'It Was Very.....': Bengaluru Couple Shares Experience of Balancing Start-Up and Toddler at Work

Bengaluru: A Bengaluru based couple, who are also the founders of a start-up, recently shared their experience of navigating parenthood while managing their growing business.

In a post on LinkedIn, Puneet Manuja, co-founder of YourDOST – a platform that offers on-demand counselling – opened up about the challenges he and his wife, Richa, faced as new parents while simultaneously working to nurture their "other baby," the company.

"Balancing our newborn (Rudra) with building YourDOST has been one of the toughest challenges for us as couple founders," Puneet shared. He went on to note that many people have asked them about the pros and cons of co-founding a company together while raising a child, but managing both roles has often felt overwhelming for them.

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He shared that the sleepless nights staying up with their newborn quickly transformed into long workdays. "The guilt of not being able to give our 100% to either role was (and is) real. Some days, we questioned if we were doing enough as parents or as leaders. But we learned (and are learning). And the most important was - to integrate him into our work and vice versa," he said, adding that the couple leaned on their team and family for support.

‘Rudra is in office today’

It was then when a friend suggested bringing their son to work. "That was probably one of the most effective things we have done. Today, our son is 1.5 years old, and YourDOST continues to grow. To all parents juggling careers and family know that it’s okay to struggle," he wrote, sharing a screenshot of the message sent by his wife on the office WhatsApp group telling the team about their newest addition.

"Good morning, everyone. Rudra is in office today. If he creates any trouble and disturbance please do let me know (pls do without any hesitation) so that we can ensure things are sorted. We are also learning," read the message along with a photo of their son.

 Internet Reacts

The post resonated with many users who commended the couple for their parenting skills. "It's great that you're leaning on your team and family for support. I am sure the experiences you are sharing will definitely resonate with many other parents who are facing similar challenges," said one of them.

"It can be overwhelmingly overwhelming to take care of the two babies simultaneously. Be kind to yourself and to each other. All the very best!" said another user.