I Scaled a 500-Person Company on Hustle — But Wellness Made It Sustainable (and More Profitable)

I lately got here throughout a job advert from a boutique U.S. company that learn:

“For those who desire a clock-in, clock-out mentality, we’re not an excellent match,” and
“Particular work hours do not matter once you’re hungry to develop.”

I have been across the block sufficient to know what that actually means: lengthy hours, weekend emails and a blurred line between work and every little thing else.

We wish to imagine we have moved previous hustle tradition and into the period of office wellness. However job postings like this show many employers are nonetheless promoting burnout, simply wrapped within the language of “ambition.”

I’ve lived each variations of the founder journey: the always-on grind and the wellness-first rebuild. I do know precisely what the hustle takes from you — and the way small, intentional modifications might help you are feeling higher, lead higher and construct a enterprise that does not burn you out.

Associated: Do not Underestimate The Significance of Worker Nicely-being. Your Enterprise Will Endure The Most

When hustle turns into your identification

And why is that an issue?

Startup tradition glorifies the concept that extra hours equals extra achievement. And certain, early wins really feel good — that dopamine hit retains us grinding. Till in the future, the hustle is your identification.

Within the early days of my firm, I lived by this mantra: “For those who’re heading dwelling and your competitor’s lights are nonetheless on — flip round.” It labored. We scaled from three scrappy founders to a worldwide crew of 500. However ultimately, I spotted: if I did not put my crew’s wellbeing first, we would not final. Enjoying the lengthy recreation takes greater than stamina — it takes sustainability.

The information backs this up. In a latest survey of 138 startup founders, over half reported experiencing burnout up to now 12 months. Two-thirds had severely thought-about strolling away from the very firms they constructed. That is not grit — it is a system failure.

Even high-profile success tales aren’t immune. Take Loom co-founder Vinay Hiremath. After serving to scale the corporate to a near-billion-dollar exit, he admitted: “I’m wealthy and I don’t know what to do with my life.” His resolution? Leap again into hustle tradition — as a result of it is the one factor he is aware of.

Burnout is a silent epidemic. The World Well being Group formally acknowledged it as an “occupational phenomenon” in 2019. It not often makes headlines, however it robs us of focus, clear selections, and, finally, the longevity of the companies we’re constructing.

Associated: 5 Management Methods That Really Stop Worker Burnout

What I did to interrupt the cycle

Well being fuels efficiency — and it begins with you.

When leaders are well-rested and engaged, every little thing works higher: decision-making, crew morale, product velocity. And it isn’t only a feel-good principle. A 2024 Gallup research of 183,000 companies throughout 90 international locations discovered that prioritizing worker wellbeing is a enterprise benefit. This is what they discovered:

• 78% much less absenteeism
• As much as 51% decrease worker turnover
• 32% fewer errors and defects
• As much as 20% greater productiveness
• 23% larger profitability

These outcomes aren’t magic — they’re the compounding impact of cultural selections. And people selections begin on the prime.

For me, the turning level was easy: I acquired bored with being drained. I shifted from obsessing over hustle to constructing a rhythm that supported efficiency and wellbeing.

This is how that appeared:

• I set laborious boundaries on work hours. I used to put on 14–16 hour days like a badge of honor. However after 8 p.m., I would spend twice as lengthy on fundamental duties. Now, I intention to wrap by 6:30 p.m., which forces higher focus— and leaves power for all times exterior work.
• I prioritized consistency over hacks. No detoxes or chilly plunges. Only a regular rhythm of quick breaks between conferences to stretch, breathe, and reset. It retains psychological fatigue from constructing.
• I moved my physique as a substitute of chugging espresso. Quick exercises changed infinite caffeine. Even a five-minute break helps reset my power and cognition. Attempting new sports activities additionally improved my psychological flexibility in shocking methods.
• I let my thoughts wander on function. A few of my finest concepts present up after I’m doing nothing—strolling, meditating, or scribbling ideas in a pocket book.
• I protected my consideration prefer it was my most precious useful resource. Two hours of deep focus each day—no conferences, no multitasking — lets me discover concepts, form technique, and assume long-term with out working late.

And it wasn’t nearly me. I introduced wellness into our crew tradition with strolling conferences, breathwork breaks and light-hearted wellness challenges. As a result of a enterprise is just as wholesome because the individuals constructing it — not simply the founder.

Associated: Why Being ‘At all times On’ Is Killing Your Innovation, and How one can Actually Disconnect

For those who do only one factor — do that

Give your self permission to completely disconnect. Whenever you log out, actually log out.

No weekend emails. No late-night Slack messages. Do not say you might have “restricted entry” in your out-of-office message. Say you are offline — and imply it. That is the way you construct a tradition the place relaxation is revered, not resented.

The reality is, I nonetheless wrestle to completely clock out typically. Whenever you’re constructing one thing you care about, it is laborious to let go. However if you need what you are constructing to final, you must defend the individual constructing it — you. Wellness is not a retreat. It isn’t a reward. It is your basis.

And if we wish a brand new period of labor, it begins with constructing firms the place individuals thrive, not simply survive.