Well today is Valentines Day and, being the tool that I am, I’m sitting at the computer writing tomorrow’s post. Like many startup entrepreneurs I gave up much to follow the dream, and friends and family have definitely taken a hit. Ross and I work seven day weeks, have little vacation time, and have essentially given up any semblance of a social life in favor of building the company and pushing it to success.
We knew going in that it would be this way; founder after founder told us that we should prepare for this. Entrepreneur after entrepreneur warned us that our families would suffer. But until you’re living it, it is hard to imagine just how much one sacrifices in the name of the venture. We have each learned how to deal with this in our own ways; to find a balance and to make up for some of the time away and some of the focus lost. Here are 5 quotes on work and family and 5 tips for walking the line, finding the balance, and pursuing the grail.
I wish to thank my parents for making it all possible…and I wish to thank my children for making it necessary. – Victor Borge
Even a startup founder has got to make a living. Don’t forget that you’re not doing it just for yourself, but that you have a family that needs to eat as well. In other words, make absolutely sure that you can afford to follow the entrepreneurial path. When we were building the financial models for crowdSPRING, Ross and I looked hard at our personal and business budgets, and each spoke at length with our wives to make sure they understood the sacrifice involved. But, having said that, we did pay ourselves a salary (albeit a minimal one) from the very beginning and made sure that our investors understood that we would pay ourselves enough to assure that our families were taken care of.
It’s not enough to make time for your children. There are certain stages in their lives when you have to give them the time when they want it. You can’t run your family like a company. It doesn’t work. – Andrew Grove
There is no doubt about it: they need you and they will not hesitate to let you know this. So, although I work more than 12 hours most days, it is up to me where that work takes place; I try to be home for dinner every night, and I do my work at home after dinner. This way, I can still have that important time with the family while making sure that I take care of my work responsibilities. However, be careful not to lose track of the reason for working at home in the evenings: when one of my kids needs me, I stop what I am doing so I can focus on their need, whether that is homework help, a ride to a friend’s house, or just time to watch a little TV together. I can go back to work later if there is more to do. And there is always more to do.
The shift from “startup scale” to “Facebook scale” can happen quickly, and you want to be sure that you choose the best technology for it. Refactoring your codebase later could prove fatally lengthy and costly.
