Is your entrepreneurial desire to create your own rules and design your destiny?
Instead of following the path, does your heart yearn to create your own?
I get it, the entrepreneurial dream is like a fire that cannot be extinguished, or even contained
.
But what happens, when even though it’s your business, you don’t have all the say?
While there are many ways that can happen, today I’m focusing on what happens when that constraint appears to be the one you love the most, your spouse?
The Not So Silent Partner
Whether energetically, emotionally or financially, your romantic partner has a stake in your business.
You are part of their world, and they are part of yours, and whether it’s to lend a supporting shoulder to cry on, not having the time they want with you, or in the formative stages when more money is going out than coming in, your partner is affected! Even if you keep your money separate, it still affects them.
From affecting their credit score, to bringing up their fears of having enough and running out of money, the finances of your business can directly impact your partner, especially if there are children involved, or if you have to dip into the household savings, or if you have to use a credit rescore service to acquire a loan.
Even when they support you 100%, I know from experience, that regular courageous conversations about money will still come up. And if your partner isn’t 100% on board, you may hear things like :
• It may be a good idea to get a job instead / while you build your business
• You have until such and such a date to make it work.
• They aren’t sure exactly what it is you do
• It takes too much of your time
• The risk is too much
• You aren’t pulling your weight financially, or worse you are draining the family resources
And when your partner isn’t fully on board, it will limit your business growth and your potential.
What’s Behind It…
If your partner has a corporate role, you need to understand that his/her mindset will be very different, and he/she is unlikely prepared for the financial ups and downs, and therefore their focus will be on minimizing risk, and often times the desire is for your business to make money first, before you invest in it.
And even if your partner is an entrepreneur and understands what it takes, he/she is not immune from these fears and in fact because of perceived dual risk, it may show up even stronger.
However, I can tell you also from experience, if you are waiting “until” you never will get there – as money usually follows action, not the other way around.
When he or she says “It’s not making enough to do that” do you hear that as “You are not doing enough?”
Does It Take You Out?
Do you let that stop you? Do you let it extinguish your entrepreneurial fire?
I asked at the opening of this article – what if the constraint “appears” to be your spouse. Have you ever just assumed “Oh my husband / wife will never go for it” and instead of working to get them on board, you let what you think they may say stop you?
Now don’t get me wrong, the roadblocks and objections from your spouse are very real, and can’t be ignored. He or she has a stake in your business and it must be respected.
Are You The Roadblock?
avoiding a conversation with your spouse, only solves the problem of not having to have an uncomfortable conversation. It doesn’t solve the problem of moving your business forward, and it doesn’t solve the problem of generating income. And it certainly doesn’t solve the problem of helping your spouse to view your business as a business.
And here is my tough love question for you – If you are not willing to have an uncomfortable conversation with your spouse, you need to ask yourself where else in your business is this showing up? Where else are you holding yourself back when you need to be moving forward?
Only You Can Change It
If you want your partner to start viewing your business as a business, you need to start treating it like one. That means, generating leads, making sales and enrolling clients. And it means moving beyond your comfort zone and taking uncomfortable action, and having courageous conversations that will move the business forward.
And sometimes, even when you have the conversations, you spouse may not feel comfortable and you may feel held back. Remember the only person who can truly hold you back is you. While this may not be a comfortable position to take, sometimes, when you really want something, you just have to fight for it.
Is it worth it? Are you worth it?
Only you know the answer to that. It’s your dream, only you can make it come true.
Nafissa Shireen
With 25 years' experience leading 6-figure to 9-figure companies, she strategically partners with entrepreneurs to help them focus on sustainable & scalable business growth, so they can create a highly profitable and luxurious business and life.
Passionate about helping women earn what they are worth and build their wealth, so that they can realize all of their dreams and desires. She brings together her vast business knowledge with the deep inner work needed to help entrepreneurs identify blocks, step out of fear and overwhelm, raise their wealth consciousness, and move forward towards their goals with measurable, tangible results.
She is a featured Expert and regular contributing author for Today’s Innovative Woman Magazine, and is profiled in Canada’s 2014/2015 Distinctive Women Magazine
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