I've been involved with a number of startups, and I can't think of a single occasion when early employees worked less than 10 hours a day. I think setting a low

I've been involved with a number of startups, and I can't think of a single occasion when early employees worked less than 10 hours a day. I think setting a lower expectation is wrong for at least three reasons: 1) It is entirely possible to work 50 hours a week and have a good work/life balance without burning yourself out (I say this as an actively involved father who works more than that). 2) The first few employees are absolutely critical to how the company and culture will evolve, and if you want to build a high-performance team, you really need employees who are driven to work harder than they would an established company. Setting clear expectations about work hours is a good way to screen out those who aren't ready for the challenge. 3) The very first employee is practically a founder and needs to think and act like one. Which isn't to say they need to work as much as you do, but certainly a good bit more than a 40 hour week.