Start-Ups and Balance

A year ago, Laura Deutsch, a 33-year-old New York teacher, was home on maternity leave after the birth of her first child when an idea for a new business came to her. These days, her company, Baby Bites NYC, runs 25 events a month for new and expectant moms. Her business has been featured on The Today Show, Montel Williams and in Newsweek.

"My business has completely changed my life," Deutsch explains. "Owning a business that helps women make the transition to motherhood is a thrill. But there is no longer a clear division between work and the rest of my life. I have to make myself stop work at some point each day or I would keep working and working, and I make it a point to have quality time with my family each night."

"Balance" between kids, work, household chores and family time is hard enough even when both parents have stable, predictable work schedules. But what happens when one parent makes a job change to start a new business? According to the Small Business Administration, between 500,000 and 600,000 start-ups get going each year, there are 25.8 million "small" businesses in the United States, and 71 percent of self-employed U.S. workers are married.

Starting a business is many people's dream. But I can only imagine the havoc wreaked at home.

Sunday's Washington Post included The Art of the Successful Franchise filled with tips from a former teacher, like Laura Deutsch, who launched a business focused on meeting the needs of moms and children. In Start-Ups and Spouses (subscription or fee required), The Wall Street Journal offers some excellent practical advice:

* Make a plan and talk it over
* Set limits on financial and time investments
* Line up other sources of income in case of emergencies
* Don't bring a spouse on board immediately
* Take turns being the entrepreneur (so you're not both starting-up at the same time -- but make sure both partners get a turn pursuing their dream)

Have you -- or your spouse -- started a business? Tell us about the successes and mistakes and what you learned from them. Would you do it again? Can balance and starting a business go together? Are there ways to find more balance when you are self-employed?

By Leslie Morgan Steiner |  May 2, 2007; 7:00 AM ET  | Category:  Conflicts
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