Sep '25 • General discussion
5 pillars for Dads in business
Health (physical and mental)
Relationships (building relationships for professional advancement and relationships at home)
Knowledge (knowledge is power, never stop absorbing information and developing your knowledge)
Numbers (knowing your personal and professional KPIs)
Organisation (routines, diaries and discipline)
I have been running my own business since 2013 and have had 3 kids during this period. Adding children into the mix meant I couldn’t just work endless hours to make sure i met deadlines or got things done.
I had to take their life into consideration as well as my own - and I didn’t want their memories of their childhood to be me stuck behind a laptop not spending any time with them or attending their key milestones through life.
This only hit me though once my first daughter was maybe 4 years old as she was a lot more aware was asking me time after time to play and when our second child was born my name was being shouted even more. It was at this point I realised if i want to be successful in both areas im going to have to put some rules and expectations on myself.
Early days these were:
- Minimum of 2 school drop off/ collection
- Always be home for dinner with the kids
- Understand our life dynamics from my wife’s point of view
- Don’t walk in from work and put more demands on my wife. Take the load off, support where possible
- Have a space away from home to work, or a designated room at home so my work doesn’t spill into every day life
These were the expectations I put on myself and of course they have evolved and changed over the years as my team has grown, family has changed and my own goals in life have changed.
That’s where i landed on the 5 pillars. I know if i focus on the 5 pillars my life runs a lot better. (Not all the time) There are of course still low points, hard points and stressful periods. But it is these hard times I double down on the 5 pillars.
Being a business owner is a lonely lonely place, so the first thing that can often take a hit is mental health, this will have a direct impact on your family. I have learnt over the years that focusing on my physical health my mental picks up. Double that with having a mentor/business coach or therapist which i now have all 3 means you are actively discussing your concerns and the power of emptying those feelings is monumental.
If you are constantly feeling like you are looking through the clouds, doom and gloom then of course that has a knock on effect to absolutely every aspect. Your business will suffer, your team at work will be affected, your clients will feel the effects and the main one - your family will get the worst version of you.
Build that organisation and routine into your life to allow you to work on your physical and mental health is a MUST! There will be a point in your journey as a father in business that you hit a wall, you can’t see a way through and feel like it is you against the world. THIS WILL PASS. It will pass even faster if you have clear mind, strategies to get some you time and methods to invite others opinions.
You are already ahead of the pack, keep going, keep pushing and don’t let those dreams that led to you opening your business vanish in the woods. You started for a reason, your children may slightly change that reason and that’s the beauty of being your own boss. Your “why” can change.
Well done, im proud of you. Keep going.
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5 pillars for Dads in business
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