Go to the profile of Danny Tippens
Danny Tippens
Co-Founder and CFO of Entrée

Do’s and Don’ts — From Corporate to WFH (Working from Home)

  • Wake up early — People tend to keep their after-work or leisure schedule consistent whether they WFH or have a 9 to 5. For example, maybe you’re a basketball fan and you can’t miss the game or Keeping Up with the Kardashians is on at 8pm and you refuse to record it. Every minute you wake up later than you did while working a corporate job could cost you valuable time. Also, Happy Hours’ hours won’t change for you.
  • Turn off the TV (and even Wi-Fi)! — It’s extremely easy to watch TV when you work from home. Even if you’re not watching The Jersey Shore and you’re watching CNBC, Jim Cramer can be very distracting. I’ve also found that if I’m working exclusively in Excel, PowerPoint or Word (and don’t need Wi-Fi), I’ll go to an outdoor area.
  • Set a weekly schedule — If you’re a business owner, you’ll have random tasks that don’t have strict deadlines. These random tasks add up, and you’ll regret putting them off. You’re not in college, be organized and don’t pull all-nighters to prepare for whatever you put off until the last minute. God knows, we don’t have the same energy we did in college and you also can’t cheat off your frat bro in the real world.
  • 100% *emoji*(well, maybe 95%) — This one goes along with the last point. It’s also extremely easy to bring a task to 80% and save the last 20% for a later date. For example, if your pre-launch budget looks good but you’re not satisfied with it — keep going! The last 20% is the hardest and if you have 10 tasks that are 80%, you’ll trick yourself into thinking you’re in a good place and then find that you’re behind when the last 20% of one task took you 48 hours. That being said, nothing is 100% and make sure to put it on your schedule to revisit it with fresh eyes in a week if the deadline permits.
  • Save money and take care of yourself! — Cook, clean, go to the gym and cut down on the partying. If you had a commute, there’s no better way to substitute the time. Your spouse or roommate and/or you personally will enjoy a clean apartment, cooking for yourself (and others) and looking better. I’ve also found partying less results in less money spent and a more productive day (shocking, I know).

I am the CFO of Entrée with prior experience in both Investment Banking and Corporate M&A.