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Fatherpreneurship: Tips on how to be a successful father and entrepreneur

52 points by bvvz 14y ago

true2texas 14y ago
love this article
davidw 14y ago
> When Loïs was born I had an office in my house. She slept next to my desk in a crib, a developer who worked next to me used to walk around with her when I received an important phone call, and when she was awake I would just keep her on my lap. That... doesn't sound ideal, but at least it's honest.
- andrewcooke 14y ago
  what's the problem? it sounds like a pretty good solution to me (although i don't have kids). reading your comment i feel you think there's something so obvious (and wrong) that it's not worth even saying. but i can't work out what it is.
  - davidw 14y ago
    How would you like to be the guy that gets handed the boss' kid?
    - andrewcooke 14y ago
      i think it would depend very much on the context. if it was the kind of place where i had to look after the boss's kid, but the boss wouldn't look after mine (or look out for me in other ways) then i wouldn't like it. but if it went both ways - why not? my current boss works in a shed behind the house. i don't work there, but when i visit i would guess i've distracted his kid (older) while he's been on the phone a couple of times. it wasn't a problem. anyway, thanks for clarifying. i can see what concerns you now.
kordless 14y ago
> I thought "Where is YOUR husband?" The woman's point isn't invalidated because her husband isn't there. Perhaps the husband is making a living. Maybe he's playing golf. Maybe he's dead. If you stop working and decide to take your kids to the park, put your phone down and enjoy the moment you have with them. You'll never get a chance like that again later in life!
- davidw 14y ago
  I actually thought his point was a good one. The alternative may have been putting the kids in day care and actually being in an office. But instead, he gets to go to the park and, yes, respond to a few emails, but at least he's there in some capacity, and probably will have time once he's done with the emails. With the office/day care, the probability of having any time with them is 0.
  - TWAndrews 14y ago
    Yes. I've got two young daughters I can spend time with firming the work day precisely because I can answer emails and take calls from the park or zoo. Does that mean they don't have my undivided attention every minute that I'm with them? Yes, but I'm able to be with them a lot more than I would otherwise. And as the author also mentioned, kids entertaining themselves periodically is a good thing too.
rayiner 14y ago
This is a great article! It reminds me of my former boss at the startup I used to work at. He wasn't your stereotypical startup founder. He already had a successful engineering career in the private and public sector. By that time he had three kids and a mortgage. And he made it work. Occasionally on a weekend he'd pop with a kid in tow, hoping to get some work done before a soccer practice, but it never created a problem.
frozenport 14y ago
Run your family like a seed accelerator! Have lots and lots of children, with many many (beautiful) women. Spend 3 months (max) with each batch. If anybody succeeds, remind them that you own 75%! Har har har
- OldSchool 14y ago
  Fortunately the study you describe has already been run for us numerous times by willing celebrities and pro athletes with what seemed to them (and most of us) to be unlimited capital. I believe the net result for the principal was his dilution to a (1/2)^n share of original capital, where n is the number of these seed projects taken on.
  - shard 14y ago
    Therefore to optimize, it's best to start with very little original capital, thereby increasing the rate of return. I believe there are many communities practicing this technique.
munyukim 14y ago
I haven't had kids of my own but I hope to take up all this advice some day. Being an entrepreneur and a father is not easy but one should strive to strike a balance. Good article.
OldSchool 14y ago
As an advocate of attachment parenting I will suggest that having your kids with you too much is better than outsourcing their care to daycare too much. That first year of life in particular has a profound effect on their development that lasts a lifetime. Their sense of connection, security, empowerment, cause and effect, and regulating emotions are practically hard-wired during those first twelve months. Look no further than the myriad issues that arise in adopted orphans who missed as little as only the first year of nurturing for confirmation of this. If it comes down to choices, your children need your time more than they need that infinity pool with a view.
- greendestiny 14y ago
  I'm right there with you. Although I think the benefits are probably more for the parents than the kids - and that's ok. You and kids will enjoy time together more than either you will enjoy a pool.
  - OldSchool 14y ago
    Right on! No amount of toys of your own or prestige can compete with the rewards of being a parent who can actually be there with your kids while they grow up.
wyclif 14y ago
If you're in Philly, there is a co-working space for parents and children that will be called Juice Box coming soon: http://coworkingforparents.com/ http://coworkingforparents.com/

