Working Crazy Hours Is Exhausting, Draining and Painful. But Sorry Entrepreneurs, It's Necessary. Why entrepreneurs need to work next-to-impossible hours in the early days of their businesses.

Lately, there is a huge movement towards the idea of work-life balance. We are often told that people can be just as effective in working less time and that doing 50-70 hours a week is toxic, unsustainable, and unnecessary.

Although it sounds smart to maintain work-life balance, experience tells me that a business would not normally get off the ground if a business owner didn't put in the time.

Related: How 7-Figure Entrepreneurs Effectively Manage Their Energy

I launched my first business in 2002 and like most entrepreneurs, worked incredibly long hours. A typical day was about 12 hours and a typical month involved taking one weekend off. I averaged 60 hours of work per week for four years straight as the business grew from $1M+ in sales revenue to over $10M+.