Sooo, this has been the question on my mind for a bit. I want to build a big business but I do not want to lose my family in the process. One of the main reasons I have started this business is because I wanted something I could do around my lovely daughters but then as business has grown and grown, I find it increasingly difficult to really be present for my daughters.
Today, I learnt that the son of a well known pastor and author has committed suicide. That is tough, in fact it is hard to put into words how horrendously horrible that must be for the parents. However, in the back of my mind is the recurring thought that this father spent sooooo much time improving the lives of other people, He invested time to build a big business and yet, in his own home, there was a boy who was somehow not impacted by his influence.
That is always my fear, that somehow, I will seek to improve the lives of the millions outside my home and miss the life of V, E or H – the very reason I started business in the first place. How silly would that be? Or lose the affections of Tloml…
So I decided to do a google search to see what other people have to say about building a big business. I came across this very useful set of ten rules on the all things digital website. To get the full story, you must read it yourself on the site. I just made a list of the ‘rules’ here as detailed by Reid Hoffman, co-founder of the great online professional networking site, Linked In.
Rule #1: Look for disruptive change.
Rule #2: Aim big.
Rule #3: Build a network to magnify your company.
Rule #4: Plan for good luck and bad luck.
Rule #5: Maintain flexible persistence.
Rule #6: Launch early enough that you are embarrassed by your first product release
Rule #7: Aspire, but don’t drink your own Kool-Aid.
Rule #8: Having a great product is important but having great product distribution is more important.
Rule #9: Pay close attention to culture and hires from the very beginning.
Rule #10: Rules of entrepreneurship are guidelines, not laws of nature.
The article itself reads very well, but I sometimes cannot help but think that a lot of these articles are written by people who have a wonderful woman at home with the kids or they just don’t have any kids. They cannot understand or see the pressures we mothers may feel. And it is never mentioned.
A search for big business and family life leads to not much useful information. I imagine there is not much to be said on it as people considered amazing by the world at large do not generally get well thought of in connection with their families unless they are politicians who are seemingly expected to be able to do all things and have their families on display as well.
Some would think, trying to have it all is an impossible task but I refuse to think so. I want the best of both family life and BIG business, not just little business. However, there are times when life just seems too tough to make it all happen right now.
On further search for ways to build a strong family, I got the following tips from Hubpages
1. Forgive Speedily
2. Love Freely
3. Work Together
4. Become Friends
5. Gather the Whole Family Regularly
Not as helpful as you would like… Though I imagine that the simple truths are usually the best. The pastor, I mentioned earlier sells a teaching resource with tips on building a strong family and it would seem it is not as simple as ‘follow these x steps’. Who knows? We all learn on the job 🙂 and we all do the best we know to do at the time.
You may be getting the feeling that I do not have an actual answer to the question that I titled this post with – How do you build a big business and yet maintain family life? – … and you would be right. I do not have an answer but I am open to ideas. I would love to hear from anyone who has managed to build a big business (or any business) and maintain those relationships at home as well. Is it possible? or am I demanding too much of life.
My dream business involves my whole family being a part of the growing business concern. I want the girls to grow and willingly come work with me as we build Kilmoth into something great. In the meantime, as I build, I want to stay in touch with the heart of my girls and to love my husband ferociously. I do not want to give any of it up. ‘I want it all’ as Sharpay sings in High School Musical.
Am I expecting the impossible… What do you think?
Please add your comments below or join in on Facebook. And if you are a lady who managed to build a big business and maintain home relationships, I really would love to interview you, so do get in touch.
