Small Business Owners Work Long Hours

But Manage Work/Life Balance

National Accounting News, 9/2/05

The latest Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index finds that small business owners today work an average of 52 hours per week. The majority, 57 percent work six days a week and more than 20 percent work all seven days. Sixty-Five percent of respondents say that they make time outside of work for things that are important to them.

The small business owners surveyed average two weeks of vacation per year with 14 percent taking no vacation at all. Some of those who take vacation work part of that time (phone, emails, etc.).

While two-thirds of those surveyed are content with their work/life balance, an even higher percentage (87 percent) say they’re satisfied as small business owners. The Index reported that 84 percent say that if they had to do it all over again, they would still become small business owners.

The Wells Fargo/Gallup Small Business Index, which measures business confidence and overall market conditions among small business owners, dropped 11 points, 110 to 99 in the last quarter. The decline was evident mostly in business owners’ expectations for the coming year, as continuing high energy prices could result in higher operating costs for small businesses. High gasoline prices could reduce consumers’ disposable income and affect sales.