How founding a startup is changing my life at this very moment.

There are many articles on LinkedIn that describe the skills you need as an entrepreneur, the problems you have to solve, the pitches you have to survive. There is advice on how to build a personal brand, how to balance the tradeoff between strategic growth and operational power, and how to spend money on innovation while saving for bad times. But - as usual - one factor of importance is rarely discussed: What does it do with you emotionally? How does it change your perception? How does it shape you as a unique, private individuum?

As we are currently right before going public with our new startup, I would like to answer these questions from my perspective, before the feeling of the moment is replaced by the daily operative business.

Let's face it: I feel like having a baby.

I know this thesis is provoking, especially for those who have real babies (which I don't). But the longer I think about it, the more I find many feelings I associate with parenting comparable to the feelings I experience when founding a company. A baby is something that would not come to life without you. It cannot survive without you. It needs your attention, your nourishing, your energy. Your passion, your love, your dedication. The mistakes you make when raising your baby probably hit you back when the baby is grown. A baby comes to your life and is a major and unchangeable part of you for many years from day one. It has its hiccups and its sicknesses, it grows and makes you proud. Your baby's pains are your pains. Your baby's successes are your successes. For all the founders here - sounds familiar, right? All this reflects my feelings for this startup. Let's face the truth: I am a parent of a business baby.

And there's one more fact I am not scared to tell: I could NOT handle another baby at the same time. Be it real or only another business baby.

--> I'm in permanent survival mode.

Having something in your life that requires as much of your attention as a startup does, my biggest superpower has become FOCUS. Before my startup life, I traveled around every weekend, went to concerts and festivals, visited friends and met as many people as possible. The brutal truth is, this lifestyle is impossible now. I wisely choose my evening- and weekend activities. Time and energy are my biggest concerns. Having my shit together is my number one priority - I'm happy if I find the time for routine doctor's visits, or even eating. Every single friend I meet, every minute I spend for anything outside the office, is well-chosen and usually inspirational. In fact, my tolerance for bullshit is below zero now. And that's a superpower I want to keep for my after-startup-life.

--> I'm proud of every little step.

Founders and mothers of newborns all tell the same story. When they are honest, they say it can be a brutal, exhausting and terrible job at times. Still, it is one of the most rewarding and life-changing things you can do (and that's why people keep doing it). You brought something to life that wasn't there before and that would never be in this world the same way without you. That's my feeling - and I love it.