Startup Founders: How To Deal With Unsupportive Parents
Has your mom or dad ever called you “pathetic” for starting a company and not getting a “real job?” This post and podcast was inspired by a Quora question from an entrepreneur going through this.
As a startup founder you have to conquer countless obstacles and scary odds. That’s a big part of the fun. On the other hand, bullshit from parents isn’t something most entrepreneurs think they’ll have to deal with when they start. When this happens it’s a giant bummer.
As children we all want the love & support of our parents. As an entrepreneur what do you do when you don’t get it? In my experience:
- Use their disapproval as fuel for your fire
- Show your folks what you’re made of
- Make yourself and parents proud by building a legendary business
I’ll share a little of my own story of you like (if not you can stop reading here). Not to brag, but hopefully to inspire you with your folks if you find yourself in this situation.
At 18 after getting thrown out of school for shitty grades (turns out I’m dyslexic) I started my first business. Needless to say my mum was not stoked. Starting a business wasn’t some kind of career choice for me. It was pretty much my only option. With no education, no connections and no experience, I couldn’t get a job in business. And I didn’t want my part-time job as a hospital orderly to become my full time job for the rest of my life.
My mum thought what I was doing might have been illegal — a custom software dev & training business. She didn’t understand how two guys (my partner Jack & I) could just hang out a shingle and start a business from nothing. She wanted me to find a way to get back in school. So while she wasn’t down on me, she was very concerned and didn’t have any context for being an entrepreneur — she worked in a hospital (how I got the orderly job).
While my first business failed, I picked myself up and kept going. By the time I was 27 I was the head of marketing for a public, silicon valley software company called Vantive. By then, she was very proud. Then I bought her a car & blew her away. IMHO good boys take care of their mothers.
With thirty years of hindsight, my advice to founders with parental problems is to love your mom and dad no matter what. Don’t take their criticism too hard.Parents are just worried about you. Even if you think they are being shitty about expressing that to you. Make no mistake your mom and dad love you very much and want you to have a great life. The best course of action is to produce massive results and make them proud of you.
For more you can listen to this podcast with Equity Directory co-founder Colin Vincent and me. Best wishes for legendary success & play bigger,
christopher
###
If you like what you just read, please share or recommend it for others. If you didn’t like this, please pretend it was awesome.
All posts contain strategic spelling mistakes, poor english and swearing. Some posts are written while drinking. George Carlin was right. Listen to John Cash. Support your local category designer.
