Why we’re not drinking until we’re profitable.

I recently launched Tweaky.com with my co-founder PJ Murray and together we decided to give up drinking until we’re profitable.

It’s a ritual I started when I took over Native from Nick Crocker. We took three months off drinking to focus on producing great work and it became one of the most productive periods of my life up until that point.

I’m not generally a heavy drinker, though I’ve had my moments, but like a lot of people I’ll have a drink or two on a Friday night or after a particularly challenging day.

So why are we not drinking until Tweaky.com is profitable?

1. To bring the team together and create healthy rituals

One of the big reasons for us to be sober until we’re profitable is that it means we’re all focusing on a common goal of building a successful company.

Not drinking is a tangible manifestation of our commitment.

Not drinking when I’m embarking on something new has become a ritual for me and something I want to pass on. Creating tradition and ritual brings tribes closer together.

2. To focus on the work at hand

We’re trying to build something important to us and that takes a lot of time and energy. Coming into work with a hangover or slowing down on a Friday at 5pm when the beers roll out is not something we feel like we can afford right now. We’re playing to win.

While having a few drinks of an evening might only slow down our performance by a few percentage points we want to be operating on 100% at this critical stage of the company.

3. To have more quality time outside of work

The little time we have outside of work we get to spend with our friends and partners – quality time that has become a lot more intense without booze.

We’re already turning down a lot of social engagements and spending less and less time with friends and partners, we don’t want to have to turn down more because we’re hungover or tired affected by drinking.

Everyones different and perhaps we’ve taken a somewhat extreme approach to starting up but for us not drinking as a founding team has brought us closer together and closer to achieving our goals.

If you’re a founding team taking a similar line we’d love to hear it in the comments.

If you’re a small business looking to tweak something about your website you should check out Tweaky.com: the marketplace for customising websites.

“As a cure for worrying, work is better than whiskey.”

- Ralph Waldo Emerson