| The story behind the story Before Monaghan Group, I had a strong career and a great family, but I was not happy. I still wanted to be the CFO, was still up for the challenges that came with that position, but I also wanted to have a life. I wanted to work 30 hours per week, not 60. I wanted to go in at 9:00 and leave at 4:00. What could happen before 9:00 that couldn’t wait until I got there and what could happen after 4:00, that simply couldn’t go into the next day? It seemed simple. And it worked for while. Then I started reverting back to my old habits, coming in earlier, staying later. Some of that was my own doing, but the company culture encouraged the hours, the sacrifice, and the constant letting go of personal commitments for the sake of the business. I knew I had to start my own company, one that would encourage me to find a way to do the work and have a life. I needed to be around other people who also wanted both and didn’t understand why we couldn’t have it. I needed to find other committed professionals who were excited about getting the work done, but weren’t convinced it required a 60-70 hour work week and lots of face time. Turns out, there were plenty of believers. --Beth Monaghan |