Opinions expressed by entrepreneurs’ colleagues are their very own.
I have never believed in the idea of Silicon Valley that you need to work 24/7 and sacrifice the whole lot to build a successful company. For me, building a company and raising a family goes hand in hand. These contrasting views are perhaps best illustrated with personal anecdotes.
A protracted time ago, when the former business partner and I raised our round for the company we founded, I found myself among some investors from the Silicon Valley. I knew that they’d not have come to meet us, unless they invest quite seriously – they were not individuals who waste time and money for something they did not imagine.
My wife Rachel and I recently learned that Rachel is pregnant with twins. Pregnancy was not planned, which meant that we went through pondering that we might not have more children to discover that we actually have two at once in the blink of an eye. I was about to change into a proud father not 4, but six very energetic daughters.
To break the ice, my co -founder shared the above with our potential investors. In most cases, seasoning a general small conversation with history about unexpected twins is at least fun. But investors were not amused.
Senior investor – I will always remember his name, although I will not mention it here – he was as serious as a heart attack. He looked straight at me and said: “You know, it’s hard for me to treat guys like you. Why would you have a family when you should devote your whole life to running a business? “
Without losing the rhythm, I replied: “It’s interesting – I’ve always tried to understand guys You. What is the point of making money if you don’t have anyone, who can you enjoy it with? Where is the satisfaction of being a lonely, 45-year-old guy living in Penthouse at the University Avenue in Palo Alto? After some time, wouldn’t it seem empty and old? For me, my work is full of goal; I can go home and play with a group of charming young children who love me. “
I said it in a calm, philosophical way, as if I was just dividing an alternative perspective as a substitute of stopping insult. Meanwhile, my co-founder seemed to be devastated that he raised everything-the watch was pretty much as good because it is now.
But you know what? The second words got here out of the mouth of the senior investor, I knew that I did not want his money. Family means too much to me to cooperate with someone who could reject this bachelor.
Family and business
Family and business are not mutually exclusive, but let’s be realistic. Running a company is very difficult, stressful and unpredictable. There will certainly be moments when you have to feed failures, apparently at the expense of spending time with those you love the most.
The problem begins when obstacles and possibilities are treated as marathons relatively than sprints. Every entrepreneur is in the face of a sprint at some point – something leaves the rails or there is an opportunity you want to use, so you spend more time at work than you want.
On the other hand, the marathon takes place when you work around the clock to alleviate the inevitable fears related to entrepreneurship. You tell yourself that you have to get around the clock because it makes you feel higher – “if I work, I don’t fail.”
Don’t make a mistake, it’s a lie. Like all lies, he’ll end you temporarily, regardless of how good you feel.
Sacrifice versus prizes
This is a gloomy photo: you put thirteen hours and come back home at seven or eighth to say that you left dinner, the children are already in bed, and your partner is offended that you once again selected work on your family. In this case, you do not relieve entrepreneurship stress as much as adding to it unbearably. Regardless of the proven fact that it does not make sense, avoiding your biggest resource to obtain inspiration and renewal.
My overall principle of balancing family and work throughout my profession was to use the journey. When I am outside the city, I still work. Five five days of work out of three. When I’m in the city, I’m at all times at home six or six thirty. When I am at home, I am at all times present with my children, present from Rachel. Only when everyone sleeps, I throw away extra hours if needed.
I cannot imagine an attempt to impair the same hours and disperse the proven fact that you feel like a loser, because you lack dinner again. Regardless of this, there is the same variety of hours – why not go home, take a break, clean your head, invest in a goal outside of work, and then return to this job when you fulfill your duties of the parent and partner?
At the starting he loads the batteries. Learning the brain taught us that you have limited time every day at the highest level. After a variety of hours, there are decreasing returns from the energy that you spend compared to the quality of the results.
Trust me – when you feel good of yourself as a spouse, father or mother, it’s like a shot of pure energy. Donating additional hours after confirming your love for the family will likely be a much more productive experience.
There is really only one rule when it comes to spending time with your family: be present, present, present. It is not about pretending that you are there when your mind is still considering in the office. To achieve a balance between work and family, you need to postpone the phone, close your computer and completely give yourself to this moment.