
Family Life and Startup Life Don't Mix - transburgh
http://www.gobignetwork.com/wil/2007/12/11/family-life-and-startup-life-dont-mix/10227/view.aspx
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skmurphy
No person's dying words have ever been "I wish I had spent more time at the
office." It seems to me this article serious confuses ends and means. You have
to set priorities for everything that you do in life, but postponing marriage
and starting a family--once you are ready for it--because you want to do a
startup is a serious mistake in my opinion. In August of 1994 I left my job
just as my first son was born to start up company with a partner. I learned a
lot and have no regrets for any of it. I can't imagine postponing starting a
family, because the time was right, and I can't imagine postponing doing the
startup, because the time was also right.

People can always find excuses to avoid their family or do poorly on their
job. Last Thanksgiving (2006) I posted some quotes that I think are relevant:

"Many men can make a fortune but very few can build a family." J. S. Bryan

"He will always be a slave who does not know how to live upon a little."
Horace

For more see [http://www.skmurphy.com/blog/2006/11/23/quotes-for-
thanksgiv...](http://www.skmurphy.com/blog/2006/11/23/quotes-for-
thanksgiving/)

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ALee
I think for the YC audience, it isn't a choice between having a family or not.
I think the article is supposed to be an affirmation of what PG says in Why
Not Not to Start a Startup: <http://www.paulgraham.com/notnot.html>.

It's good for us to know that someone else out there is affirming the YC
model: do it young, before kids.

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skmurphy
I think the YC audience may be more diverse than you realize--there may be
many with families and some with grandchildren. Also, starting a family and
starting a start-up are both a process. Is it less work when you have 12
employees and a large payroll to meet than when you and your co-founders are
still struggling to find the first niche for your product? Both are stressful
in different ways. From what I read of PG's quote it's "I wouldn't advise
anyone with a family to start a startup. I'm not saying it's a bad idea, just
that I don't want to take responsibility for advising it."

