Ben Barbersmith

Now

β€” Last updated on Jun 27, 2022

What’s going on in my life right now?

I’m getting the hang of being a family man πŸ‘¨β€πŸ‘©β€πŸ‘§β€πŸ‘¦

My daughter is now approaching her fourth birthday. My son is almost 18 months old. I spend 4-6 hours per day with them both β€” I get up with them in the mornings, eat 3 meals a day with them, and spend plenty of quality time together to read and play. This is only possible because I work from home and I set my own hours. I’m a very, very lucky man.

It’s taken literally years, but I’ve finally got used to having no free time, going to bed early, and making slower progress on personal goals. I’ve stopped grieving for my loss of freedom, and instead I’m enjoying the beautiful minutae of child rearing. This is a big step for me! πŸ˜…

I’m currently working on leaving my phone in another room whenever I’m with the kids. There’s no point spending quality time together if you’re not actually present.

I’m working as a full-time CTO πŸ‘¨β€πŸ’»

I’m currently full-time CTO for Levellr, a startup that helps creators and businesses build, grow, manage and monetize communities on messaging platforms like Discord and Telegram.

I joined as cofounder in November 2021 and plan to give this business my full attention for the foreseeable future.

It’s an absolute blast being responsible for product, development, support, and a million other things. I love the variety of founder life, and I love the technical work I’m getting to do as de facto software engineer in chief. Startups are cool, yo.

Current status: rapidly approaching profitability with two founder salaries… πŸ’Έ

I’m turning into a recluse in Droitwich, Worcestershire, UK 🏑

Since moving to our new home in November 2022, I’ve become something of a recluse. I leave the house for exercise, socializing with old friends and family, and… that’s about it.

I spend more time at home than I have in my entire life. And I’m okay with that!

Jun 27, 2022 @benbarbersmith