Balancing Family and Ambition (Or Trying To)

Why raising tiny humans made me a better builder (and a more tired one).

A few years ago, my idea of a perfect day involved coffee, a workout, and some kind of business breakthrough. Maybe mapping out a new revenue stream. Maybe a long walk while listening to a podcast about why I need five LLCs and a Wyoming holding company.

Back then, I was sprinting. Eyes locked on the prize, whatever that happened to be that week. Time felt infinite. The hustle was the reward. I believed deeply in compounding effort and outworking everyone in the room.

Then I had kids.

And now? Now I believe deeply in getting everyone to nap on schedule.

I still have ambition. Arguably more than ever. But I’ve had to redefine what success looks like and feels like. Before kids, success felt like momentum. Like motion. Like doing.

Now, success feels more like presence. Like being able to pause a call, change a diaper, and get back to work without burning the business down. It’s slower. But strangely, it’s deeper.

I used to think interruptions were the enemy of progress. Now I think they’re the test. Can I get knocked out of flow and still show up? Can I build something meaningful while also molding a human being?

Turns out, yes. But not without tradeoffs.

Tradeoff #1: Time is No Longer Yours Alone

Before fatherhood, I used to fill my time like a Tetris board. If I had 30 minutes free, I’d wedge in a podcast, do some modelling, or a little spreadsheet cleanup. Now? If I get 30 minutes free, well, I’m suspicious!

You don’t realize how much time you waste until you no longer have any.

And honestly, that’s been an advantage. I’ve cut a lot of nonsense from my day. I don’t over-engineer systems anymore just to feel productive. I say no to more projects. Not because I’m less driven, but because I finally understand the cost.

Tradeoff #2: Risk Gets Reframed

I used to romanticize risk. “I’ll just bet on myself,” I’d say. And I still do, but now I’m aware of who else is riding shotgun.

When it was just me, I could front a business idea with my rent money. Now? I have to think about health insurance, college funds, and whether I remembered to order more baby wipes.

That doesn’t mean I’ve lost my edge. It just means I plan better. I look for asymmetric upside. I value cash flow more than headlines. I think more strategically…still adventurous, but with more contingency plans.

Here’s the twist: fatherhood hasn’t dulled my ambition. It’s sharpened it.

Because now, my motivation isn’t just internal. I want to build a life my kids can grow up proud of. I want to be around to see it. That forces clarity.

I’m no longer building a business just to say I built something. I’m building with intention. For flexibility. For legacy. For time freedom. So I can go to the park on a Tuesday without checking Teams every 10 seconds.

And strangely, that clarity has made me more effective. I don’t need to be the busiest guy in the room anymore. I just need to be the one building what matters, to me, and more importantly, to my family.

If you’re in that in-between place, where ambition is alive but your house is covered in Cheerios, just know you’re not alone.

You don’t have to choose between being a present parent and a driven entrepreneur. But you do have to get better at choosing your battles.

Some days, your win will be a client deal. Other days, it’ll be surviving a road trip with toddlers and not enough snacks...Either way, you’re still building. Just with more than spreadsheets now.

And if you’re anything like me, you’ll find that once you stop sprinting, you start compounding in more meaningful ways.

Let me know, how do you balance family and ambition? Or are you still figuring it out like I am?

Drop a comment, reply to this email, or just take a deep breath and enjoy the silence (if you’re lucky enough to find any).