Chapter One
Big Idea, Let’s Have a Baby!
The idea with this book is to help you see building a family through the lens of building a business. As you progress through the chapters in this book, the parallels and juxtapositions will become plain. I want to help you crystallise your dream. In this book, I will show you that you can indeed build your dream family. Using the same principles anyone would to build and run a successful start-up, you too can build your family.
In the world of start-ups, Ideation is a renowned concept. It’s the sequence of thoughts, from original concept to making it a reality. The first seed of any business is that ‘BIG’ idea. You sit with the idea to assess what you have, what you need, what it will take. You evaluate the probability for success and determine whether there is an actual need for it.
With the grand idea of starting a family, the concept of Ideation is as applicable. It’s one thing to find the idea of starting a family exciting. The truth is one can just as easily be disenchanted with the idea when the complexities start to unfold. Does this mean starting and raising a family isn’t exciting? No, not at all.
What it means is that you need to be certain that you are both ready to take the plunge. If you can determine your readiness and willingness to commit to what it means to start a family, your motivation for the next steps would be sustainable. On the road to starting a business, entrepreneurs create a business plan. It necessitates readiness and facilitates success. It does this because it forces one to think, research, and work out the finer details. The process teaches one to count the cost. It is in the interest of both the entrepreneur and the enterprise to think through the different aspects of the business plan. Consider this book a handbook. It will walk you through similar steps, forcing you to think. It will be in the best interest of your unborn children, your spouse, yourself, and the family you intend to build. It will be worth it.
Now that you want a family!
They say it takes two to tango, and to start a family it does. When you decide that you want to have a baby, it’s a move that requires the buy-in of not just yourself, but that of your spouse. There’s so much to do, plan on and learn on the journey to parenthood. It’s a beautiful yet critical thing to be on the same page from the beginning. It’s about readiness, you need to begin to think about and consider how ready you both are. This sort of readiness cuts across several areas, some of which include…