What I actually do during my 2-3 hours of work each day

Something I get asked a lot is, “If you only work 2-3 hours a day, what are you actually doing during that time?”

Today, I’m sharing an honest breakdown of what a typical day looks like…

And the specifics of running seven businesses (without completely burning out).

My morning routine (1-2 hours)

The first thing I do is check my dashboards.

I have dashboards set up for most of my businesses where I can log in and see what sales happened the day before, and all the key metrics that tell me whether the business is healthy or not.

This takes about 15-20 minutes total across all businesses.

Next, I go through emails.

A lot of them I’m just CC’d on so I can see what’s happening in the business, but there are others where people are asking me direct questions that need my input.

I’m not answering customer service emails or dealing with day-to-day operational stuff, which is handled by the general managers.

My afternoon focus (strategic work)

This is where I spend most of my actual “work” time.

This is where I spend most of my actual work time, and it’s largely focused on making the portfolio perform better.

That could be analyzing the industries I’m in and new industries to expand into, creating strategic partnerships between businesses to bring in more revenue, or optimizing current operations.

On a weekly basis, I’m also reviewing financial reports and scanning for any issues I can catch before they become painful problems.

There are always problems in any business, even healthy, profitable ones!

Most issues get solved by employees, technicians, and general managers, but sometimes a problem escalates past the GM level because it involves spending money or investing in equipment.

That’s when they reach out to me or my partners for approval.

Now, the key to making this work is being just as intentional about what you don't do.

• I don't answer customer calls

• I don’t handle employee issues

• I don’t deal with vendors on day-to-day stuff

• I don’t do any operational work

This comes down to making smart deal structures where you’re not stuck handling daily operations.

The rest of my day

After those few hours of work, I have complete control over my time.

My mornings are for personal stuff:

• Gym time

• Bible study

• Reading

• Working on new deals

Once my kids get home from school, I’m fully present with them.

We’re at the park, doing homework together, or heading to sports practice.

This kind of schedule is only possible when you structure deals correctly.

How I’m able to make this work (and how you can, too)

I only buy businesses where I won’t be the person running daily operations.

I structure deals where the general manager handles everything operational, so I can focus on strategic work that actually moves the business forward.

If you want this kind of freedom, your goal should always be to maximize time spent working on things that actually move the needle.

If you’re interested in learning how to structure deals this way...

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Onward,

— Ben Kelly