Can I keep building and be an involved dad?
Being fam-first means less time for work. Still figuring out what I can build with the hours I have.
6 November 2026
This week, we launched TickerTown, a pixel-art stock market simulator.
It’s been hectic and fruitful. I keep checking the data and thinking how I could improve onboarding and retention metrics. And doing so, I turned a fun project into work, and I’m staying up late to do it. It’s eating into my family time and quiet space. So, it seems like I need a reset.
I talked to a few other entrepreneurs with kids this week. We spoke about the tension wanting to be ambitious founders and involved parents, and how hard it is to find time for both.
One former founder could really empathise.
She encouraged me to cherish this quieter period with the kids. They’ll grow up in the blink of an eye, she said. The nest will be empty, and the time will feel like mine again.1
I might look back then and wish I’d done less, worried less, and enjoyed life a little more.2
I want to be a really involved dad, and I have to accept that this leaves fewer hours for work. I can make that choice and still find myself wanting to do more with a project. Occupational hazard.
It feels a bit silly to find this so hard when the choice seems clear.
Looking at my kids’ schedules and mine, I think I have four days a week to build, with a max of four hours a day.
Let’s see what I can make in that time that’s fun, meaningful, or both.