Startup Life: Surviving and Thriving in a Relationship with an Entrepreneur - Hardcover

by Brad Feld (Author), Amy Batchelor (Author)

Real life insights on what it takes to make it in a relationship with an entrepreneur

Entrepreneurs are always on the go, looking for the next "startup" challenge. And while they lead very intensely rewarding lives, time is always short and relationships are often long-distant and stressed because of extended periods apart. Coping with these, and other obstacles, are critical if an entrepreneur and their partner intend on staying together--and staying happy.

In Startup Life, Brad Feld--a Boulder, Colorado-based entrepreneur turned-venture capitalist--shares his own personal experiences with his wife Amy, offering a series of rich insights into successfully leading a balanced life as a human being who wants to play as hard as he works and who wants to be as fulfilled in life and in work. With this book, Feld distills his twenty years of experience in this field to addresses how the village of startup people can put aside their workaholic ways and lead rewarding lives in all respects.

• Includes real-life examples of entrepreneurial couples who have had successful relationships and what works for them
• Provides practical advice for adapting to change and overcoming the inevitable ups and downs associated with the entrepreneurial lifestyle
• Written by Brad Feld, a thought-leader in this field who has been an early-stage investor and successful entrepreneur for more than twenty years

While there's no "secret formula" to relationship success in the world of the entrepreneur, there are ways to making navigation of this territory easier. Startup Life is a well-rounded guide that has the insights and advice you need to succeed in both your personal and business life.

Front Jacket

Entrepreneurs are always on the go, looking for the next startup challenge. And while they lead very intensely rewarding lives, time is always short and relationships are often long-distance and stressed because of extended periods apart. Coping with these, and other, obstacles are critical if an entrepreneur and their partner intend on staying together--and staying happy.

Nobody understands this situation better than Boulder, Colorado-based entrepreneur turned venture capitalist Brad Feld. And now, with Startup Life--the second book in the Startup Revolution series--Feld and his wife, Amy Batchelor, share their personal experiences with you, and reveal what it takes to survive and thrive in an entrepreneurial relationship.

Engaging and accessible, this book offers a series of rich insights into leading a balanced life as a human being who wants to play as hard as he/she works, and who wants to be as fulfilled in life and in work. Based on the ups and downs of the authors--as well as what has worked, and not worked, for other entrepreneurial couples--Startup Life skillfully addresses how the village of startup people can have their workaholic ways while leading rewarding lives in all respects.

Along the way, you'll discover some very useful strategies for balancing entrepreneurship with relationships, including waiting for a good time for real conversation (hint: it's not right after you get home from work), life dinners, quarterly vacations off the grid, no TV in the bedroom, always answering your phone when your beloved calls, and much more.

While there's no secret formula to relationship success in the world of the entrepreneur, Brad and Amy have found ways to make navigating this territory easier during their over twenty years together. Startup Life is a well-rounded guide filled with examples and advice that can help you avoid the missteps that many people in this situation make, and succeed in both your personal and business life.

Back Jacket

ENTREPRENEURS ARE ALWAYS on the go, looking for the next startup challenge. And while they lead very intensely rewarding lives, time is always short and relationships are often long-distance and stressed because of extended periods apart. Coping with these, and other, obstacles are critical if an entrepreneur and their partner intend on staying together--and staying happy.

Nobody understands this situation better than Boulder, Colorado-based entrepreneur turned venture capitalist Brad Feld. And now, with Startup Life--the second book in the Startup Revolution series--Feld and his wife, Amy Batchelor, share their personal experiences with you, and reveal what it takes to survive and thrive in an entrepreneurial relationship.

Engaging and accessible, this book offers a series of rich insights into leading a balanced life as a human being who wants to play as hard as he/she works, and who wants to be as fulfilled in life and in work. Based on the ups and downs of the authors--as well as what has worked, and not worked, for other entrepreneurial couples--Startup Life skillfully addresses how the village of startup people can have their workaholic ways while leading rewarding lives in all respects.

Along the way, you'll discover some very useful strategies for balancing entrepreneurship with relationships, including waiting for a good time for real conversation (hint: it's not right after you get home from work), life dinners, quarterly vacations off the grid, no TV in the bedroom, always answering your phone when your beloved calls, and much more.

While there's no secret formula to relationship success in the world of the entrepreneur, Brad and Amy have found ways to make navigating this territory easier during their over twenty years together. Startup Life is a well-rounded guide filled with examples and advice that can help you avoid the missteps that many people in this situation make, and succeed in both your personal and business life.

Author Biography

BRAD FELD has been an early-stage investor and entrepreneur for over twenty years. Prior to cofounding Foundry Group--a Boulder, Colorado-based early-stage venture capital fund that invests in information technology companies all over the United States--he cofounded Mobius Venture Capital and, prior to that, founded Intensity Ventures, a company that helped launch and operate software companies. Feld is also a cofounder of TechStars and has been active with several nonprofit organizations. He is a nationally recognized speaker on the topics of venture capital investing and entrepreneurship.

AMY BATCHELOR is a Managing Director of the Anchor Point Fund, which makes grants to nonprofit organizations in the arts, education, entrepreneurship, conservation and the environment, health and human services, women's and human rights, international development, capacity building, and progressive public policy. She is a cofounder and partner of Social Venture Partners Boulder County and currently serves on the Board of Trustees at Wellesley College. She blogs at http: //anchorpoint.blogs.com/ and can be found on Twitter (@abatchelor) and Facebook (amy.batchelor). She is working on two novels, The North Side of Trees and Epicenter, about the 1964 Alaska earthquake. Batchelor graduated from Wellesley College in 1988 with a BA in political philosophy. She lives in Boulder, Colorado, and has homes in Keystone, Colorado, and Homer, Alaska, where she was born. Batchelor travels extensively and has spent time on every continent except Antarctica.