The Truth About Mixing Family and Business

I’ve heard business called ‘the ultimate personal development course’.

I’ve heard parenting described the same way.

So if both these areas of life are so demanding, what happens when you combine the two?

Tension.

For example, here are a few questions I ask myself regularly.

Should I ease the burden on Chelsea and take the kids to pre-school, or should I head into the office earlier and get an extra hour of work in?

Should I sleep on the couch, so that I’m mentally sharp for coaching, or should I sleep in the bed so I can support Chelsea if Chet has a wakeful night?

As you read those two questions, you likely divided the possible answers into two categories. Right and wrong.

Personally, I see this more as a sliding scale, with work at one end and family at the other.

Tension exists because of our desire to hit the work/family ‘sweet spot’ on this scale. The truth is though, that sweet spot doesn’t exist.

Time is a finite resource and time spent in one pursuit will result in a cost to another.

If you want to become to become an ultra-high performing entrepreneurial zealot, then don’t have relationships or kids.

On the other hand, if you want to become a stay at home parent who is emotionally and physically available 24/7 to your spouse and kids, then don’t start a business.

For many of us though, we willingly choose both family and business. And if we have chosen both, we must strive to align time spent in these areas with our core values.

For me, that’s meant making decisions based on my standards, and being comfortable with their consequences.

Sometimes, that’s meant sacrificing time with family in order to strengthen the business that feeds and clothes them. Other times, that’s meant giving up an extra dollar or two in order to strengthen family bonds.

Do I still wonder if I’ve made the right calls though? Absolutely. But that, is what makes life so interesting. The pursuit of balance. The pursuit of perfection. Even if it is un-attainable.

This is my experience, but I’d love to hear how you make decisions about these two areas of life. What’s your experience of family and business?