Hi There!

Welcome back to another episode of Ask Ash, where I interview WatchMojo Founder & CEO Ashkan Karbasfrooshan and ask him questions on various things, such as what is going on in the news, to career advice for students & entrepreneurs.

Today, I wanted to talk about how entrepreneurship changes family life. Ash has founded one of the world’s most successful entertainment brands, and I thought it would be interesting to me how entrepreneurship has changed his family life as a result of building a media empire.

How Has Entrepreneurship Changed Your Family Life?

They say entrepreneurship is living a few years like a few people want to, to be able to live the rest of your life like if you can. It goes without saying however that those “few years” are quite intense and you have to be “all in.” 
It’s not exactly like when a young individual commits themselves to sports, it’s a bit less intense in some ways… but as an entrepreneur – unlike an athlete – you are kind of “Always-On.” When you’re an athlete you know when practice is, when the game starts… sure you have to be disciplined but as an entrepreneur, you don’t have that luxury: you could have emergencies in the middle of the night, you could have a plan for Monday but it could be all thrown upside down. 
Now my spouse and I managed to find a delicate balance where we could talk about things but not have it be all-consuming, all the time.  The other wildcard was once we had kids: on the one hand, yes it gave us a bit of a balance and perspective… but on the other hand, you also run the risk of bringing your work home with you which is not necessarily healthy.
It’s all about balance: sure your kids get experience through osmosis and learn great skills, but they’re kids and I don’t think they love hearing all the details. 
I don’t think any entrepreneur can take their marriage or family life for granted: if you pay way too much attention to your business, there’s no doubt that your family life will suffer… so you do need to prioritize and know when to log out, tune out and see the forest through the trees.

Do you think that your family life is better because of succeeding as an entrepreneur?

I’ve said this before many times but unless you are willing and capable to compromise and say “I’m sorry, you’re welcome, thank you” and pick and choose your battles, I don’t think most people can make it work.
I cannot imagine running a start-up all alone without my spouse there to help me get through it, but a lot of people cannot imagine being in a start-up with their significant other, either. 
It really does boil down to your temperament and your personality, but if you are lucky to experience success then obviously You get a lot of satisfaction to share that with your team – whether the team is at the office or your family at home.

Lastly, if you want to submit questions to Ash directly, you can do so by clicking the link here: https://watchmojo.com/suggest/AskMojo%20-%20WatchMojo’s%20founder%20Ash