Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
I never thought parenting and startups had much in common until I found myself navigating both at the same time. As a mom and a person in the tech space who has built products at PayPal and Ford, my job has always been hyper-focused on solving problems.
However, launching an app designed to help families streamline household management showed me something I did not expect: running a startup and raising a child are really similar.
Both require patience, adaptability and the ability to function under extreme uncertainty. Both demand that you make decisions with incomplete data, trust your instincts and learn from constant failures. And just like parenting, building a startup forces you to think beyond yourself because, ultimately, it’s not about what you want; it’s about creating something that helps others solve problems.
Related: 5 Lessons Entrepreneurs Can Glean From Their Kids’ K-12 Teachers
Lesson 1: Structure creates freedom
When I became a single mom, I had to figure out how to juggle work, my daughter’s schedule and the emotional new reality of having less support. I needed a system to replace the mental load of managing everything alone. This is a problem many parents — and moms in particular — are faced with: this hidden mental load. That’s what led me to build my smart family management app that helps parents organize chores, schedules and household responsibilities.
In parenting, structure gives kids the predictability they need to feel secure. The same is true in a startup. Without structure, chaos is a given. At my startup, we had to create a system where our small team could move fast without stepping on each other’s toes. We set up clear communication protocols, consistent sprint cycles and defined success metrics. This didn’t limit creativity but actually encouraged it.
I’ve come to see structure not as a constraint but as a tool for empowerment. The more predictable the foundation, the more room there is for flexibility where it counts.
Lesson 2: Iteration is the way
When my daughter was little, I worried a lot about getting parenting “right.” I read the books, sought advice and agonized over decisions. But the truth is, parenting isn’t a linear path, instead it’s a series of constant adjustments. What works one year might not work the next. Kids evolve, and you have to evolve with them. A lot like software!
Startups are no different. When we first launched our app, I had a clear vision of how it would function. But once real parents started using it, I realized we had built the wrong thing in several ways. We had assumed too much. Our first chore management system was rigid and didn’t account for how different families operate. Parents wanted more customization, and kids wanted more gamification. We had to tear it apart and rebuild it based on actual user behavior.
The lesson? Perfection is a myth. You have to build, release, test and refine — over and over again. Whether it’s an app or a child, the goal isn’t to get it “right” from the start but to keep improving as you go.
Related: This Overlooked Principle Is the Key to Startup Success
Lesson 3: You always need a village
I used to believe I had to handle everything myself, both at home and at work. That’s a lie too many of us, especially women, tell ourselves.
As a parent, I learned the hard way that trying to do everything alone is a fast track to burnout. I had to learn to delegate, to trust my daughter to take on more and more responsibilities, and to lean on my support network.
That mindset shift carried over into my startup. At first, I tried to be everywhere at the same time: handling product, marketing, fundraising and user support. It wasn’t sustainable. Learning to trust my team, delegate responsibilities and bring in experts where needed didn’t just make the company run better; it made me a better leader.
I also think this applies to your co-founder. It’s important to find a co-founder whose vision and company values meet your own because they will also be part of your village.
Startups and families both thrive when responsibility is shared. No one person can, or should, carry the full weight.
Lesson 4: Emotional resilience for the win
Startups are an emotional rollercoaster, and so is parenting (especially during the teen years!). You can have a great week where everything clicks, only to be thrown into chaos by something unexpected.
The solution in both cases? Resilience and sticktoitiveness.
I’ve had moments as a founder where I thought, I am not good at this! How do I solve this problem I know nothing about? I’ve had moments as a mom where I thought, I have no idea what I’m doing. But I’ve learned that tough moments pass. The way forward is to keep going, even when you don’t have all the answers.
Resilience isn’t about never failing; it’s about adapting to failure without losing your sense of purpose.
Lesson 5: The mission matters a lot
At some point, both in parenting and in startups, you have to let go of your ego. It’s not about you; it’s about the people you’re serving, the users or customers.
As a parent, my job isn’t to raise a child who reflects me — it’s to raise a child who becomes their own person. With my startup, my goal isn’t to build the app I want; it’s to build something that genuinely helps families. The best ideas often come not from what I think should exist but from what users tell me they need.
A founder’s job, like a parent’s, is to create something that outlives them. To set something in motion, nurture it, and eventually, let it grow beyond them.
Building a new tool has made me a better parent. Parenting has made me a better founder. Both roles have forced me to be adaptable, embrace imperfection and put mission above ego.
If you’re a founder, take a lesson from parenting: structure creates freedom, iteration is key and resilience is your greatest asset. And if you’re a parent, take a lesson from startups: let go of perfection, build systems that work for you and don’t be afraid to pivot when needed.
Whether you’re raising a child or a company, the real goal is the same: to create something meaningful, something that lasts, and something that makes the world a little better than you found it.
