Baby vs Startup

In fact, there are many similarities between raising a kid and running a startup. I have listed out some of those below:

• Mission — the best companies got their mission statements. We should have a family mission statement to serve as the paradigm in raising the kid.
• Vision — a clear vision in startup sets the direction of the company. It helps to attract talents with the same vision. For a baby, we will want the kid to have bright future, like becoming entrepreneur with great success. It is especially true in Chinese culture.
• Goal — a startup sets goals and strive for it. The short term goals are more anxious. For newborn baby, the short term growth goals always make the parents nervous.
• Metrics — a startup has a lot of metrics on measuring growth, retention, feedbacks etc. A baby has its metrics on height, weight, feeding time, sleeping time and number of diapers, etc.
• Ongoing measurements — startups will gradually adopt review system, performance, or scheme like NPS (Net Promoter Score). Babies gradually count on all kinds of tests, IQ, EQ, AQ, xQ, etc.

There are many ups and downs as well.

• Competitors — It is natural to find startups working on similar ideas. The competitions are always over features, number of users, and market attentions. Babies have the competition mainly on attentions. It is more obvious when the parents play with the other babies.
• Burn Rate — Startup counts on burn rate to run the business. It is a burden to the founders. Baby has a burn rate too. It is for sure creating pressure to the parents.
• Distraction — Founders of startup faced a lot of distractions including other ideas, comments. They care much about what competitors do. Parents are always distracted as well, with the little action that the baby does, such as crying and screaming.
• Conflicts — One of the biggest failure reasons for startup is co-founder break up. It happens to have different opinions. After having a baby, friction between the parents arise. Both needs skills to remain harmony.

Besides the similarities, there are in fact some fundamental differences.

• In a startup, validating the idea is crucial. It helps to keep the upfront cost low and extend the runway. For having a baby, the parents do not need to test the idea. In fact, they should have a clear mind whether they want a baby. The first half year is one of the hardest but important period.
• In a startup, founders may quit the business or pivot an idea. For parents, quitting is NOT a choice. Please be responsible about the kid.

To wrap up, I want to quote this, “Winners never quit, and quitters never win.” I would want to run my next business, like raising my son. My son is literally my next startup.