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Aren't 2 days a week enough for you with screaming kids and a nagging missus..... think of a;ll the housework you'll be landed with...... don't do it!! Seriously though, its obviously just a question of working out the finances and if you can manage, go for it...... kids grow up so quickly so make the most of it.
Maybe put prices on your least favourite clients(if you have any)
The only thing with that is they may just want to pay the extra so not helping you lose hours at work!!
What about only working school hours? That depends on how old the twins are though.
I work my business around school hours and Saturday mornings in the season. Winter just school hours or less (normally 15-20 hours a week in winter.
As long as the bills get paid its ok!!
Life is more than the money that you earn.
If you can afford it go for it. If you are concerned that it's too much to drop 2 days in one go, why not just drop ones days worth for now and see how things go? Then you can always cut some more later if you decide it is the right thing to do.
Do you know anyone else that you trust in the trade in your area? If so maybe you could introduce them and the clients that you are cutting. That way you make it easier on the clients, help someone else's business and it could help with any possible damage to your reputation.
I ran a garden business for around 3 years with my spouse before were so busy that we were turning down some work. We drew a list up of our clients placing them in a certain order. It may not be to everyones way of thinking, but those who paid late, those who had dogs that they could not clean up for and those that tried to include extra work in the agreed price and haggled were looked at. We culled about 10 clients and found our week much easier. Could you maybe do a similar thing if you want a 4 day week?
It's down to the individual, you can't get the years back once they grow up, life isn't just about making money.
Am I missing the point here? If you can afford to cut down to four days then why work five or six!
Only you know your finances, but if you've got a successful business now, I'd suggest you could easily increase it if you had to in the future. If it's possible, spend every minute with the kids now, and work more when they are at school.
I'm in the opposite position. Health issues mean I can only do a certain amount of hours, and I spread them over 6 days to avoid problems. That means all the costs like travel are increased , and I'd love to do four days on/three off!
It is more economical to work less days and longer hours. Go for it!
I am asking more for people's advice on if they believe in today's business climate is it a bad idea to down size a company volunteerly when so many other companies are struggling to get a foot hold and build their companies, ie is this a stupid move?
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