavens for a husband that is very involved. Worked like a crazy person yesterday, dashed to the school to pick up the oldest from track practice, and to the Day Care to grab the littlest two, while the one in the middle was home feeding dogs and emptying the dishwasher (bless his heart!). Dinner for family was McDonald's last night, as we had to be back at school for an Awards Banquet. Back home, baths and bed for everyone else, while I was up until 1 a.m. getting reports out. Three inspections today, all 60 miles from home (I'm in a rural area). Running behind on the accounting end of things at the moment......so will spend the one day next week with no inspections or reports due to try to catch up on bookwork, computer updates, sending late invoices, and all that jazz. I've got inspections still needing scheduled for next week, and lenders are driving me insane with those "Have you set the inspection appointment yet?" calls, despite the fact that they know I'm reliable and will update them when I get to it, and won't let them down. Only so many hours in a day!

Honestly.........I hope to be headed back into the workforce sometime soon. Self-employment has its perks, and I'm grateful to be buried in work rather than starving to death, but I'm ready to walk out the door at the end of the day and be HOME. This multi-tasking limbo I'm living between home/work/family/work/work has taken a toll and I'm tired.

 

[Mountain Man]

Ray, I'm spending less and less in the appraising end, probably 20 hours a week. But also am spending more and more in researching, book keeping, and scheduling subs for my other biz, probably 30-40 hours a week. Thankfully though, I have a good CPA and am turning over more responsibilities to her as things grow. For an entrepreneur, there is no such thing as an 8 hour day.

 

[Blue1]

Appraisal, Sunday to Monday...12+/- hours a day.

 

[Lawrence R.]

hmmm... 37.5 per week in ad valorem.

5-10 hrs/week private practice.

Make same as I did working 55+ hours a week privately.

Now have 12 sick days and 10 Vacation days a year, 6 national holidays, A christmas bonus and health insurance. CE and license fees paid for. Reimbursement of up to 3500/ yr for additional college courses, like Economics at the univesity. Paid for my Cert General classes too. and the hotel and the meals and the car to go in. Oh, and retirement, and 401(K). Seems like I am forgetting something...

I think I did the right thing.

 

[DTB]

Ray, I'm spending less and less in the appraising end, probably 20 hours a week. But also am spending more and more in researching, book keeping, and scheduling subs for my other biz, probably 30-40 hours a week. Thankfully though, I have a good CPA and am turning over more responsibilities to her as things grow. For an entrepreneur, there is no such thing as an 8 hour day.

I think the real key is how much control are you willing to give up? I have a friend with a contractor/remodelling supplies business. He has 4 retail stores/design centers and a 4 story replacement window factory. He seldom works over 40 hours and probably takes close to 10 weeks off throughout the year.

Putting the right people in place and letting them do their job is obviously one his strengths.:blush: