Protecting Your Research Time While Building A Company
You can't do both jobs at 100%. Here's how to do both well.
You’re trying to do two full-time jobs.
By day, you’re managing a research lab. Writing grants. Advising students. Teaching classes. Publishing papers. Attending faculty meetings.
By night (and weekends, and early mornings), you’re building a company. Talking to customers. Pitching investors. Developing product. Managing contractors. Closing deals.
And you’re slowly burning out.
Your research productivity is slipping. Your students are getting less attention than they deserve. Your startup is moving slower than it should.
You tell yourself: “I just need to work harder” or “Once we close this funding round, it’ll get easier” or “I’ll balance things better next semester.”
But it doesn’t get easier. Because you’re trying to do 200% with 100% capacity.
Here’s what’s actually happening: You haven’t made strategic choices about how to protect your research time while building a company.
You’re trying to do everything. Which means you’re doing nothing particularly well. And believe me, I’ve been there (working, studying, managing technology commercialization, and teaching as an adjunct all to varying degrees at the same time).
So I can recall clearly and have seen this in others: the academic entrepreneurs who succeed at both don’t work twice as hard. They work strategically. They protect high-leverage time. They delegate ruthlessly. They make hard choices about what NOT to do.
You can build a company while staying in academia. But not by adding startup work on top of an unchanged academic workload.
Something has to give. The question is: what?
Why Academic Entrepreneurs Burn Out (And How to Avoid It)
Let’s be honest about what you’re up against.
Academic work expands to fill all available time.
There’s always:
Another grant to write
Another paper to revise
Another committee meeting to attend
Another student who needs feedback
Another lecture to prepare
If you let it, academic work will consume 60-80 hours per week.
Startup work also expands to fill all available time.
There’s always:
Another customer to talk to
Another investor to pitch
Another feature to build
Another competitor to research
Another partnership to explore
If you let it, startup work will also consume 60-80 hours per week.
You can’t do both at full intensity.
Something will break. Usually it’s:
Your health (sleep deprivation, stress, anxiety)
Your relationships (family, friends, partner)
Your research quality (rushed papers, neglected students)
Your startup progress (missed opportunities, slow execution)
The solution isn’t to work harder. It’s to work more strategically.
The Framework: Protect, Delegate, Eliminate
Here’s how successful academic entrepreneurs manage dual roles:
Step 1: PROTECT your highest-leverage time for each role
You can’t do everything. But you CAN protect the 10-15 hours per week that matter most for each role.
For research:
Time writing grants (if that’s your funding model)
Time advising PhD students on critical dissertation milestones
Time on high-impact research (papers that advance your field or position you for tenure/promotion)
For startup:
Time with customers (discovery, sales, feedback)
Time with investors (fundraising, strategic partnerships)
Time on product/technical strategy (direction-setting, not implementation)
Everything else is negotiable.
Step 2: DELEGATE everything that doesn’t require your unique expertise
In research:
Undergrad RAs can run experiments and collect data
Postdocs can draft paper sections and manage day-to-day lab operations
Lab managers can handle ordering, scheduling, IRB paperwork
Co-authors can take the lead on revisions for lower-priority papers
In startup:
Admin support can handle scheduling, CRM, follow-up emails (or review last week’s recommendations on how to use AI here)
Contract engineers can implement features you’ve designed
Sales/BD can handle prospecting, initial outreach, pipeline management
Fractional operators can manage bookkeeping, HR, legal coordination
You don’t have to do everything yourself. In fact, you CAN’T.
Step 3: ELIMINATE work that doesn’t move the needle
This is the hardest part. Because it means saying “no” to things you’re “supposed” to do.
In academia, consider eliminating or minimizing:
Service on low-impact committees
Attending every departmental seminar/event (focus on the most important)
Taking on new students beyond your capacity
Peer reviewing every paper you’re invited to review (say yes to top journals in your area, no to the rest)
Teaching overloads (if you can negotiate teaching reduction for research/entrepreneurship)
In startup, consider eliminating or minimizing:
Conferences and networking events that don’t lead to customers or investors
Building features nobody’s asking for (an easy trap to fall into)
Chasing investors who aren’t a fit
Perfectionism on pitch decks, websites, marketing materials
Anything that feels like “playing startup” without creating real value
Ask yourself: “If I stopped doing this entirely, what would happen?”
