How to Break Through as an Entrepreneur with Limited Support
Congrats, you! You’ve finally decided to put your plan to become an entrepreneur in action, which means that you need all the emotional support you can get for such a big undertaking. Ideally, your partner supports you in all things…but for some couples, deciding to dive feet first into a new endeavor can put a strain on the relationship. If you and your partner aren’t seeing eye to eye about your career change, what do you do? How do you handle disagreements about this opportunity and how can you work through them?
Communicate About Everything
Healthy relationships have no secrets. Think about the way that you two interact. Are you open and honest about everything or are you keeping certain things to yourself — namely, are you being completely honest about what you want as an entrepreneur? Perhaps the reason that you’re not getting the support that you want is that you haven’t shared 100% what your plans and goals are for your startup.
Sit down and have a discussion, a serious one. Ask them what it is specifically that they don’t like about the idea of you going into business for yourself. You might learn that there are some fears lurking in the back of their mind that they’ve not shared with you, or perhaps they have a secret or two of their own. Remember that communication is everything in a relationship; if you’re not communicating, you’re setting yourselves up for a bad situation down the line.
Look at All Perspectives, Not Just Your Own
When you’re passionate and fired up about something, it’s not easy to look around and see the reasons why you could be in the wrong because OF COURSE, you’re not, right?! Well, not necessarily. It could be that you’re so excited and seeing the world through rosy glasses that you aren’t seeing the potentially negative side of starting a business. Where will you get startup cash, for example? Will you have adequate time to take care of your family while juggling a small business at the same time? Really take a minute and think about why your partner could be acting unsupportive. It’s possible that there’s a very good reason for it.
Going through life with your loved one by your side is important, but being on the same page as that person is equally important. If your dreams of opening your own business are being shot down by your partner, it’s tough to deal with. Take steps to improve your rift and see their side of the argument.
