A Day-In-The-Life of Studio McGee CEO Syd McGee

We all love to know how successful people make it all happen—from morning meditations to egg white smoothies, it feels like the internet has given us all the tricks, regardless of their level of obtainability. Rest assured that Studio McGee’s CEO, Syd McGee, isn’t about to advise us to add a teaspoon of honey to a teaspoon of cayenne pepper and shoot it at 4:00 am, the time we’re getting out of bed, of course. But he does have a strict morning routine, and without fail, it starts at 5:00 am with a workout. Take a peek inside the McGee’s gym below as Syd guides us through their home basement.

“My morning workout is a time for me to do my own thing and be alone with my thoughts. I don’t listen to any music; I just workout. It’s rare I get quiet moments in life while running a business with three little kids."

-Syd McGee

Of the pair, Shea is less of a morning person, though Syd claims he’s converted her. “We go to bed earlier now and get up at the same time,” explains Syd. “I’m bad at waking her up though. I know how much work she does, so I like to let her sleep, but then she’ll be like, ‘what the heck dude you were supposed to wake me up!’”

Check out where the McGee’s wake up every morning below. Shea designed their primary suite to blend masculine and feminine styles, the moss green channeled Hoffman Bed from McGee & Co. anchoring the room.

After getting the kids dressed— “luckily they go to a school that wears uniforms so I can pick out one of three colors they can wear,” he notes—Syd takes the breakfast shift. “They love cereal, but we go through kicks where we’re trying to be healthier, so I’ll make them eggs. Other times it’s Cinnamon Toast Crunch,” he admits. For Syd, breakfast is a routine, “I make a protein shake then a pancake with vanilla almond milk, with peanut butter, berries, and syrup on top.” Below, a look inside the McGee’s home kitchen where family meals take place.

After school drop off—“Shea does hair,” Syd notes, “and hopefully in a style that will resist them sleeping in it so we can get two days out of it.”—three days a week Syd heads to the Studio McGee headquarters. “The home office is tempting because it’s lovely and there’s no commute but the organic, quick conversations you have in the office are so beneficial.” Take a look inside Syd’s office at the Studio McGee headquarters below, complete with McGee & Co.’s Franca Pivoting Chandelier, a pair of Reese Curved Chairs, and the Searcy Handwoven Wool Rug.

In terms of his success, Syd thinks “it’s a component of figuring out what your environment and partnerships look like. With Shea, I learned early on that I needed to take on a facilitating role. And then constantly evolving what your role is,” Syd adds, “I’ve never said, ‘I’m too good to do that.’ I don’t mind going to the warehouse and packing boxes if that needs to be done, and that’s actually something I’ve always viewed as positive because I want to learn all aspects of our business.”

“My advice for success is to never be too good for anything, learn role-specific knowledge, and as soon as you can hire someone that is better than you, do it.”

-Syd McGee

As for the never-ending supply of snacks in the Studio McGee headquarters? “I won’t even open the drawers,” Syd laughs. “For me, it’s either no donuts or six donuts. I have a hard time taking just one bite of anything.”

At the end of the day, Shea is taking the dinner shift. “She cooks good meals, and if I’m doing it, we’re eating mac and cheese,” Syd quips. After dinner, family time, and bedtime, “I really try to start winding down after 8:00 pm. I don’t like to sit in my bed and work on my laptop; this is time to chill out. At 8:45 pm notifications are silenced on my phone, and I try to be asleep before 10:00 pm.”

“Being a good morning person starts with being a good night person.”

-Syd McGee