If the answer is “probably nothing significant,” stop doing it.
A Time-Blocking System That Actually Works
Here’s an example system to explore for academic entrepreneurs managing dual roles:
Monday-Wednesday: Research-focused days
Morning (8am-12pm): Research time
Writing (grants, papers)
Deep work on technical problems
Student meetings
Afternoon (1pm-5pm): Mixed work
Teaching (if you have classes these days)
Lab meetings
Faculty meetings
Administrative tasks
Evening (6pm-8pm, optional): Startup tactical work
Email follow-ups
Deck updates
Quick customer/investor check-ins
Thursday-Friday: Startup-focused days
Morning (8am-12pm): Customer/investor meetings
Discovery calls
Sales conversations
Investor pitches
Strategic partnerships
Afternoon (1pm-5pm): Product/strategy work
Technical strategy
Product roadmap
Team coordination
Hiring
Evening: Protected personal time (don’t work)
Weekend:
Saturday: Protected personal time (completely off… yes this may feel difficult, but it’s important to find time to recharge)
Sunday (2-4 hours, max): Strategic planning
Review week ahead
Prioritize for both roles
Prep for key meetings
Catch up only if absolutely necessary
You may find that not all of the time blocks presented resonate with you. It could be specific weeknight or weekend commitments that can’t be moved, or certain things that you can’t drop from your schedule regardless of where they fit. And that’s ok. It is just one sample schedule and you’re encouraged to find other iterations that work the best for you. The key is to consider the most important tasks and non-negotiables using the following suggestions.
Key principles:
Batch similar work. Don’t context-switch between research and startup constantly. Block dedicated days for each.
Protect your mornings (or evenings). But only if this is your highest-energy time (night owls can switch things up for similar “protected time.”) Use it for deep work (research writing or customer conversations), not email and meetings.
Schedule everything. If it’s not on your calendar, it won’t happen. Block time for research, startup work, AND rest. Believe me, this felt annoying at first, but it works!
Say no by default. Every new commitment takes time from something else. Default to “no” unless it’s clearly high-leverage for one of your two roles.
Actually take time off. You can’t sustain dual roles if you never rest. Protect at least one full day per week where you do NEITHER role.
How to Negotiate Teaching Reduction (If You’re Pre-Tenure)
This is tricky. But it’s possible if you frame it correctly.
Don’t say: “I’m building a startup, so I need to teach less.”
Do say: “I’m commercializing research with significant funding potential [SBIR grant, corporate partnerships, etc.], which could bring visibility and resources to the department. I’d like to discuss a temporary teaching reduction to focus on this commercialization effort. I’m happy to return to normal teaching load once the company is more established.” (Review this post about how to approach your department chair for additional suggestions on how to navigate these relationships and determining the best way to frame things).
Make it about benefit to the department:
Commercialization success enhances department reputation
Industry partnerships can lead to student internships/jobs
Potential for donated equipment, sponsored research, endowed positions
PR value (university press loves successful spinouts)
Propose a specific arrangement:
One course reduction per year (instead of 2-2, teach 2-1 or 1-1)
Trade teaching reduction for increased research/grant productivity
Time-limited (e.g., 2 years, then reassess)
Who to approach:
Department chair first (if they control teaching assignments)
Associate dean for research (if your university supports commercialization)
Tech transfer office (they can advocate for you if the startup has licensing potential)
If they say no: Accept it. But strategically choose which courses to teach:
Teach the same course multiple times (less prep)
Avoid brand new course preps (huge time sink)
Negotiate for larger classes fewer times per week (one 3-hour session > three 1-hour sessions)
How to Manage Student Expectations
Your PhD students need to know where you stand.
