This is a subscriber-only article. Join Entrepreneur+ today for access

Learn More

Already have an account?

Sign in
Entrepreneur Plus - Short White
For Subscribers

Entrepreneur... With Children Do business ownership and parenthood mix?

By Heather Page

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Today, business owners are having to face up to a cold, hardfact: Entrepreneurship and parenthood don't exist in perfectharmony. With mounting social pressure to develop well-roundedfamily lives and parents' desire to play stronger roles intheir children's development, a whole generation ofentrepreneurs is often left feeling worn-out and torn between twobabies: their children and their businesses. Harboring feelings ofguilt, worry and anger, they're forced to make difficultchoices among their many loves, often bringing pain uponthemselves, their spouses and their children.

"So many people these days are getting into their ownbusinesses without realizing the impact it's going to have ontheir children," says Katy Danco, author of From The OtherSide of the Bed: A Woman Looks at Life in the Family Business(University Press) and co-founder of The Center For Family Businessin Cleveland. "They're finding out the hard way thatit's tough being a parent while trying to run abusiness."

If you're a parent, no doubt you've had the painfulexperience of telling your child you'd have to miss a soccergame or dance recital because of a personnel problem or a pressingdeadline.