We often get asked by friends who are thinking about becoming self-employed whether self-employment is an advantage when it comes to everyday family life. We would therefore like to share our experiences with anyone who is also considering self-employment.
Flexible time, less time pressure
We think it's a big advantage that you can organize your working hours relatively freely. Taking the children to kindergarten in the morning without having to think about a set start time is definitely pleasant. Picking up the children from daycare at lunchtime or in the afternoon is also no problem. As a working father, you are definitely in the situation where you are relatively close to your children's everyday lives, and that's really nice.
Vacation is not really vacation
When it comes to vacations, we envy every employee. Being away for 2 or 3 weeks without thinking about the company, really switching off and enjoying the best time of the year with the children - Kai and I still can't manage that very well, even after 10 years of Jupiduu. Somehow, even on vacation, the laptop is always on in the evenings. To be honest, that doesn't bother us because we really enjoy working at our beloved company Jupiduu and always want to do new, unusual things, but it is certainly annoying for those around us because our thoughts are often elsewhere. But we have had to promise our wives that we will do better in this regard and are now trying to be completely offline for at least a week on our next summer vacation. Let's see if that works...
appointments, many appointments
Since the children have been in daycare and school, we have been filled with appointments. School party here, kindergarten settling in there. In between, someone has to be taken to soccer. Every parent is probably familiar with this completely normal madness. In practice, given our independence, Kai and I are actually able to attend many of these appointments without much coordination. For example, we were able to help our children settle into kindergarten and we can also attend parent-teacher meetings, which means we are a more active part of our children's everyday lives, which is very fulfilling for us, although it is undoubtedly sometimes exhausting.
Conclusion
So is self-employment the best form of work for young fathers? As always, such a complex question cannot be answered with a yes or no, as personality also plays a major role. You have to be able to cope with the constant stress and pressure of running your own business, especially when you add to that the challenges of everyday family life. All of this as described above without any real breaks, even on vacation. You have to really want it. That is the case for Kai and me, but the adventure of self-employment or your own company as a family father should in any case be thought through very carefully. If you have concrete plans and specific questions about self-employment and family, please feel free to contact us. We are happy to share our experience and are delighted if we can promote entrepreneurship.