Have this conversation explicitly:
“I want to be transparent with you. I’m also working on commercializing [research area], which means I have limited bandwidth. Here’s what that means for you:
What won’t change:
Our weekly 1:1 meetings (these are protected time)
My commitment to your success and timely graduation
My availability for critical research decisions and paper feedback
What will change:
I may be slower responding to non-urgent emails
You’ll need to be more independent day-to-day (this is actually a good progression for PhD students who are further along)
I’ll expect you to come to meetings with specific questions, not status updates
How we’ll work together:
You own the day-to-day execution of your research
I’ll focus on strategic direction, feedback, and mentorship
We’ll use our 1:1 time efficiently—come prepared
Does that work for you?”
Why this works:
You’re being honest (builds trust)
You’re protecting the high-value parts of advising (students still get what they need)
You’re setting clear expectations (reduces confusion and resentment)
Red flag: If you’re consistently canceling student meetings or being unavailable for critical milestones, you’re over-committed. Something needs to give.
The Hard Truth About Tenure Track + Startup
If you’re pre-tenure, here’s what you need to hear:
Building a startup while going up for tenure is extremely hard.
Tenure committees care about:
Publications
Grants
Teaching
Service
They don’t care (much) about your startup. Some departments will actively penalize you for it.
Three paths forward:
Path 1: Prioritize tenure, build startup slowly
Focus 70-80% of time on tenure requirements. Build the startup to the point where it’s viable but not demanding. Plan to scale it AFTER tenure.
Advantage: Lower risk to your academic career
Disadvantage: Startup moves slowly, competitors may overtake you
Path 2: Go all-in on startup, accept tenure risk
Focus 60-70% of time on startup. Do the minimum to stay viable for tenure (enough publications, teaching, grants to be credible).
Advantage: Startup moves faster, higher upside if it works
Disadvantage: Real risk of not getting tenure
Path 3: Leave academia, go full-time on startup
Accept that you can’t do both well. Choose startup.
Advantage: Full focus, faster progress
Disadvantage: Hard to return to academia if startup fails (… also hard to manage the identity loss that can come with leaving academia. Tread carefully, be strategic and also kind to yourself as you navigate any major transition.)
There’s no “right” answer. But you need to consciously choose, not drift.
Most academic entrepreneurs try to do both at 100% and burn out.
Choose your priority. Then structure your time accordingly.
The Mindset Shift That Makes This Sustainable
Academic culture rewards martyrdom.
The professor who works 80-hour weeks. The grad student who lives (and sometimes sleeps) in the lab. The faculty member who says yes to everything.
That’s unsustainable even for pure academics. It’s completely untenable if you’re also building a company.
You need to shift from “work harder” to “work strategically.”
This means:
Protecting high-leverage time ruthlessly
Delegating everything you can
Saying no to 90% of requests
Accepting that you can’t do everything
Measuring success by outcomes, not hours worked
You’re not being lazy. You’re being strategic.
The goal isn’t to work less. It’s to work on the right things.
And “the right things” for dual roles means focusing on the 20% of work in each role that drives 80% of the results.
Everything else is negotiable.
Where This Leaves You
You can’t do both jobs at 100%.
But you CAN do both jobs well if you’re strategic about:
What you protect (highest-leverage time for each role)
What you delegate (everything that doesn’t require your unique expertise)
What you eliminate (low-impact work in both roles)
This requires saying no. A lot.
No to committees. No to attending every networking event. No to supporting students beyond your capacity. No to investors who aren’t a fit. No to features nobody’s asking for.
Saying no feels uncomfortable if you’re used to saying yes to everything.
But every “yes” to something low-leverage is a “no” to something high-leverage.
Choose consciously.
Next step: Do a time audit this week.
Track where you’re spending time in both roles. Be honest.
Then ask:
What am I doing that someone else (or something like AI) could do 80% as well?
What am I doing that doesn’t move the needle in either role?
What high-leverage work am I NOT doing because I’m too busy?
Identify 10 hours of work to delegate or eliminate. Then use those 10 hours for the work only you can do. You can build a company while staying in academia. But not by adding startup work on top of an unchanged academic workload.
Something has to give.
Choose what.