Jerry Webb learned that success carries a hefty price tag when it comes at the expense of family. Repairing damaged relationships can be a long and difficult process.
“I never thought I would admit publicly that I was a failure,
but I was—I did not do well by my family. I was the father who wasn’t there. I
got married when I was 24, and the first of our seven sons was born when I was
26. So I had to work long hours to be able to support my family.
“I worked for Wonder Bread & Hostess Cakes for 11 years, making deliveries to supermarkets. I made only $10,000 a year, so I answered an ad for a position selling mutual funds for First Investors Corporation in the evenings and on weekends. I got the job and also continued to work for Wonder Bread.
“I went full time with First Investors in 1964. I was always in the top 10 in the company, which meant trophies, money, and trips. But I was so focused on being successful that I ignored my family. My wife and I divorced in 1971, and I moved from a home with nine people into a one-bedroom apartment. It was traumatic.
“I started my own company in 1981—I was still a workaholic. It took a long time to realize what I had done to my children, how my not being there had affected them. It took me 45 years to do the right thing, admit my mistakes, and apologize to my sons. I told them I can’t change those years, but I could do better in the future.
“Little by little, my relationships with my sons are improving. My second wife, Doris, and I started doing more with my children and taking trips. We have had a great time on those trips. Issues do come up, but we deal with them.
“You have to decide what’s important to you. If you don’t have your family, you don’t have anything.”
