full

full
Published on:

29th Sep 2022

325: 7 Ways That Shifting To A 4 Day Work Week Made Me A Better Entrepreneur

Today’s topic is inspired by a Twitter thread I wrote about a life-changing event in our family when our daughter began preschool recently. Since she was born prematurely, going through the NICU experience four years ago coupled with the demands of entrepreneurship brought me to the realization that things had to change. The season of life that was one of the hardest things became the best thing to help me reevaluate and realign my life and goals. As much as I love my work, I wanted my life to be about much more than my work. Join me to learn how shifting my work week has made me a better entrepreneur, husband, father, and person. 

You’ll Learn:


  • Business becomes more complicated with more time. 
  • “You don’t have to suffer in order to succeed.”
  • For any task, look to automate, delegate, eliminate, or systemize.
  • There are more metrics than money. 
  • “Not everything that counts can be counted.”
  • The time I’ve spent and the memories I’ve made with my daughter are priceless.
  • Creativity time is essential.
  • Time to explore and be curious should be an intentional part of the day/week. 
  • Giving your mind time for creativity and play will help you make better business decisions.
  • Business doesn’t have all the answers.
  • Work will not fulfill you in every aspect of life. 
  • “Don’t build your life around your business; build your business to support your life.”
  • Simplicity is key.
  • Concise communication is essential for people to understand you.
  • “Be clear, not clever.”
  • Seasons don’t last.
  • Entrepreneurship is a roller coaster ride, but time will pass quickly.
  • “Focus on the present and be grateful for now.”
  • The courage of a child is inspiring.
  • Be resilient like a child, and get back up when you fall down.
  • “The only way to fail in building a business is by refusing to get back up.”


Mentioned in this episode:

We'd LOVE To Partner With You!

➡️ Want to launch your online course? Please check out our free 7-Day Course Creator Starter Kit For Therapists: https://sellingthecouch.com/coursekit  ➡️ Looking to launch a successful podcast? Please check out our free "Using Podcasting To Grow Your Business" workshop for therapists: https://sellingthecouch.com/podcastingworkshop

Struggling with documentation and progress notes? Meet Upheal.

A new AI- powered, HIPPA-compliant platform that creates automated session notes and analytics for busy mental health professionals. Whether online or in person, Upheal captures your sessions and creates pre-drafted progress notes and insights that you can simply review and edit. And, it even creates Treatment plans with SMART goals included! Visit https://sellingthecouch.com/upheal and enter the promo code “COUCH25” for a special 25% off a paid plan for the first 2 months just for STC fans.

Show artwork for Selling the Couch

About the Podcast

Selling the Couch
Impact + Income Beyond The Therapy Room
With over 1.5 million downloads, Selling the Couch is a top podcast for mental health private practitioners who think differently.

Psychologist Melvin Varghese interviews successful therapists, top entrepreneurs, business/marketing, productivity, and social media experts.

You'll learn how therapists get referrals, make money, work through fears, and how they've stopped "trading time for income."

Melvin also shares the lessons as he grows his impact + income beyond the therapy room (podcasting, video, online courses, masterminds, investing, etc) and the tips, tools, and tech he uses to grow STC from a single-person business to the CEO of a 5-person 100% remote team.

You get bite-sized and highly actionable tips to guide your private practice and entrepreneurial journey.

About your host

Profile picture for Melvin Varghese, PhD

Melvin Varghese, PhD

Hi. I'm Melvin. I'm a psychologist, girl dad, and online creator living in Philadelphia, PA.

In 2014, I began to think about how to use our therapist skillset in different realms besides clinical work (e.g., podcasting, consulting, online course creation, writing, etc).

This allows us to serve others on larger scales while diversifying our income beyond 1 to 1 work.

I make podcasts and videos about business, tech, productivity, and lessons I'm learning from becoming the CEO of a lean, mean 5 person 100% remote team (we're not really mean..it just rhymed =P).