Thrill Of The Game Homebased entrepreneurs work hard and play hard.
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
When he's feeling drained or his creativity needs a blast ofadrenaline, Gary Joseph Grappo straps on his inline skates and zipsaround his Fort Lauderdale neighborhood. Or he'll grab his iceskates and hockey equipment and hit the rink.
His choice of exercise adapts perfectly to his night owl andtraveling work habits, says Grappo, owner of ASTEC International Human AssetTechnologies, a homebased human resource training anddevelopment firm. In fact, whether he's traveling on a trainingjob in Europe or the United States, his skates are frequentcompanions. "It's a reflection of the fact that [homebasedbusiness owners] have flex time," he says. "Although Iwork 'til four in the morning, I can take two hours offduring the middle of the day. It gives me a lot offlexibility."
Grappo's skating isn't the only thing inline. So, too,are his recreational habits with those of his work-at-home peers.According to a recent Simmons Market Research Bureau survey of33,000 America households-including 1,700 homes with at-homeentrepreneurs or teleworkers-many said their recreationalpreferences tended toward X-Games.
More at-home entrepreneurs than the population at large saidthey preferred to skate (ice, inline and board), snowboard, ski(snow and water), swim, surf and even snorkel. Low on their thrilllist-as compared to most Americans-were golf, rowing, andstationary or mountain biking.
The results aren't surprising, says Stephen Carnevale,general manager with Simmons, a New York City research firm. Theyshow that at-home workers have more free time and disposable moneyfor recreation and vacation time than clock-punchers and Americansat large, he says. With flexible hours and no bosses to hold theirschedules in check, at-home workers are more likely to participatein a wider variety of eclectic sports and recreation.
"People who work at home want to have more control overtheir time during their day," Carnevale says, "and theirobvious interest in sports and leisure activities point to some ofthe reasons why they work from home."
Journalist and author Jeff Zbar has worked from homesince the 1980s. He writes about home business, teleworking,marketing, communications and other SOHO issues.
