"Working 80 hours a week nearly KILLED me..."

"Working 80 hours a week nearly KILLED me..."

Author: John Lamerton & Jason Brockman | Ambitious Lifestyle Business Owners September 3, 2026 Duration: 26:59

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How do you work less without your business falling apart?

In this episode of the Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast, John Lamerton and Jason Brockman speak to Paul Miller about burnout, delegation, business boundaries, trusting your team, and how small business owners can stop being the central point of everything in their business.

Paul's wake-up call was not subtle.

After years of working 70 to 80 hours a week, carrying too much responsibility, and being the person everything revolved around, he ended up in hospital.

Twice.

The first time was meningitis.

The second time involved waking up in Charing Cross Hospital after blacking out and having a seizure following a business conference.

Paul explains how that served as a work/life balance wake up call, leading him to work fewer hours, delegate more effectively, set clearer boundaries, say no more often, outsource lower-value work and use the 80/20 principle to focus on the things that actually move the business forward.

We also talk about why so many small business owners feel trapped by their business, why letting go is so difficult, and why you need to stop doing £10 tasks if you want to spend more time on the £1,000 tasks that really matter.

If you are a small business owner, family business owner, accountant, coach, consultant, freelancer or solopreneur who wants to work fewer hours, avoid burnout, delegate properly and build a business that supports your life rather than consumes it, this episode is for you.

Because your business should fund and fuel your lifestyle.

It should not nearly kill you.

In this epsiode:

0:00 Introduction 
1:11 Waking Up in Hospital
4:00 Life as a Workaholic Business Owner
7:05 The Art of Delegating and Trusting
11:06 Mastering the Four-Day Work Week
19:02 Five Rules for a Balanced Business

Join Paul (and more than 100 other ambitious, lifestyle business owners) in the One Percent Club


Hosted by John Lamerton and Jason Brockman, who are themselves ambitious lifestyle business owners, the Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast is built on a practical, sustainable premise. It moves beyond the exhausting hustle culture to explore how consistent, manageable improvements lead to significant growth. The focus is on actionable strategies for attracting more customers and increasing revenue, but crucially, without simply trading more hours for dollars. Each conversation digs into the systems, mindset shifts, and marketing approaches that allow you to build a business that supports your life, not the other way around. You'll hear from the hosts' direct experience and from a variety of practitioners who prioritize efficiency and freedom. This isn't about theoretical fluff; it's about the real, incremental tweaks you can implement to create a more resilient and profitable operation. Tune in for a candid discussion on working smarter, where the goal is a thriving business that affords you the time and energy for the things that matter most. The Ambitious Lifestyle Business podcast offers a refreshingly honest take on entrepreneurship, proving that ambition and lifestyle don't have to be opposing forces.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 50

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