Have you ever wondered why an eight-hour workday is standard for most workers? It's not because of productivity or circadian rhythms. The eight-hour workday was another innovation by Henry Ford. During the industrial revolution, most workers worked 12 to 16 hours a day, six days a week. Ford reduced hours and doubled pay, creating a safer environment and a customer base for his products.

Stephan Aarstol is another innovative leader. In 2015, he reduced the working hours at his company to five-hour days. He thought the gift of time would be an excellent perk to attract the best and the brightest team members and help his brand live up to the surfer lifestyle. Stephan is the founder of Tower Paddle Boards, a direct-to-consumer SUP company. Keeping up with his surf brand, he has now added Tower Electric Bikes.

Stephan was also on Shark Tank and landed a deal with Mark Cuban. He is the author of The Five-Hour Workday: Live Differently, Unlock Productivity, and Find Happiness. He's an entrepreneur, speaker, and author. He's been featured on multiple national publications and news programs. Today, we talk about his five-hour workday experiment and what went right and what didn't go right. We dive into his story and talk about maximizing productivity, valuing time, direct-to-consumer brands, and so much more.

And be sure to subscribe to The Self-Employed Life in Apple podcasts or follow us on Spotify or wherever you listen to podcasts so you don't miss an episode.

Everything you need can all be found at jeffreyshaw.com

Stephan Aarstol thank you so much for being here!

Remember, you might be in business FOR yourself but you are not in business BY yourself.

Be your best self. Be proud and keep changing the world.

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Guest Contact –

• The Five-Hour Workday: Live Differently, Unlock Productivity, and Find Happiness
• Stephan Aarstol LinkedIn
• Stephan Aarstol Twitter
• Stephan Aarstol Facebook
• Stephan Aarstol Instagram
• The No Middleman Project
• Tower Paddle Boards
• Freakonomics

Contact Jeffrey –

• Website
• Coaching support
• My book, LINGO: Discover Your Ideal Customer's Secret Language and Make Your Business Irresistible is now available!
• Watch my TEDx LincolnSquare video and please share!

Valuable complimentary resources to help you-

• Take The Self-Employed Assessment! Ever feel like you're all over the place? Or frustrated it seems like you have everything you need for your business success but it's somehow not coming together? Take this short quiz to discover the biggest hidden gap that's keeping you from having a thriving Self-Employed Ecosystem. You'll find out what part of your business needs attention and you'll also get a few laser-focused insights to help you start closing that gap.

• Have Your Website Brand Message Reviewed! Is your website speaking the right LINGO of your ideal customers? Having reviewed hundreds of websites, I can tell you 98% of websites are not. Fill out the simple LINGO Review application and I'll take a look at your website. I'll email you a few suggestions to improve your brand message to attract more of your ideal customers. Fill out the application today and let's get your business speaking the right LINGO!

Host Jeffrey Shaw is a Small Business Consultant, Brand Management Consultant, Business Coach for Entrepreneurs, Keynote Speaker, TEDx Speaker and author of LINGO and The Self Employed Life (May 2021). Supporting self-employed business owners with business and personal development strategies they need to create sustainable success.