Part 3: Dinner and Bedtime: At this point exhaustion sets in. Last night I fell asleep as my son was reading to me. But, he was doing a great job and I’m not sure he noticed. Having twins we’ve always been pretty routine oriented parents and it’s something we retain now. It helps keep us all stable. I have to admit though - I think my daughter is now on her 3rd night without a bath!
What is your childcare arrangement and how happy are you with it?
My children are now in kindergarten which is a terrific help - mainly because I’m able to drop them at school at 8:30am and pick them up at 3pm on most days but it’s never perfect. Especially when you and your spouse are in the same business. We have wonderful after school programs at my children’s school where they’re learning Spanish, tai kwon do and other activities, and while on the days they stay after school they are absolutely wiped, I feel better about the additional enrichment they’re experiencing.
We have a part-time sitter who helps fill in on the weekends and when we’re in production and our schedule is much less forgiving. I heard someone once say that sustaining a marriage and relationship after having kids is like exercising a muscle. If you don’t exercise the muscles they begin to atrophy and it’s impossible to strengthen after a while. We try hard to have as much time as we can as a family but also try to reserve time to nurture our relationship.
Do you work at an office or from home? What are the positives and negatives of this arrangement?
For the first year of our business we worked in the laundry room of our Seattle home. We created our first video during that time with poor Johnny—my husband and our creative director—editing the content between spin cycles of the Maytag. Nice thing about this arrangement was being able to roll out of bed and onto the computer, never worrying about a shower or shoes. The challenge was the amazing amount of distractions. How does one work three feet from the treadmill and the washer/dryer?
What/who has been most helpful to you as you’ve been running your own business? Where do you go for advice and support?
I’m fortunate to have a support system of family, friends and former mentors that have been an amazing influence, especially in the early days of the business. My parents have always been supportive. They were thrilled with the stability of my former life at Microsoft (especially after spending all the money on a graduate degree in film!) but also understood our desire to build something of our own. They are as invested in our success as we are and that’s the best source of support you can get. And as my father told me, “It’s much easier being broke when your children are young than when they’re ready to start college.” He’s right. It’s that kind of advice that has helped me keep things in perspective.
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