Why 4 Months on Route to NYC with My Start-Up, is Not a Sacrifice
The start-up virus either hits you or it doesn’t. It’s like Corona except that once it hits you, it never goes away. (Corona hopefully can, let’s be optimistic … it is almost everywhere by now…). So I got the virus (No, not Corona! The start-up virus.) and I am now in NYC living the (early stage) start-up dream, running in Central Park every other day and working my ass off while my three adorable kids are across the ocean with daddio and hubby of the year :) . Let me tell you why this is not a sacrifice.
Short intro first. Why am I here? We have developed a video software for online brands and retailers. We previously took part in a start-up acceleration program called Sigma Labs and moved faster than we had initially anticipated, launching the product in IL as well as in LDN. At some point I got a call from one of our investors inviting me to apply to their scale up program 365x. At first, I didn’t think it was a good idea for us to immediately join another program but she was very persuasive, pointing out how it can skyrocket our start-up. I applied. We got it.
Now a bit about the personal angle. I have three amazing kids: David (10 Basketball star), Yehonatan (8, Judo Athelete) and Emily (4, Our one true ruler). I love sharing our start-up progress with my kids. When I explained to David the difference between raising money to getting money (tiny little difference), after our first angel investor joined, he said: “Ok listen, you can take most of it and give me just $10k”. What an awesome deal right there :).
I guess my hubby (an IDF veteran who was in 8200 and previously a combat fighter in an elite unite), felt that it was a matter of time before my start-up takes off, and was not too alarmed about taking over the household. (he doesn’t get alarmed in general, he’s an army guy). So a while back we made an unwritten however binding agreement: when he gets out of the army, he takes over and I go after my dreams. I was always a hard working mom but I admit, this major shift in responsibility, and my hubby’s deep desire to be home after many years on route, was substantial in my decision to push forward.
On the challenge front, things are not always rainbows and butterflies. It takes a small army unit to manage the schedule, needs and desires of three busy kids. But who can be a better commander in chief than my own private lieutenant colonel who has done much harder and risky missions in his life? Why should it be harder for him than it is to me? it shouldn’t.
Until you share the news with our families and realise that actually to them — it is worse than a new worldwide spread virus. So this is how it went: when I told my parents I am going to be on route to NYC for a while for business, they paled as if someone we knew got the virus… It was even worse with my husband’s parents. His mom suggested that I try doing something else. To reiterate I just got a second great term sheet and was accepted to one of the best opportunities our team could ask for at this point. However, this was not convincing enough for her, so she actually said that I should try doing something else… The most disturbing reply going once, twice, third. Sold.
So why is being on route to NYC for four months in order to advance my start-up NOT a sacrifice? I would hope that you can read it between these lines. I am excited. I am doing something I am absolutely passionate about. When I arrive home, either from a work day, or a business trip, I am truly theirs. I put my phone away, I play basketball, chess, cook and dance and when I’m not there I have all the energy I need to move my start-up forward.
The combination between my family, my three kids and strongly pursuing my life passions, is the best and ultimate ever recipe to coming back to a full home, when I am also full of the best type of contagious virus I could get.
Follow our radd. NYC experience on instagram:
instagram.com/sivanbaram
instagram.com/radd.content
Contact me for any questions:
sivan@raddcontent.com
Our amazing new web site is on it’s way… but for now:
www.raddcontent.com
