I more or less hide it from my girlfriend. No really.
It does help that she works long hours as well, and of course we have no children.
Any recommendations on convincing wives to let their husbands become entrepreneurs?
11–20 of 51 posts
Re: Any recommendations on convincing wives to let their husbands become entrepreneurs?
#12Re: Any recommendations on convincing wives to let their husbands become entrepreneurs?
#13It's a super tough thing. I think the startup founder with a successful marriage and a successful startup is the rare exception. They're both full-time commitments and one almost always loses the battle for attention. Tom Leykis (much hated LA "shock jock") advises (paraphrasing): Do not get married until you've achieved your dream in life. I think that's good advice to take, even if it's tough thing to face. I haven…
Do not get married
Fixed.
Re: Any recommendations on convincing wives to let their husbands become entrepreneurs?
#14Your wife or your cofounders' wives? I only ask because you phrase it in plural.
Re: Any recommendations on convincing wives to let their husbands become entrepreneurs?
#15I think it's a highly personal situation, and depends a great deal on the couple. Some people actually enjoy working together - I don't think I would (I'd rather hear what my wife did at work that has nothing to do with my job), and the 'hedging' aspect of someone with a steady job isn't a bad thing, either.
I've tried to get my wife to read as many of the really good articles as possible - some of PG's stuff... I tried to get her to read 'founders at work', but have yet to succeed. It would be a great book though.
It also depends on other things like where you are (kids? now? how many years from now?), what she does, what she wants to do, what kind of life she wants to live, what your ideas and her ideas are about how long it will be before you make money.
I think the best thing is to talk all those things over thoroughly.
In terms of "attaining your goals in life", though, I know that having met and married my wife is higher up there than anything else, and I always try and keep that in mind.
Re: Any recommendations on convincing wives to let their husbands become entrepreneurs?
#16"Let"? That kind of pre-existing power disparity already says it's doomed. You need all your support systems Go For Launch or it's a no go. They all need to be behind you, pushing you FORWARD.
That first line is classic!! Ha!
Re: Any recommendations on convincing wives to let their husbands become entrepreneurs?
#17How long have you been married?
Is your wife employed and does she have a stable career?
Do you have kids?
Do you have a modest lifestyle that can sustain long periods of no income?
Does your family have health insurance?
Has your wife had any exposure to the entrepreneurial culture -- i.e. have her brother/sister/father/mother been a company founder?
Re: Any recommendations on convincing wives to let their husbands become entrepreneurs?
#18"Let"? That kind of pre-existing power disparity already says it's doomed. You need all your support systems Go For Launch or it's a no go. They all need to be behind you, pushing you FORWARD.
"Let" generally gets used both ways in marriage. It doesn't usually imply disparity.
Re: Any recommendations on convincing wives to let their husbands become entrepreneurs?
#19dude, if you cant convince the one who decided to spend the rest of her life with you, how are you going to convince people who dont know you to invest in your company?
Re: Any recommendations on convincing wives to let their husbands become entrepreneurs?
#20Tell her:
If I fail, we lose the house. If I succeed, I'll get rich and "trade up", if ya know what I mean.