#doitinperson.com

[aronschoenfeld]

KAYWEB Angels reinvests in You Need My Guy and Do It In Person

KAYWEB Angels announced today that it has reinvested in two of its high-performing portfolio…

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[aronschoenfeld]

I’m the CEO of My Family Before My Company

A few months back I applied for my startup, DoItInPerson.com, to join a prestigious accelerator program. I waited eagerly to hear back if I made it to round two of judging and last week I received an email at 10pm that I was selected to interview for a chance to be part of the final round of judging. Being that I was in another state, they asked me to conduct the interview via Skype the next morning at 8:30am and they requested that I send the documents to be discussed: my PowerPoint presentation and any other documents to them right away.

I didn’t see the email until I woke up the next morning with a phone call at 7:30 am from the founders of the accelerator asking me to please send the documents right away so that they can review prior to the 8:30 Skype call. They loved the business and were excited to hear more.

That week had been a very busy week for me as I had been out Monday and Tuesday night running events. I have 2 children at home under the age of 5 and one more on the way. The kids were upset that they didn’t get to say good night and I could only imagine how my wife, entering her 9th month of pregnancy, felt about me being out every night. In advance, I had promised my children that I would walk them to school that Wednesday morning. Both kids love taking me into their classrooms and showing me their projects and their class' pet caterpillars turning to butterflies.

So as I spoke to the founder of the accelerator, I asked if we could reschedule for later that day as the call would be at the exact time that I would need to walk my children to school. They told me that it was their last slot available and that they needed to finalize all interviews that day. With a hint of regret I responded that I couldn’t take the call that morning and I would try them at any point that day if they had even 5 minutes free, to which they responded that that wasn’t an option. They went on to further remind me that this was my one and only chance to be part of this incredible opportunity and if I couldn’t make this call, I was turning them down, which wouldn’t look good if I chose to apply again in the future.  I repeated my decision and wished them the best of luck with their upcoming class of companies.

Many people will tell me I am crazy and as an entrepreneur, I need to focus on my company for 3-5 years so I can make the money I need so that I can take it easy for the rest of my life and have family time then. Most entrepreneurs also devote 24/7 to their businesses and put their lives on the backburner while they give it everything they have got. This is important and it is what most investors would love to see.

But at the same time it is important to remember that as hard as you are working and as much as you are sacrificing for your business, your family sacrifices as well for you. Whether it is the nights spent at events, traveling for meeting, late nights working on the business or phone calls and emails during family time or vacations, these are not easy on everyone around you. Yes, we live in a 24/7 society where the lines between personal time and work have gotten blurred, but there are always certain moments that can define which comes first, being the CEO of your family or CEO of your company. As important as this accelerator was, breaking a promise to my children would have a longer and lasting effect on the things that are most important to me. There will always be another accelerator but there is not always going to be another great moment with your family.

As Ferris Bueller says “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”