9-5 and side hustle, baby on the way – keep grinding or simplify before FIRE?

Hey everyone,

I could use some perspective. On paper, things look good, but in reality, I feel like I’m stretched too thin. I’m working a demanding 9-5 and also running a growing side business. Financially, it’s paying off, but it’s starting to wear me down. To complicate things (in the best way), my wife and I are expecting our first baby before the end of the year, and we want a big family (3 kids if all goes well).

Here’s where I’m at:

FIRE goal

• €10,000/month net after taxes (inflation-adjusted)
• Buy a €750k house in cash before FIRE
• FIRE in Portugal (currently living in the south, plan is to move to central rural Portugal)

Current situation

• 35M, married 32F, first baby due soon
• Job: ~€11,000/month net, low tax due to NHR regime (until 2029)
• Wife's job: ~€4,000/month net (self-employed), but stopping next month
  • Joining the side business later is an option
• Side business:
  • Short-term rental management (~€100k/year net, reinvested)
  • 1 employee
  • I manage our own properties plus some for other owners
  • Profitable, but very time and energy-consuming
• Expenses: €3,000-€3,500/month (includes mortgage on current home)
• Investments: ~€400k in stocks/crypto/cash
• Real estate:
  • Portfolio of properties used for short-term rentals
    • Mortgage debt: ~€0,95M total (average rate ~2.5%, part fixed for full loan term)
    • Equity: ~€1,73M total
  • Primary residence
    • Mortgage debt: ~170K (fixed at ~1.8% for the full loan term)
    • Equity: ~208K

The issue

• Between my job and the business, I feel drained (10-14h days Mon-Sat)
• Both are financially rewarding, but I worry I won’t have the bandwidth (or the presence) once the baby arrives
• Long-term rentals could reduce stress, but would slow growth
• My tax situation is favourable right now, which makes me want to maximise these years… but at what personal cost?

If you were in my shoes:

• Would you keep grinding hard while the numbers look good and taxes are low, then reassess later?
• Or simplify sooner (shift rentals to long-term, step back from the business, etc.) even if it slows the FIRE timeline?
• I assume some of you might have gone through a similar stage – high earnings + growing family – and found a good balance?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts. I’ve read a lot of your stories here, and they’ve already shaped how I think about FIRE. Just trying to figure out whether I should keep sprinting or pace myself a bit more.