I've been having a fairly profound shift in motivation and purpose in the past few years, as I've continued to build Buffer (14 years and counting) while becoming a parent (we have a one year old and an almost four year old).

Whereas in the past, Buffer could occupy the central and primary spot in terms of my purpose and motivation, that's not the case anymore. Having a thriving family is important to me and is its own very strong why for me. It's important to me that I have a great relationship with my wife and that my kids grow up having great memories and a high-trust connection with me.

This doesn't diminish the ambition I have for Buffer. In fact, my ambition for what I can achieve for Buffer and my clarity of the potential Buffer has for future impact and growth has significantly increased since becoming a Dad.

There have been moments where this change has felt a little unsettling, as a singular why shifted into something more comprehensive and integrated. I've felt lost at times, and certainly struggled with how to fit everything in. But the further I walk along this path, the more fulfilled and ambitious I feel.

And what I find fascinating is that I have no doubt at all that I've been a better leader since becoming a parent. I've been forced to become more effective and achieve more with others, because my time is more limited and needs to be used in a high leverage way. I also think the fact that I have other clear purposes in life makes me less precious about Buffer. It's allowed me to go all in on going our own unique path, and I've had renewed conviction to push us back towards our original purpose of serving entrepreneurs.

I became a parent in 2021, at a point of the Buffer journey where we were in the midst of decline. It was nerve-racking to become a parent at a time when the company I started more than 10 years earlier was in a bad place. It took a lot of soul searching and then a few years of intentional strategy changes and strong execution, but we got back to growth and profitability in 2024. We're now better placed than we've ever been in the Buffer journey, and we are energized to do so much more for entrepreneurs, creators and small businesses.

You can be a parent with young kids and have a ton of ambition, achieve a lot and still be a great, present parent and partner too. I'm still figuring it out, but I'm confident it's not only possible but the way to have a fulfilling life and a significant impact.