The Hobbies of Successful Entrepreneurs
Entrepreneurs often try to promote their strong work ethic. Apple CEO, Tim Cook, reportedly begins emailing employees at 4:30 in the morning.
But “busyness” is not all it’s cracked up to be.
A year of home working has highlighted the risks of a grind culture. Companies like LinkedIn have tackled the problem directly. All employees were granted a paid week of leave earlier this year.
However, there is more we can all do to counter the risks of overwork and burnout. For starters, we should stop focussing on how hard entrepreneurs say they are working.
Incredibly successful people also find interesting ways to spend their leisure time. So should you. Here are the hobbies of some successful entrepreneurs:
“I smoke meats” – Outdoor pursuits with the Facebook CEO
From hydro foiling off the Hawaiian coast to archery and spear throwing, Mark Zuckerberg knows how to live an adventurous life. He makes sure to carve out plenty of space for it. The Facebook CEO and his wife, Priscilla Chan, recently bought 600 acres of land on the Hawaiian island of Kauai for $53 million.
He hunts wild boars and knows how to cook them too. In 2016 he live-streamed himself “smoking brisket and ribs” ahead of that year’s presidential debate. The clip proved popular; 11 million people have tuned in for the intimate fireside moment.
“The thing about smoking meats is that it takes a long time”, says Mark. Perfect for a lazy day off.
The island of Kauai, Hawaii. Zuckerberg and Chan bought 600 acres of land on the island. Image via Karsten Winegeart on Unsplash.
Nintendo Games & Beekeeping with Beyoncé
Sometimes the great outdoors is all a bit much. Sometimes what you really need is a few hours with your feet up on the sofa.
No one knows that better than Beyoncé. The singer, actress, and entrepreneur has a weakness for Nintendo games. She even starred in an advert for one of the Rhythm Heaven games, playing alongside her nephew Julez.
And that’s not the only way that Beyoncé uses her free time to connect with her family.
British Vogue reports that there are now 80,000 bees in the singer’s garden. Beyoncé’s daughters Blue and Rumi, both suffer from severe allergies and honey apparently alleviates their symptoms. Beyoncé’s beehives apparently produce hundreds of jars of honey a year.
Good for your garden, good for you?
Retail Therapy
Everyone likes to treat themselves. Entrepreneurs are no exception.
The famously frugal Bill Gates once bought a single book for $30.8 million. The Codex Leicester is a 16th-century notebook once owned by Leonardo da Vinci, the scientist, philosopher and artist who painted the Mona Lisa.
Gates claims that he has been “fascinated with Leonardo for decades” – and what better memento for an entrepreneur than the Italian thinker’s brainstorming journal?
Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft. Image by OnInnovation.com via Flickr and Creative Commons.
But Bill is hardly the only entrepreneur willing to shell out for a piece of their hero.
Elon Musk once paid almost $1 million for the submersible Lotus Esprit from the 1977 James Bond classic, The Spy Who Loved Me. According to Jalopnik, he was disappointed to learn that it didn’t actually transform, but he is planning to fix that:
“What I’m going to do is upgrade it with a Tesla electric powertrain and try to make it transform for real.”
We’ll get back to you on that.
Header Image: via Beyoncé, Instagram. The global artist spends her spare time beekeeping and playing Nintendo games.