(1) Qualifications don’t cut it
Entrepreneurship and parenthood cannot be taught at school. There are no qualifications that can set you on the right path, and parenting or professional training courses pale in comparison to learning on the job. From the second you get that positive pregnancy test or the first round of funding for your business, your whole world will change, and once you’re committed, there’s no turning back. Your only option is to learn quickly, develop a strong sense of self and accept the sacrifices you are about to make.(2) You will let people down
I’ve missed first birthdays and school plays because of pitches and last-minute trips, and I’ve missed stakeholder meetings and deadlines because of A&E visits with my children. Sometimes, as parentpreneurs, you will prioritise a meeting with an investor over your kid’s first day at school, and sometimes you will miss the biggest meeting of your career to stay home and hold your child’s hand whilst they cry. You’ll feel like a failure no matter which path you choose, but you will have to accept the ramifications of your decisions and realise the bigger picture.(3) Pride goes out the window
The help of others – family, friends and colleagues – is integral to the success of parentpreneurs. If you’re a parent and decide to start out in business, or even if you already have a business and decide to have children, you must accept that you cannot do it alone – if you try to, you will compromise both your children and your business. Yes, you might be “the parent” or the company’s “founder” but you don’t have to suffer in silence and you can’t afford to alienate those close to you. When commitments surface that you can’t miss, the people you can trust and rely on – whether a business partner, exec or even a junior – will be the ones you can call on. They will also grow and thrive from this responsibility. I sold my last company to set up Fleximize with my business partner, and I was lucky enough to have eight of my staff follow me. Without these amazing people, Fleximize wouldn’t be what it is today, and I’d have missed out on so much more with my children.(4) You call the shots
One of the things about being an entrepreneur – and I still don’t know if this is a pro or a con – is that your brain never switches off, and the emails never stop. So, should you not be in the office for half a day, that’s okay because if your team really need you, they can still reach you.(5) Other relationships might suffer
This one is particularly true for anyone in a romantic relationship, but the same goes for friends and family. With commitments like running your own business and raising your child, you may notice that other relationships suffer from the burden of stress and lack of time. Time together with your partner will be reduced, but the best way to combat it is simple: make time – even if it’s a few hours in the week – and communicate everything. Looking back at having kids and a company, so many arguments could have been avoided if I just shared how I felt at the time.Be resilient
All you can do is be brave and believe in your decisions wholeheartedly. Just because other people may doubt you, it doesn’t mean you should doubt yourself. The main thing to bear in mind when the weight of the world does feel like it’s on your shoulders is that this is all temporary. Be mindful of your time as parentpreneurs, manage expectations of those around you and realise what is important to you. Once you’ve done these three things, running a successful business and a healthy household will fall into place. Peter Tuvey is co-founder of alternative finance provider FleximizeShare this story