Hacker News Reader

Comment by hackerboos | Hacker News Reader

Not starting a business when I was single. Now I'm not and soon there will be kids.

I don't want to resent my unborn kids because they make starting a business impossible/more difficult.

Right there with you, I have a 1-year old and I'm finally working on building my own business. I built my first mobile app when I was pregnant while still working full time as a software developer.

I just never had the motivation to do something besides the 9-to-5 job before I got pregnant and I do sometimes regret that, but it's just the way it had to be for me. Working on your own business takes its toll on your social life so who knows, you might not have met your partner because of it... :)

Anyway, don't think too much about regrets, now is the best time to start your business! It will be hard to find time once you have children, but I don't resent my child for leaving me less time to work. You'll just have to be patient and accept that you can't work at the same pace as before. Find ways to work smarter, so you can get more done in less time.

I think you will be surprised how much it makes you focus and actually work better. Kids are the Great Motivator, they are also wonderful insight into product use at different ages. Involve them in your creations.

Honestly, everything is more difficult when you have kids - showering every day, for example - but the flip side is that it's a total procrastination killer. There are no more wasted days, or lost hours. I work harder and more efficiently than I ever have in my life, and while I certainly get frustrated that I don't have as much time as I'd like, I don't resent my daughter in the least. I doubt you will either.

Turn it around and use your situation as a motivator. It's hard, but it's worth it. I'm sure you want the best for your family and unborn child, so what better way than to start your own business. The longer you put it off the more you'll regret it later in life.

I agree. There will always be something limiting your "free" time, and you will always be prone to looking back and finding an excuse for why you didn't do X. Doing things as simple as rising an hour and a half earlier each day to put in one hour of quality work will eventually stack up until you are well on your way to starting a business. The only truly limiting factors are energy and motivation, and those can be mitigated somewhat by caffeine and stubbornness.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com