A New Restaurant

Mary Sullivan at The First Year blog at AllBusiness touched on an issue I’ve mentioned before, in her article “The Entrepreneurial Curse”.  The gist of her article is that it is hard to be married to your spouse and to your business at the same time.

Yes, it’s hard, but it’s not impossible.  If something is worth doing, then it is worth the time and effort to do it well.  If your marriage and your family are important to you, it is worth doing whatever it takes to make sure you leave enough flexibility in your business day to be there when your family needs you.

Part of avoiding the curse is to go into your new restaurant venture with your eyes open to the time and energy requirements.  It’s not just you that needs to know.  Your family needs to know what to expect.  At some point, you are going to feel tired, cranky, and emotionally drained.  The last thing you need is to go home and walk into a hostile environment.  These are the times you most need the support of an understanding family.

Stephen Covey talks about an Emotional Bank Account.  His point is that you need to make regular deposits into your relationships, or there will not be anything there to withdraw from when you need it.  This means that you need to be there for your family on a regular basis, or else they won’t be there for you when you need them.

You have to decide which is more important, your family or your restaurant.  If it’s your family, you need to tell them, and more importantly, to show them.  You can have both, but not if you neglect one for the sake of the other.

Make time for the things that are important.  It’s hard, but it’s worth it.