UFC CEO Dana White said the dream of flexible hours is a trap for aspiring entrepreneurs.
Speaking to Steve Bartlett on Monday’s episode of “The Diary of a CEO” podcast, White spoke about why he doesn’t believe that a successful business could be built by working from home.
“It’s impossible. You can’t do it. I’m in the office from 8:30 in the morning, and I don’t leave the office till 7, 8, 9, 10 sometimes,” White said.
Even on days when his schedule was fully planned, spontaneous conversations with colleagues could surface new issues, spark ideas, and change the course of his day.
“A lot of good ideas come from everybody being at work,” White added.
White said entrepreneurship is a poor fit for anyone whose priority is protecting their free time, because business demands can arise at any time.
“There is no such thing as a day off when you run your own business. There are no birthdays, there’s no Christmas, there’s no Thanksgiving,” White said.
Running a business means dealing with a fresh set of problems every day, “but when you like what you do, it’s fun,” he added.
White said he believed many young people have the wrong idea about what entrepreneurship involves.
“‘You know, I’d really like to work for myself, and own my own business because I’d love to plan my schedule.’ Oh, you’re going the wrong way,” White said. “What you need to do is find a 9-to-5 job where you have weekends and holidays off. That’s your move.”
White has pushed back on the idea that entrepreneurship offers an easier, more flexible life in past interviews.
He said in a March 2024 appearance on the “Lex Fridman Podcast” that he works “just as hard now” as he did when he was starting out.
In a May 2024 appearance on the “In Search of Excellence” podcast, White said that entrepreneurs who want their businesses to succeed must be prepared to become “a slave” to the company in the early years.
Other business leaders have also pushed back on remote work.
Skims cofounder Emma Grede, for example, has said that working from home is “career suicide.” Jason Lemkin — also known as the “Godfather of SaaS” — has said that he’s only interested in investing in “small, high paid teams that work in the office over six days a week.”
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