My spouse is not completely supportive of my desire to start my own business. How can I be successful without their support? Fall City, NE – HR
Short answer – good luck trying, you will need it. Starting a business properly entails a tremendous amount of due diligence. Depending on the business, this process can require a substantial amount of time, money, resources, and energy, this all before the business evens starts. Don’t fool yourself, the amount of time and effort you dedicate to starting a small business will impact other areas of your life, which in turn will trickle down to other family members. This commitment is not an individual requirement, your spouse or significant other will share this burden and if they don’t share a sliver of the same passion for your small business, then your probability for being successful is very low. You should count yourself lucky, most spouses will not communicate their concerns in fear that they will appear to be unsupportive, but the fact that your spouse has voiced concerns is a positive not a negative. This will help you to define and communicate the vision of your small business in clear and consistent terms, saving you and your family future heart ache. View your spouse as a semi consultant and any concerns should be valid and not taken lightly. If your spouse asks, “Why isn’t anybody else doing this?” maybe you need to know more about your competition, or “How will people know about you?” let’s check your marketing plan or my personal favorite “How much money will this cost?” and if you can’t easily answer these questions in detail, you should take pause. Can you change their mind? Anything is possible, but every detail of your future small business must be clear and specific.