The Best Elements About Working With My Father.
Things I discovered when helping my dad blend in the startup world for anyone that thinks of starting up a business with their father.
For almost two years, I was helping my father build a startup named Shipitwise. Of course, the founding team included more people than only him. But Aleksander was the only reason I ever joined the team.
Moreover, I have always admired him as an entrepreneur. Especially for his ability to digest any business idea, and give it instantaneous feedback. Which in fact has always led me to seek ways to work together with him.
But not all people like the idea of fathers and sons building companies together. Some do not think it is wise to mix family and business. Other are simply against this phenomenon.
That is why I am now revealing what it is like to work with one.
As long as I remember, my father has always been a successful entrepreneur. When thinking about it, I have never seen him in any other role.
Thus, he was my go-to-person around 2.5 years ago, as I was starting up my first technology company. A sharing economy platform that lets anyone lend rarely used cheap items, such as a drill. Yup, that was the world changing idea everyone seemed to be working at in 2014. Until they understood there is no real business behind this one — or did they.?!
I had already made myself acquaint with the startup world. However, I was lacking his experience of really running the old economy companies, such as a sawmill and interior design studio. The latter is a joint venture for my father and mother.
It is probably the same time that he first thought about starting something new. Also in the technology world. So, a few months later, they started to play with the idea of building a shipping platform for travellers.
This in turn let us become closer, as both of us were doing our first steps in this new ecosystem — always sharing lessons learned. Until one day, he asked me to join their team that lead to amazing two years of working with my father.
The two most important points I learned from that time:
There is no better team than a father and son.
I have yet to experience another form of co-operation, where two parties can trust each other as father and son can.
First, they have had time to learn every strength and weakness the other person might have. Thus being able to expect how the partnership is going to work out. As well as when the other party can get by alone, and when he needs help.
At the same time, it is a perfect alliance the is able to operate day and night. Without a need to go home and see the family, or anything similar. Because that is what they already are — a family. One that is able to take the time off any time they see the other party is getting tired. Meanwhile, as there is more than one family member involved with the project, others also support their monomaniacal focus, making it easier to get by.
In the end, this kind of team is able to go much further than any two-three strangers whose roads have crossed.
Working with the father brings the two much closer.
We have always been close as any father and son ought to be. Both being nerds that love tech and everything about Star Wars and Marvel. Still, this experience has helped to strengthen our relationship a lot.
First, this gave us a chance to work closer than ever before. Spending all our awake hours together. Always learning from each other. As well as, letting us share all non-work-related ideas, goals and dreams. While also seeing each other during all the lows and the highs.
At the same time, we went on many trips with only the two of us. Visiting startup conferences across the world, e.g. WebSummit in Lisbon. All while enjoying even more exclusive discussions between us over a late-night Wiener schnitzel.
All that most people will unfortunately never experience. But things that have really brought us closer.
Knowing all this, I am all for family members working together. Moreover, now that I have moved on from Shipitwise, this will also be the thing I will miss the most.
