Family-First Start-Up Founder Story on Life’s Second Mountain

There are many inspirational blogs and books about starting a business. I haven’t found that I relate to many of them because they are told by people who are young, already independently rich or stable, or have the benefit of hindsight. I don’t have any of those things going for me. But I am the founder of a promising new advertising technology company for the real estate industry.

I’m 42 years old, have three small children, a realtor wife who is a rare cancer survivor, and my income has declined from being in the top 1% of US income to a paltry stipend. We have moved from our 6-bedroom suburban home to a tiny farm house. I am burning thousands of dollars a month of savings to keep our life and my business floating. And our founding team has done the same thing. All things considered, I’m lucky to be in a position to take risk.

Why would my family do this? Why would our founders join? We have all quit jobs, sold cars, asked spouses to return to work, taken school loans for children, and cashed out retirement accounts to come to work everyday for little pay and a lot of equity.

Why has my wife allowed me to spend tens of thousands of dollars, and forego much more in salary — without any semblance of a safety net — to support our family?

1. Because she taught me that real estate advertising is ten years behind the general market. We can be the company that makes it easy to use the smartest advertising tools out there. If we help real estate companies grow we will become the largest real estate ad platform in the world. We might be crazy, but we are not wrong about real estate advertising!
2. But, more profoundly: when you’ve climbed a professional and social mountain you are dissatisfied being on; and your wife could get sick; and your children need you…you climb down that mountain you spent years ascending, and you find a new mountain to climb. Your second mountain is the mountain you were seeking all along. [Credit to David Brooks’ new book for this timeless analogy].

My lawyers are advising me on tax strategies when I make $10,000,000. Meanwhile my wife is trying to lower our grocery bill $100 a month. That’s what starting a business feels like.

I’m not an “entrepreneur”. Nor am I a risky person. I believe in my ideas and other people believe in me, and I believe in our founders, investors, and clients who think our company is a conduit for their dreams. So I prefer to think of myself as being an independent business leader supported by people who love me, think I’m a good person, and have a vision for their life that transcends money and status.

When you stop paying for big homes, luxury cars, piles of clothes, fancy dinners, social clubs, metro taxes, Amazon shopping addictions, or exotic vacations;

…when spending intimate time with family and beloved work colleagues replaces binge watching and social media — you can do most things you think are not possible. My family became servants to our lifestyle and devices, not to any defined goals.

Cancer changed that for my family. Now we have big goals for which we sacrifice everything.

But hell yes, you have to be willing to jump in, spend your own cash to get going, maybe all of it, and be willing to pivot your life towards creation and wellness; and away from consumption and leisure.

Family circumstances led to the creation of our business, so our primary company value is:

“Family-First”: employees allowed to prioritize their family life will produce better services for clients. When large numbers of clients are happy our company will be successful.

It hasn’t been as hard as I would have thought because I’m working with great people and my wife believes in me. Expensive as hell, but worth it.

I will keep trying. I hope you try something like this. You can do it.

I am the founder of Audience Town and would love to hear from you!