Every week, I seem to get asked 2 questions:
- What do you actually do?
- What’s a day in the life of Neil Patel look like?
I wish there was a simple answer to both of those questions, but there isn’t. Nonetheless, here’s my somewhat short answer to both of those questions.
I live, sleep, and breath KISSmetrics
Although you may see me as a blogger, investor, or SEO expert, I technically don’t do much of those things. Yes I do blog, I do invest, and I practice SEO, but I spend the majority of my day making deals.
Over the years, I have built up a decent sized network of entrepreneurs that I have gotten to know on a personal level. So, I constantly keep in touch with these individuals because they have become friends.
While chatting with them, I usually ask them what they are up to, how their families are doing, and how their businesses are doing. When they start talking about their businesses, I try to give them free advice whenever I can, and I look to see if there are any opportunities for my startup, KISSmetrics, to help them out. Most of my calls don’t end up with closed deals, but the few that do end up closing usually result in an extra $120,000 to $240,000 in additional revenue.
The day in the life of Neil Patel
Now that you know what I do, here is what my typical day looks like:
- 6:45 am – the start of the day – before I even get out of bed in the morning, the first thing I do is grab my phone to see all my missed calls, text messages, and emails that I need to respond to. I usually respond to everything while lying in bed.
- 7:00 am – the Neil Patel workout – every morning I try to hit the gym. My workout isn’t that rigorous. I usually lift some light weights, run on the treadmill while watching TV, and then head into the steam room to relax.
- 8:00 am – getting dolled up – although I am a guy, it takes me a while to get ready in the morning. From showering to styling my hair, I spend around 30 minutes every morning getting dolled up while watching CNN.
- 8:30 am – the most important meal – by the time I get out of the shower, my assistant usually has breakfast ready for me. She goes over what I have to get accomplished for the day, and I tell her what errands she needs to take care of.
- 9:00 am – communicating with the world – I get bombarded with so many emails every day, that I spend hours in my inbox, reading and responding to emails. Most of my emails are from people asking for help, people asking for money, or people who are looking to meet up or schedule a call with me.
- 10:00 am – talking people’s ears off – if I don’t talk on the phone, I don’t end up closing deals. So, for two hours in the morning, I try to talk with potential clients and other entrepreneurs to figure out how I can grow my company’s revenue or bring more cash into the business through other means.
- 12:00 pm – enjoying a free lunch – I typically have lunch meetings with perspective clients on a regular basis. Many of these meetings don’t result in new revenue for my startup, but the few that close have a big impact on the business. And if for some reason I don’t have a lunch meeting, my assistant has lunch ready for me. She also has me respond to emails for an hour or so.
- 1:00 pm – communicating with the world – whether I have a lunch meeting or not, I am always backlogged with emails. So, for another hour, I respond to emails and work on setting up meetings and calls for upcoming days.
- 2:00 pm – random crap – I always have random stuff that comes up within the day that I need to complete. I usually do it during this time to give myself a little break so that I don’t get burned out.
- 3:00 pm – talking people’s ears off – a few hours of phone calls during the morning isn’t enough. I usually spend the next 2 hours on phone calls or in-person meetings.
- 5:00 pm – happy hour – happy hour is truly the highlight of my day. I love drinking alcohol while shooting the shit with potential clients. I try to do this on a daily basis. If I am unable to do a happy hour meeting, I am typically checking emails.
- 6:00 pm – communicating with the world – as usual, I am back to emails. I really enjoy helping other people as people helped me when I was a new entrepreneur with no money. So, for me, emails aren’t a chore, they are a blessing.
- 7:00 pm – my last meal – I usually don’t have too many dinner meetings. I typically eat out with friends, or my assistant cooks me a meal before she leaves.
- 8:00 pm – communicating with the world – responding to emails again…
- 9:00 pm – living a peaceful life – from writing blog posts to hanging with friends to just relaxing and watching TV or even finding out ways to help local non-profits, for the rest of the night, I just chill. All of the things I mentioned help me relax and feel happy, which relieves most of my stress.
- 11:00 pm – communicating with the world – if I am still awake, which I usually am, I end my night writing more emails and falling asleep in front of my computer screen.
Conclusion
As you can tell from my schedule, I am a workaholic. I work seven days a week, and I haven’t taken a holiday in over ten years. But I have to say, although my life seems hard from an outsider’s perspective, it actually isn’t too bad. I don’t really have to worry about making mortgage payments or putting food on the table. All I have to deal with is job related stress, which you get used to over time.
So, there, you have it. If you ever wondered what I do or how I spend my days, you don’t have to guess anymore.
And if you are wondering how my life gets so organized, it’s because of my lovely assistant Aleisha.