Startups are hard. Children are harder. Put them together and you’re in for the most challenging and least rewarding experience of your life.
TL;DR If you’re recently with kids and considering a new startup—please don’t! Take a comfortable position at an established company and enjoy these precious years with your family.
Let‘s take a walk back in time.
Ever since my brother and I founded Kumu a few years ago, we’ve tried to stay lean. To minimize costs, both of us must take on multiple roles. He handles everything on the business side of things; I handle the code and operations.
It’s no secret that building a successful startup requires long exhausting hours. Eventually you get funding or grow your revenues enough to hire help and the work begins to taper off.
Nothing special about it. That’s just the nature of the startup.
Only it’s different when you have kids.
Those long days where you bust ass all day, not calling it quits until the early morning hours when the work is finished? You’re not the hero anymore. You’re the monster.
You’re the father that’s choosing (again) to work instead of play trains with your son. The husband that’s missing yet another date night or a simple movie on the couch.
Pats on the back and praise from investors/coworkers are replaced with sly comments:
“Well, when you’re ready to rejoin the family…” from the wife as you’re forced to skip dinner to finish that release that’s due tomorrow. (And I consider myself lucky to have a supportive wife.)
“Go work papa!” from the three-year old son, who’s doesn’t give a shit that you want him to get off the table. Or put pants on.
At least my one-year old daughter still blows me kisses as I say my goodbyes and lock myself in my office once more…