52 points by bvvz 14y ago

love this article

> When Loïs was born I had an office in my house. She slept next to my desk in a crib, a developer who worked next to me used to walk around with her when I received an important phone call, and when she was awake I would just keep her on my lap. That... doesn't sound ideal, but at least it's honest.

andrewcooke 14y ago
what's the problem? it sounds like a pretty good solution to me (although i don't have kids). reading your comment i feel you think there's something so obvious (and wrong) that it's not worth even saying. but i can't work out what it is.
- davidw 14y ago
  How would you like to be the guy that gets handed the boss' kid?
  - andrewcooke 14y ago
    i think it would depend very much on the context. if it was the kind of place where i had to look after the boss's kid, but the boss wouldn't look after mine (or look out for me in other ways) then i wouldn't like it. but if it went both ways - why not? my current boss works in a shed behind the house. i don't work there, but when i visit i would guess i've distracted his kid (older) while he's been on the phone a couple of times. it wasn't a problem. anyway, thanks for clarifying. i can see what concerns you now.

kordless 14y ago

> I thought "Where is YOUR husband?" The woman's point isn't invalidated because her husband isn't there. Perhaps the husband is making a living. Maybe he's playing golf. Maybe he's dead. If you stop working and decide to take your kids to the park, put your phone down and enjoy the moment you have with them. You'll never get a chance like that again later in life!

davidw 14y ago
I actually thought his point was a good one. The alternative may have been putting the kids in day care and actually being in an office. But instead, he gets to go to the park and, yes, respond to a few emails, but at least he's there in some capacity, and probably will have time once he's done with the emails. With the office/day care, the probability of having any time with them is 0.
- TWAndrews 14y ago
  Yes. I've got two young daughters I can spend time with firming the work day precisely because I can answer emails and take calls from the park or zoo. Does that mean they don't have my undivided attention every minute that I'm with them? Yes, but I'm able to be with them a lot more than I would otherwise. And as the author also mentioned, kids entertaining themselves periodically is a good thing too.

rayiner 14y ago

This is a great article! It reminds me of my former boss at the startup I used to work at. He wasn't your stereotypical startup founder. He already had a successful engineering career in the private and public sector. By that time he had three kids and a mortgage. And he made it work. Occasionally on a weekend he'd pop with a kid in tow, hoping to get some work done before a soccer practice, but it never created a problem.

frozenport 14y ago

Run your family like a seed accelerator! Have lots and lots of children, with many many (beautiful) women. Spend 3 months (max) with each batch. If anybody succeeds, remind them that you own 75%! Har har har

OldSchool 14y ago
Fortunately the study you describe has already been run for us numerous times by willing celebrities and pro athletes with what seemed to them (and most of us) to be unlimited capital. I believe the net result for the principal was his dilution to a (1/2)^n share of original capital, where n is the number of these seed projects taken on.
- shard 14y ago
  Therefore to optimize, it's best to start with very little original capital, thereby increasing the rate of return. I believe there are many communities practicing this technique.

munyukim 14y ago

I haven't had kids of my own but I hope to take up all this advice some day. Being an entrepreneur and a father is not easy but one should strive to strike a balance. Good article.

OldSchool 14y ago

As an advocate of attachment parenting I will suggest that having your kids with you too much is better than outsourcing their care to daycare too much. That first year of life in particular has a profound effect on their development that lasts a lifetime. Their sense of connection, security, empowerment, cause and effect, and regulating emotions are practically hard-wired during those first twelve months. Look no further than the myriad issues that arise in adopted orphans who missed as little as only the first year of nurturing for confirmation of this. If it comes down to choices, your children need your time more than they need that infinity pool with a view.

greendestiny 14y ago
I'm right there with you. Although I think the benefits are probably more for the parents than the kids - and that's ok. You and kids will enjoy time together more than either you will enjoy a pool.
- OldSchool 14y ago
  Right on! No amount of toys of your own or prestige can compete with the rewards of being a parent who can actually be there with your kids while they grow up.

wyclif 14y ago

If you're in Philly, there is a co-working space for parents and children that will be called Juice Box coming soon: http://coworkingforparents.com/ http://coworkingforparents.com/