| My wife of 10 years is pregnant with our first child and I have finally screwed up my courage to its sticking place and am making the leap with my own startup. I am continuing to work my day job--which can suck up 50-60 hours a week while working on the startup another 16-20 hours a week. Both suck a lot of time away from her. I am definitely concerned about this--especially with a child on the way. But, I have a wonderful wife who understands why I want to start my own company and is nothing but supportive. (Plus, she understands that the path to wealth in the US is not through working for someone else so if she wants to be rich, she has to be willing to take the risk of starting a company.) A lot of people will tell you that a spouse and children will make it more difficult to start, but that is only true if you let it be true. I'm not saying they don't complicate matters, they do. I'm saying turn your weaknesses into your strengths: family can be a great source of source of support (as other posters have mentioned). Also, when I think about the lessons I want to teach my son, "work hard making someone else a lot of money" is not something I want him to learn, which means I need to get off my ass and practice what I preach. Regarding how your SO feels about your startup, I think it's gonna really depend on where you are in the relationship. Is it new and you want to spend a lot of time together? Or, is it a more mature relationship where you don't have to be near each other every waking second. Also, on the SO front, if the your SO wants you to give up your dreams, there are deeper problems with the relationship that you should consider. Just because your married or in a relationship doesn't mean your desires have been sublimated for the sake of the relationship. Bottom line: I see a lot of people telling you why you shouldn't start, and they are right--unless it's just in you to start, and then nothing can stop you. |