Juggling life with a newborn and running a business

Having a new born baby and running businesses aren’t necessarily that compatible or so you might think. Sleepless nights, an endless stream of visitors wanting to meet the new arrival and the sheer excitement of baby finally being here can certainly be a distraction. It is undoubtedly a busy time for any family when a new baby arrives but it is also such an important time that I believe it can really help you to focus on what’s important. 

Building a business and working in my industry I’m used to working all hours. It hasn’t been unusual for me to work 70/80 hour weeks. We’re expanding rapidly at the moment and realistically to continue to grow the business working long hours isn’t going to change.

My beautiful baby boy, Woody Gray Craven, was born at 10pm on the 20th March and of course I have taken time off to spend with him and my wife, Maggie. I’ve woken up tired some mornings and my first thought has been the baby not the office or our next client or where my next meeting is. However, what I have realised is that there is nothing like the arrival of new baby to give you drive and determination. To enable you to focus despite the sleepless nights! 

Thinking about it there are a whole host of reasons for this. I guess a large part of it is the instinct to provide and protect. We all want to make sure our children are warm, secure and taken care of. We also want the best for them and part of that for me is ensuring that the business is performing. Children grow up so quickly and it isn’t just about what a child might need now but also what they might need or want in the future. It makes you think about financial security and working hard to guarantee it.

The other thing that having a small person around to look after does is it forces you to manage your time better. It’s amazing what you can achieve when you realise you might only have an hour or two to achieve something before the baby wakes up and needs you again.

It has also made me think about setting a good example. As someone who started at the bottom and worked their way up, I’ve always been driven and motivated. That has never changed but I haven’t necessarily always followed the right path. Fortunately, I feel that I’m firmly on the right path now and I’m living proof that with hard work and tenacity it really is possible to turn your life around. 

Woody arriving has given me another reason to keep working hard, to provide for my family and work to build the sort of future I want us all to enjoy. There is a lot of pressure and it isn’t always easy. The business has grown massively, there has always been pressure but as it grows the pressure changes. There are bigger commitments and the stakes are higher. It doesn’t necessarily get easier or harder, just different. Sacrificing time, working even when you haven’t had any sleep is difficult but for me it’s worth it to make a success of things. It’s about working hard so that when I’m not in the office or on the road for meetings I can really relax and enjoy quality time with my family.