Lesson #5: You Need Balance To Maintain A Business

“Honestly I felt and still feel guilty all the time,” says Aigner-Clark. “Even now, I feel like I never give either my company or my kids enough attention. It’s really a battle when you have your office in your home.”

Aigner-Clark might have started up what is now a billion dollar company, but first and foremost, she is a mother. Striking a balance between CEO and mom was a difficult task at times, but one that Aigner-Clark knew was important for the long term success of her company.

“When my company started really growing, I didn’t have any help in my house at all,” says Aigner-Clark. “I had the upkeep of my daily life, I had a one year old and a three year old, and I had my house. So I had to prioritize.”

The first thing Aigner-Clark decided she had to do was eliminate those tasks she dreaded doing most. She loved running her company, so that was not going to go. And, she loved taking care of her kids, so she was not going to hire a nanny. But, the one thing she did hate doing was housework. “So I hired someone to help out in the house,” she says. “That along with my really excellent husband has made all the difference.”

But Aigner-Clark’s days at home were still long. They began at 5:30 a.m. when her kids would wake her up and they would stretch long into the night. “At ten o’clock at night, I’m still working,” she says. “If I walk by my office, I can’t resist going to my computer to check my email.” Now that her daughters are at the age where they can go to school, Aigner-Clark has begun to think about getting an office outside of the house in order to separate work from home.

While Aigner-Clark still struggles to maintain a balance between her two lives, she always maintained a clear understanding of which was to take priority. “When the company was doing $23 million in sales, it was beginning to consume all my time,” she says. “In order to take the company to the next level, it would have required much more of my time and commitment.”

As the company grew, Aigner-Clark began noticing much more competition in the marketplace. “Because of that pressure, life was not what we wanted it to be,” she says. “I had left teaching because I wanted to be with my kids, and I was finding I had less and less of that.”

It was around that time that Aigner-Clark began to think about selling her company to Disney. “It was more important for me to spend more time with my family and be with my children,” she says.

Today, now that the company is worth over $1 billion, many have asked Aigner-Clark whether she regrets selling her company. “In terms of regrets, I do not really have any,” she says. “I have been able to be with my family much more than I ever could have for the past five years.”



Lesson #5: You Need Balance To Maintain A Business

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