O'Reilly logo

Stay ahead with the world's most comprehensive technology and business learning platform.

With Safari, you learn the way you learn best. Get unlimited access to videos, live online training, learning paths, books, tutorials, and more.

Start Free Trial

No credit card required

Startup Life: Surviving and Thriving in a Relationship with an Entrepreneur

Startup Life: Surviving and Thriving in a Relationship with an Entrepreneur

by Amy Batchelor, Brad Feld
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Release Date: January 2013
ISBN: 9781118493861
View table of contents
Start reading

Book Description

Real life insights on what it takes to make it in a relationship with an entrepreneur

Entrepreneurs are always on the go, looking for the next "startup" challenge. And while they lead very intensely rewarding lives, time is always short and relationships are often long-distant and stressed because of extended periods apart. Coping with these, and other obstacles, are critical if an entrepreneur and their partner intend on staying together—and staying happy.

In Startup Life, Brad Feld—a Boulder, Colorado-based entrepreneur turned-venture capitalist—shares his own personal experiences with his wife Amy, offering a series of rich insights into successfully leading a balanced life as a human being who wants to play as hard as he works and who wants to be as fulfilled in life and in work. With this book, Feld distills his twenty years of experience in this field to addresses how the village of startup people can put aside their workaholic ways and lead rewarding lives in all respects.

  • Includes real-life examples of entrepreneurial couples who have had successful relationships and what works for them

  • Provides practical advice for adapting to change and overcoming the inevitable ups and downs associated with the entrepreneurial lifestyle

  • Written by Brad Feld, a thought-leader in this field who has been an early-stage investor and successful entrepreneur for more than twenty years

While there's no "secret formula" to relationship success in the world of the entrepreneur, there are ways to making navigation of this territory easier. Startup Life is a well-rounded guide that has the insights and advice you need to succeed in both your personal and business life.

Table of Contents

  1. Cover
  2. Contents
  3. Title
  4. Copyright
  5. Dedication
  6. Preface
  7. Acknowledgments
  8. Chapter One: Introduction
    1. Heteronormative Language and Partnerships
    2. Our Panel of Experts
  9. Chapter Two: Philosophy
    1. Communication
    2. Priorities
    3. Motivation
    4. Long-Term Relationship
    5. Time Commitment
    6. Uncertainty
    7. Persistence
    8. Happiness and the Power of Habits
    9. The 97 Percent: Choosing What to Care About
    10. Delegating
    11. Is a Relationship Part of Your Vision of a Good Life?
    12. What Do You Want Your Story to Be?
  10. Chapter Three: Communication
    1. Appointments
    2. Four Minutes in the Morning
    3. A Good-Morning and Good-Night Call
    4. Life Dinner
    5. Honesty and Respect
    6. Language, Tone, and Fairness
    7. Drama
    8. Anger Management
    9. Fighting Fair
    10. Conflict Avoidance
    11. Listen
    12. Geez, Do We Have to Talk About Our Relationship Again?
    13. Love Talk
    14. Professional Help
    15. Violence
  11. Chapter Four: Startup Company Life
    1. Startups are Hard
    2. A Vision
    3. A Rhythm
    4. A Family
    5. Incorporating Your Partner
    6. Entrepreneurial Help
  12. Chapter Five: Personality
    1. Defining Initial Conditions
    2. Introvert Versus Extrovert
    3. Intrinsic Versus Extrinsic Motivation
    4. Need for Achievement Versus Need for Independence
    5. Risk Versus Safety
    6. Male Versus Female
    7. Engineer Versus Poet
    8. Rigid Versus Resilient
    9. Problem Solving Versus Empathy
    10. Optimist Versus Pessimist
    11. Public Versus Private
    12. Online Versus Offline
    13. Moderation Versus Maniac
    14. Short Term Versus Long Term
  13. Chapter Six: Values
    1. Words Versus Actions
    2. Alignment
    3. Children or Child-Free
    4. Humor
    5. Trust
    6. The Unforgivable
    7. You Can Have it All, Just Not at The Same Time
  14. Chapter Seven: Skills, Tactics, and Tools
    1. Communication 101
    2. Talk in A Way That Can Be Heard
    3. Cosmo Quiz
    4. How to Renegotiate
    5. Life Dinner
    6. QX Vacation
    7. Mini-Break/Long Weekend/One Day
    8. The Phone
    9. The Computer
    10. The TV
    11. Silence
    12. Walks
    13. The Daily Hug, Kiss, “I Love You”
    14. Apology and Forgiveness
    15. If You are Already in Trouble
    16. When to Seek Help
    17. Fun
  15. Chapter Eight: Common Issues and Conflicts
    1. Workaholic
    2. Time Management and Scheduling
    3. No Means No
    4. Travel
    5. Gender Differences
    6. Being on Time
    7. Getting Ready to Go
    8. Being Right or Being Happy
    9. Decision Making
    10. What Compatibility Really Means
    11. Cheerleader Versus Critic
    12. Together and Separate
    13. His Shit, Her Shit, Your Shit Together
    14. Shit Happens—Now What?
    15. To Get Married or Not
    16. Anxiety and Depression
  16. Chapter Nine: Big Issues: Illness, Relationship Failure, and Divorce
    1. Serious Illness or Accident
    2. Failure—The Minimum Viable Relationship
    3. Before You Get Married
    4. Divorce
  17. Chapter Ten: Money
    1. Developing A Shared Frame of Reference
    2. What’s The Money For?
    3. Early On: Not Having Enough
    4. Having Enough to be Comfortable
    5. The First Big Exit
    6. Sleep-at-Night Money
    7. The Disorientation of Having Too Much
    8. Reactions from Your Family
    9. Investing
    10. Angel Investing
    11. Retirement
    12. Philanthropy
  18. Chapter Eleven: Children
    1. Start With A Commitment to Each Other’s Dreams
    2. Raising The Baby
    3. Define Your Roles and Responsibilities Clearly
    4. Managing Your Kids
    5. Be Deliberate About Travel
    6. The Stay-at-Home Dad
  19. Chapter Twelve: Family
    1. Being Married to the CEO
    2. Working Together
    3. Living Where You Want to Live
    4. Go On Adventures Between Companies
    5. Recognize That Life is A Marathon, Not A Sprint
    6. Sibling Dynamics
    7. The Sandwich Generation
  20. Chapter Thirteen: Sex and Romance
    1. Communication Around Sex
    2. The Work of Romance
    3. Goal Orientation
    4. Conflict Around Sex
    5. Keeping The Magic Alive
  21. Chapter Fourteen: Enough
    1. Go Slow
    2. The 10 Percent Rule
    3. Do You Have to be Frugal in Your Next Startup?
    4. How Much is Enough?
    5. What Does Retirement Mean?
    6. Are You and Your Partner in Different Places?
    7. Practice, Practice, Practice
  22. Bibliography
  23. About the Authors
  24. Index
  25. Excerpt from Startup Communities
  26. Advertisements