Call for Entrepreneurs with Families
As part of the “Entrepreneurship & the Family” theme that I started a few months ago, I’d like to interview a few entrepreneurs about their experience of raising a family while being an entrepreneur. In fact, it’d be great to ask a few questions to the spouse of the entrepreneur too.
If you are an entrepreneur with a family, the spouse of an entrepreneur, or if you know an entrepreneur with a family and would be interested/willing to chat… please contact me at “bblake at fundinguniverse.com”.
Hello,
I am a single mother of two children ages 6 and 8. I have been an entreprenuer since 1995 at the age of 26. During the past 13 years, I have gotten married, had two children, while also raising two stepdaughters, gone through a nasty divorce, which is still on-going, and am in the process of switching careers, still as an entreprenuer. It is hard work. Not for the weak or weak minded. Only the strong can and will survive. I am a surviver
We started Local Elements about 18 months ago. The team consists of my daughter, my daughter in-law(s) and my son along with three other individuals related not by family but by similar passions and desires.
We as a family get along very well and we are admittedly very close. The closeness has bread a security in our family(and company)that allows for disagreements leading to discussion and through that process we usually arrive at the best answers and results.
As the(dad)and CEO I have to remember that each one of my kids and other employees has talents and passions that need to be respected and released, this is sometimes easier said than done! The individuals I work with(kids and others)are very skilled at what they do.
I have noticed that we all have the same fervor about what are site is dedicated to and thus each one of us is committed to our principles and philosophy. I read one of the articles posted last week about how “stock participation” was not always the answer to employee commitment and production. In our case each employee has stock participation in Local Elements, because they are family yes, but I believe that all participants will pour into the company, producing long term fruit!
By the way our family and employees are very excited to announce the launch of http://www.localelements.com on March 1st 2008!
Hello,
I have been an entrepreneur for the past 18 years. Being an entrepreneur and married to a lovely person who is scarred by entrepreneurship, is difficult at best. However, normally in such a marriage, and it was so in our case, our lovely children loved the entrepreneurial aspect because it’s all about discovery.
But before all hell breaks loose in the entrepreneur marriage, the entrepreneurial partner is always classified as the eccentric, time waster and dreamer. In reality, the non entrepreneur partner does not understand that dreams drive a vision, which in-turn powers the entrepreneur.
I am now a divorced dad and still an energetic entrepreneur. But a divorce between an entrepreneur and a normal person is VERY hard, costly and basically robs the entrepreneur of much of the needed financial clout. In the entrepreneurship world, divorce is like killing or laying claim to the stem cell which may or may not become an embryo.
Fortunately, in my case my now ex did not see any value in my second entrepreneurial venture. So in the divorce, she did not lay any claim and/or want anything from it in the future. A real blessing!!
My invention is based on a product need. Every professional woman today needs and wants convenience, efficiency and looks for ways to save time. The product is ideal for the multi-task woman of today, who puts value on looking her VERY BEST all the time. The product is in the vertical of multi-purpose cosmetic application and covers the home, office, travel and the automotive aftermarket category of women. The product is branded, has a US Patent and Trademark. The product is now in full production in the USA, bringing jobs back to our America. And “fingers crossed” it should be launched as a D2C product via DRTV 120 and 60 second spots on national cable in March of 2008.
The company is GOMIRROR, LLC the product is called GOMIRROR and because my Mother died when I was ONLY 18 months, I am going to give 4% of revenues for the research of breast cancer. Many have told me this is far too generous and investor will not appreciate this, but we all have Mother’s and possibly sisters, daughters and wives, so I think it is my right to do this.
So in conclusion, when a dream morphs into reality and the embryo takes its position as a real live product with unique uses, even then the ex will offer some praise. However, the praise is laced with – you really owe me lots!!
Being an entrepreneur is different when you also have a family to raise. Sometimes, it cannot be helped that one has to choose between the two. But I don’t really believe that one has to give up any to live a good life. It’s all a matter of balancing and knowing your priorities.
[...] up on Entrepreneurship & the Family… for those of you that are entrepreneurs and have a family, I’d love to get your [...]
Hi, Everyone,
I am undertaking research into the special problems encountered by couples where one partner comes from a family where entrepreneurship is part of the culture and the other partner has no prior experience of this way of earning a living.
I would be pleased to hear the experience of such couples and individual partners.
Denis
Hi, Everyone,
With this economy it is HARD being an ENTREPRENEUR, but if it’s in your blood you cannot stop trying — and to keep trying is the key for forward motion.
My progree is that product is NOW forsale and when you go to the website http://www.gomirror.com you can see the product, even buy one or send me your valued input.
I value input and thank you in advance for it.
Thanks, Christian