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Marriage Is Not an Obstacle but an Aid to Entrepreneurial Success
“Finding good partners is the key to success in anything: in business, in marriage and, especially, in investing”.
– Robert Kiyosaki
Are you in the dilemma that your marriage will affect your business? Do you feel your better half can’t be an aid to entrepreneurial success? Well you are committing a mistake. Marriage teaches you qualities like perseverance, leadership, motivation, accountability – the most needed ones to run a business successfully. You have a partner by your side who is not only supportive in every aspect but also resourceful.
There is no question of your marriage acting as an obstacle to your entrepreneurial journey and ultimately, earn success in it. As entrepreneur couples share her insights on how business and marriage go hand-in-hand, we learn how to make the most of your marriage, yet emerge successful entrepreneurs without losing on that love charm.
Does marriage play a role in evolving mental compatibility?
The most important ingredient in the recipe of marriage and entrepreneurship is mental compatibility. Only couples with a common cause can be the happiest. A common cause is an activity that the two support and have an inclination to. It can be as simple as exploring places around the world or building the same business together.
When running a business in partnership with your wife, not only do you learn how to resolve business disagreements but also build on what you are mutually good at doing. Couples with objective problem-solving styles have more stable relationships. As you work cooperatively to find feasible solutions to your problems, you are also inclined to raise your couple IQ.
Couples sharing the same passion can become billion dollar couples.
Andrew Cherng and Peggy Cherng are one among those billion-dollar couples who founded Panda Express, a chain of around 2,000 restaurants in the US. In the words of Peggy Cherng on how she manages the business with her spouse, “We have learned over the years to recognize each other’s strengths and opportunities so that we know when it’s best to lead and when it’s best to be led”.
Have couples with similar mindset changed the business game?
This holds true when we talk about power couples who are ruling the world with their business ideas turned into reality. Ashley Paguyo, Proprietress, Lucy & Co. says developing a shared project with her husband, Ahmed Shourbagy, Co-Founder at Lucy & Co, strengthened their relationship and took it to another level altogether. The duo learnt how to work together, communicate more effectively, and resolve indispensable conflict faster through the work.
Michael and Mecca Elliot is another power couple who reached the zenith of entrepreneurial success after marriage. As the two souls became one, they gifted Hammer & Nails Groom Shop for Guys and Namaste Nail Sanctuary to the world. Love and marriage brought them together to give wings to their dreams. When you share a vision with your partner, translating it into reality is not a tough call. Focus comes automatically when you have fun at work.
What role does your spouse play in your business?
Love and marriage is never an obstacle to your career, unless you make it through your own negative emotions. Ego, jealousy, inferiority complex, and lack of respect for your partner may dig the grave of your entrepreneurial dreams.
Besides, when you marry a person who is a good listener and is by your side to listen to your ideas and concerns, making business decisions become easy. You are motivated and bubbling with energy to give it your best shot. Transparency and honesty strengthen work and personal relationships. Solid, open communication and playing with “open cards” lend your spouse the opportunity to substitute your fears with curiosity.
David K. Williams, Founder of Fishbowl Inventory, emphasizes on the role of the spouse. He says, “One of the most critical and most unsung roles in an entrepreneurial company is not the founder or owner—it’s the role of that person’s significant spouse”. As an entrepreneur, you need to feel understood, appreciated, and supported. After all, it isn’t easy to find emotional support. According to Trisha Harp, Founder Harp Family Institute, an entrepreneur enjoys a high level of gratitude for all the help and support they receive from their spouses.
Is it quite tough to maintain a professional-personal life balance?
Boundaries, of course, don’t prevent you from working during your personal hours given your business nature and demands. But it should be a strict no-no to bring up stressful work-related issues face-to-face during your personal time off work.
Remember the words of Gary Keller, founder of the renowned real estate firm Keller Williams. “Work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. The other four balls – family, health, friends, and integrity – are made of glass. If you drop one of these, it will be irrevocably scuffed, nicked, perhaps even shattered”.
Devan and Morgan Kline, co-founders of Burn Boot Camp opine, “We don’t always separate the two – Life and Business”. Over the years, this successful entrepreneurial couple has been integrating their family with their business. But, they ensure that stress in business does not reflect on their marriage. It is crucial for entrepreneurs to set their expectations and fulfill those. The couple designates time for work as well as time for their personal lives. For them, it’s all about working within limits, clear communication, and mutual respect – at home and outside.
Another successful entrepreneur couple, Tom and Dianne Knapp of WIN Home Inspection state that the lines between love and business are often blurred – and that’s OK. However, you need to be committed to active listening and open communication. In fact, the two are interwoven and it is the commonality of your core values that allow you to work together. Your business and relationship thrive only when your ideologies are aligned, strengths and skills complement each other. It is the difference between the two that makes them autonomous to excel in their disparate areas of expertise and then come together to work as a team.
Do emotions make your entrepreneurial journey stronger?
It is a general notion that entrepreneurship, marriage, and fame don’t go hand-in-hand. But, some successful individuals and those with high emotional quotient (EQ) have proven it wrong. Even after difficult marriages, Sheryl Sandberg, COO, Facebook, is on the top of her relationship game. She says, “Death doesn’t end your relationship. Death doesn’t end love too”.
Your spouse can also provide insight into your work life that you might not have without their support. Dennis J. O’Neill, an executive coach, always sends his client psychological assessment reports to their home addresses. He states the support and involvement of your spouse throughout your coaching experience help you save your job more than the coach itself. Only then can you distinguish yourself with thoughtful analysis. Your spouse helps you learn new behaviors, become happier than before, and highly successful.
Once when a client of Dennis asked him to mail a written psychological assessment report to his home instead of office, his wife read the report and commented, “Your company spent thousands on this psychologist’s report and it is exactly what I have been telling you for years!”.
Likewise, Stefan Rouwen, who leads the Global Ariba Domain Technology leadership team at Accenture, believes that behind every successful man, there’s a strong woman, and credits his wife Debora for his success. His wife decided to work part-time and run the family, when he used to travel for work. “Finding and maintaining a healthy work-life balance hasn’t always been my strongest point”, says Stefan. But his spouse has definitely helped him improve on the balancing act. He works in Luxembourg three days a week, and work-from-home for the other two days.
Here’s the Magic Spell For Personal And Professional Success…
Marriage is, of course, not a hindrance but a stepping stone to your entrepreneurial journey. A personal bond, indeed, has the power to strengthen all your business relationships. This personal bond built on commitment with your spouse can make or break your career.
This content is written by
Manvi Raj Garg has more than six years of experience in technical and non-technical writing. Her writing experience spans across different verticals. She is passionate about writing on love and relationships and has a deep understanding of what affects the human psychology. In her free time, she enjoys creative writing, reading human psychology, and watching art-based videos. She has been published by several reputable websites.
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