Absolutely agree. When I started my first company my last regular paycheck was on September 30th, 1998 and our twins were born the next day. I had planned on not getting another paycheck for one year. It ended up being 14 months, but that was ok. My wife was as invested in it as I was. I can't image many wives that would be comfortable with a husband that was working with out a paycheck for 25% of the time over a 12 year period. She was and is.

Good post, Andy. I've been thinking about this sort of thing myself recently.

Btw, I also like your quote: "Your spouse should be drawn to you not for what you have, but for the qualities that get you there." I'm gonna remember that for the next girl I date :) It seems like finance people attract the wrong types of girls.

Thanks Andy for answering the question - I was the one who originally asked it.

I think the words you chose to describe the situation is better. Although I may not need to wait to have a profitable web application per se, I *do* need to wait for "the capacity to produce income and wins" or "ability to create wealth". And in that regards, a profitable web application would be one objective criterion to prove I had that capacity. Other metrics can be used, but I think the profitable web application is most useful for my personal situation.

I've been thinking a lot about this lately, not so much for me (2 kids) but for prospective hires.

Even if this flies in the face of opinion, I believe people are more productive when they have stable families.

In my thirties I spent a lot of time socializing and meeting hotties. I got home late, got to work late, and my priorities were very upside down.

I don't do that stuff anymore - and am now much more productive.

I have to agree with you on that David. I firmly believe that Roger Federer can stay that focussed on tennis because he found his partner very early in life. Because of that he didnt have to take his eyes off the ball like Andre Agassi, Sampras to figure out their life partners in the middle of their careers.

That's an interesting observation. Makes sense.

OT, thought of you briefly when I saw this article in Sunday's NYT about the ski area in Northern Italy where folks ski to eat great meals at these rustic mountainside restaurants. I don't even ski but that article made me want to learn, just so I could visit those places someday. You ever get up to that part of the country?

It's hard to give you a concise answer on this one. Skii resorts - like any other destination - can be classified as posh/average/cheap. The resort mentioned in the article, Cortina, is one of Italy's poshest. There are other similar places in Italy, and many in France and Switzerland.

Wherever you go, some people just skii all day and eat a sandwich at lunch. But at the classier resorts, there are people who will skii a bit in the morning and then spend the rest of the day in a nice "baita" before skiing back in the late afternoon.

Bear in mind that most of these places are within a 2-3 hour drive from the main cities of Milan and Turin. Many people have second homes in the mountains, have been skiing since childhood, and, frankly, don't regard it as big deal. These are the ones you'll most likely find doing 4 hour lunches.

For the rest of the people, for whom the novelty and thrill is still real - they'd much rather be on the slopes...

There's always the chance to have a great dinner in beautiful and evocative surroundings in the evenings, when the slopes are closed.

Thanks for the break down. I guess if the NYT is going to pay for you to go to an Italian ski resort and write about it, might as well pick the poshest one.

How'd you end up in Italy anyway? Did you marry a local? Went there for work? Went on vacation and never left?

Do you think a family distracts you from putting enough time and energy in a startup?

[i don't, just asking]

I'm sure, like any other commitment, it distracts and takes time away from
other things. But it's not going to keep you from putting in enough time.
If anything, you'll just get more efficient (and sleep less hahaha)

Depends on the family I suppose.




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Great post. In fact having a baby has made me more focused and coincided with a great burst of creativity and productivity. As you said, my spouse is totally supportive and bought in.

Awesome stuff, Andy.

My cofounder/CTO proposed to his fiancee, quit his job at Cisco and began our company with me within the same month. His reasoning: "there's never a perfect time to do anything."

Some people may think it's best for startup people to be young/single. I met my girlfriend a while ago and moved in together after 3 months. I figured it would happen eventually and it also helped put additional motivational pressure on me.

When you're flying solo, you only have to worry about yourself. Now I'm producing so I can build a life with her, too.

*Looks at projected month expenses*
Quitting the dayjob means getting other income FAST. Who else is gonna pay the mortgage, gas/electric, car insurance and buy food?

Startup founders can use income to make ends, shocked at folks who pull off the no income startup. It's pretty far out (impressive when it works).

Always a good idea to limit obligations....we have a tendency to ratchet
them up at every opportunity. (Guilty)

Jekyll and Hyde startup (dayjob for bills) or pure startup Andy?

Perfect? Hah. I don't recommend waiting for a _good_ time to do something. That being said, I don't plan on having kids for a few years. But in a few years, I will... whatever we have accomplished with TeamHomeField.com