DeepSummary
The episode features an interview with Matt Wensing, the founder and CEO of Summit, a no-code platform for building tools and workflow automation. He discusses getting married and having his first child at the young age of 22, reflecting on how little he knew at that time and the challenges of being such a young parent. He shares the metaphor of allocating points across different areas of life like career, family, and hobbies to prioritize what's important.
Wensing talks about helping his now-teenage children navigate the tech-first world, including the growing awareness around the impact of social media on teenage girls. He also discusses the truths he learned about life and relationships after losing his father to cancer in 2017, including the different perspectives and roles a parent can play for each child.
Throughout the interview, Wensing emphasizes the importance of open communication, setting boundaries, and allowing children to make mistakes as part of the learning process. He acknowledges the difficulties of balancing work and family life but stresses the need to allocate time and energy wisely across different priorities.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Be prepared for sacrifices and trade-offs when balancing work, family, and personal life, and allocate finite resources wisely across different priorities.
- Don't judge parenting advice or techniques too early, as the parent-child relationship is constantly evolving, and what may seem effective initially may not work in the long run.
- Set boundaries rather than being overly strict with children, finding the right balance for a healthy parent-child relationship.
- Recognize your own limitations and the complexities of parenting, and be open to adjusting your approach over time.
- Reflect on and appreciate the deeper truths and values that can be revealed through seemingly small actions or gestures, especially in relationships with loved ones.
- Foster open communication with children, asking questions to understand their perspectives and root emotions, rather than making assumptions.
- Allow children to make mistakes and learn from them, using controlled experiments or temporary loosening of rules to teach self-regulation.
- Be aware of the potential impacts of technology and social media on children's mental health and well-being, and take proactive steps to monitor and guide their use.
Top Episodes Quotes
- βDon't assume that it's working yet. Just because it looks like it's working. Actually, because humans are extremely complex, kids are still developing. That relationship that the parent has with the kid is changing.β by Matt Wensing
- βFortunately, I feel like we realized that in time, but I still think we started out way too. Like, we're gonna nail this. And obviously, the answer is to be really disciplined about all this stuff. Like, ten years from now, you'll probably think that was all just hilarious naivety.β by Matt Wensing
- βYou know, I never knew that. And, like, it actually says way more about life and him and anything than, like, flavors of gummies.β by Matt Wensing
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Episode Information
Startup Dad
Adam Fishman
5/9/24
Matt Wensing is the founder and CEO of Summit, a no-code platform for building tools and workflow automation. For nearly 20 years he has been a founder and CEO--starting with a company called Riskpulse which became Everstream Analytics and was acquired in January 2020. He is a loving husband and the father of four teenagers! In today's conversation we discussed:
* Getting married and having kids in your early 20's
* How little you know when you're that young
* How amazing it is to be a young Dad with children now in their teens
* How to eliminate the excess from your life if you want to prioritize work and family
* A points allocation metaphor for prioritizing what's important
* Helping teens navigate a tech-first world
* The growing awareness of the impacts of social media on teenage girls
* How losing one of your parents unlocks new truths in your life
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Where to find Matt Wensing
* Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wensing/
* Twitter / X: https://twitter.com/mattwensing
Where to find Adam Fishman
* FishmanAF Newsletter: www.FishmanAFNewsletter.com
* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamjfishman/
* Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startupdadpod/
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In this episode, we cover
[1:44] Welcome
[1:57] Summit
[3:36] Childhood
[5:19] Siblings?
[6:50] Where did you meet your partner?
[8:08] How old were you when you had your first kid?
[9:10] Decision to get married?
[11:27] Decision to start a family?
[12:58] Reflections on being a young dad
[19:03] Early 20βs parent emotions
[23:16] Advice to others
[26:56] Points allocation
[29:41] Advice to ignore
[36:52] Has being a parent made you a better CEO?
[43:33] Where you and partner donβt align?
[50:52] Teenagers relationship w/tech
[1:01:01] Losing a parent
[1:07:10] Follow along
[1:08:00] Rapid Fire
[1:16:43] Thank you
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Show references:
Summit: https://usesummit.com/
The Matrix: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133093/
National Lampoonβs Christmas Vacation: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097958
Toyota Sienna: https://www.toyota.com/sienna/
Jurassic Park: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107290/
Led Zeppelin: https://ledzeppelin.com/
SoundGarden:https://www.soundgardenworld.com/
Pearl Jam: https://pearljam.com/
Stone Temple Pilots:https://stonetemplepilots.com/
Whistler:https://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/
Sleepless in Seattle: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108160/
Ergo:https://ergobaby.com/
Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=kindle
Madden 2004:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madden_NFL_2004
Jokic - NBA:https://www.nba.com/player/203999/nikola-jokic
Master and Commander:https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0311113/
Goonies:https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089218/
The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt: https://www.amazon.com/Anxious-Generation-Rewiring-Childhood-Epidemic/dp/0593655036
Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/en/
How To Train Your Dragon: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0892769/
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For sponsorship inquiries email: podcast@fishmana.com.
For Startup Dad Merch: www.startupdadshop.comΒ
Production support for Startup Dad is provided by Tommy Harron at http://www.armaziproductions.com/
This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit startupdadpod.substack.com