Ask YC: Spouses

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=76408

by mwmanning • 19 years ago

14 18 19 years ago

news.ycombinator.com

Have any YC founders been married? How did you handle things financially? Were you able to focus on your company without feeling like you were neglecting your significant other? Did you feel like you could have been more productive if you had be more solitary?

davidw• 19 years ago

Married - finances are tight - best if she can work at something relatively well paying. I have time for her, always (money comes and goes, but a good woman is something to hold onto!). I could be more productive alone, sure. But I'd also spend more time "out looking" or stressing about being alone, so the stability helps a lot too.

mrtron• 19 years ago

I think having someone support you through the rollercoaster ride is worth it. Although, most spouse's risk tolerance will be lower than the entrepreneur's.

A spouse is kind of like an anchor...that complains every time it gets dragged behind you :P

imsteve4• 19 years ago

I just have to say that I think the idea of a spouse supporting you in such a non-glamorous, anti-social activity and making you perform better than you otherwise would is a myth. A romantic myth, but still, no more.

makimaki• 19 years ago

I don't have a spouse so I can't really answer the first part of the question but being solitary definitely works for me. It's easy to get a lot done when you don't have any distractions.. albeit pleasant ones sometimes. :)

mattmaroon• 19 years ago

I got married in the middle of YC. Went to YC, went home to get married, went back to Cambridge, went to honeymoon, back to Cambridge. It was pretty crazy.

Financially it was fine, my wife has a good job. It's far better to have two people living off of one income than one person living off of zero. (I had my own anyway, but even if not, we could have swung it due to that.)

As far as being productive goes, it depends on your relationship. One of my cofounders is pseudo-married and his girlfriend pushes him to work harder. Another has a recent girlfriend who absorbs far too much of his time and mental effort. Being married has no bearing on this, it's all in how you handle relationships.

Also there's more to productivity than the quantity of working hours. Someone who makes you happy (which better be your spouse) increases your output when you do work.

staunch• 19 years ago

> Also there's more to productivity than the quantity of working hours. Someone who makes you happy (which better be your spouse) increases your output when you do work.

For double effect tell your spouse "There's more to our relationship than the quantity of time we spend together. A job that makes me happy increases the quality of our time when we are together."

imsteve4• 19 years ago

Aka: The more I'm away from you, the more I like being with you.

I wouldn't focus on explaining what makes you happy if you want this conversation to end well.

regularjoe• 19 years ago

I'm Spider-Man! If I can be married and fight the bad guys, you can start a company. No spider-sense requiered.

apgwoz• 19 years ago

Perhaps your spelling-sense was off? (required)

iamelgringo• 19 years ago

I'm married, and I'm planning my first start-up next summer. My wife doesn't have to work, so she's planning on being a co-founder. As we've worked through ideas, we've purposefully thought about businesses that she would be interested in and passionate about. We've settled on one, and she's starting to work on the start-up now while I'm finishing school.

I actually think it's a shame that there aren't more women founders. There are many problems that women face that could be solved with software. A single hacker fresh out of college won't think of these problems much less solving them. Even then, single male hackers would be terrible at solving these problems. Theres a huge hole in the software market that's begging to be filled. Having a my wife as a founder is a strategic advantage. She thinks of a lot of things that I would never think of. And, she's worked in high-tech before. I'm career changing.

Besides, we get to work together, which is something that we've dreamed of and worked towards for years.

ptn2• 19 years ago

What problems? Maybe fashion stuff?

ptn2• 19 years ago

I really meant that, no need to down-vote me. I was thinking about color combinations for the front page and stuff like that.

nanijoe• 19 years ago

Having your wife as a co-founder is going to severely test the limits of your relationship. Be prepared.

ralph• 19 years ago

> Did you feel like you could have been more productive if you had be more solitary?

Yes.

Ask YC: Spouses

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