The 5 a.m. business

0:03LenaWelcome to Small Wins, the show about building something on the side. I'm Lena.

0:09SamAnd I'm Sam. Today's question came from a listener: is it crazy to start a business at five in the morning, before your real job?

0:16LenaCrazy? Maybe. But I did it for two years, so I'm biased.

0:21SamYou really did. Every morning?

0:24LenaMost mornings. The house is quiet, nobody needs me, and my brain hasn't been filled with other people's problems yet.

0:31SamThat's the part I hear a lot. The first hour is the only hour that's truly yours.

0:36LenaExactly. By nine o'clock, my inbox decides what I do. At five, I decide.

0:42SamBut let's be honest. Some people are not morning people. I'm not.

0:46LenaThen don't make it five. Make it the same hour every day. The time matters less than the habit.

0:53SamSo it's a routine question, not a sunrise question.

0:57LenaRight. And here's the rule that saved me: one hour, one task. Not three tasks. One.

1:06SamGive me an example.

1:08LenaMonday, write the product page. Tuesday, email five possible customers. Wednesday, fix the one bug that embarrasses me.

1:17SamI like that it's small enough to finish. You walk into work having already won something.

1:22LenaThat feeling carries you through a long day. It's the whole point of this show, really.

1:28SamSmall wins, stacked up. Okay, before we go, what's your small win this week?

1:33LenaI finally raised my prices. Nobody complained. Two people said it was about time.

1:39SamHa! Mine is smaller. I cleared my desk. It counts.

1:43LenaIt absolutely counts. Thanks for listening, everyone. Send us your small win and we might read it next week.