The frigid New England weather appears to be thawing – finally! With the worst of winter behind us (hopefully) comes a little less snow and cold and a little more sunshine. Although we have not completely put winter behind us just yet, the melting of the snow appears to be in full force. As the days begin to get longer comes the hope of new beginnings. For entrepreneurial women we long to bring more love and less fighting into our lives. We all desire to help more people and make more money in the year ahead. Awesome! Wishing upon a star, unfortunately, is not enough.
There are some key relationship tools you absolutely must know if you are going to have the fulfilling and balanced life you deserve – one where your profits skyrocket – where what feels like the “always fighting” with your partner stops and your intimacy grows strong and your interpersonal relationships thrive!
Whether you are making millions of dollars in your entrepreneurial business or struggling to make a profit, if you are in a relationship with a significant other you know what a difference it makes to the growth of your business if your partner is “on your side” or bucking your efforts every step of the way to build your business.
Maybe the arguing about your business takes the form of fighting about how much money you put into your business – or how much money you want to put in your business. Or perhaps your partner is constantly criticizing the amount of time and effort you put into your entrepreneurial efforts – without seeing any real results (translation: “you are not making any money”).
The issues couples fight about when there is a female entrepreneur business owner in the household is, in fact, endless. To say that all this fighting hurts the growth of your business and the happiness in your relationship is, well, an understatement. It zaps precious time and energy out of your business and promotes resentment toward your partner.
So what’s a female entrepreneur to do with a business they love and a partner they love – BUT one who doesn’t support their entrepreneurial efforts. Read below for some easy and effective relationship tools to help you grow your business and your relationship all at the same time.
- Commitment – Like everything else we do, it all begins with the commitment we bring to it. But before we can expect our partner to commit their support to our business, we must look at the level of commitment we bring to it. The commitment we have to our business is only as strong and as solid as the commitment we have to ourselves. That’s right. Are you committed to the belief and desire that you deserve to be successful in not just your business but in all endeavors you undertake? Or do you secretly sabotage yourself by not really believing in yourself, your dreams or your business?
Take a long hard look in the mirror and be certain that the image reflected back at you radiates a significant level of commitment to the belief in yourself and your business. Your partner will be able to commit to your business ONLY to the extent that you are capable of committing to your business –and yourself.
- Boundaries – Create and maintain appropriate space boundaries. Many entrepreneurial women who work at home have not set up an appropriate work space within their home. Their home “office” has actually become their “office where their home is”. Work papers and projects-in-the-works are scattered throughout every room in the house; at times even the bathroom may act as a makeshift office! Create a space specifically designated for your work area inside your home and work only within the confines of this designated area.
Keeping this work space boundary sacrosanct, your partner will no longer feel as if your business has taken over not only the physical space of your home, but your emotional life as well.
- Time Management – One of the wonderful characteristics about being an entrepreneur is the ability to determine the hours we work. One of the not-so-wonderful- characteristics about being an entrepreneur is the ability to determine the hours we work. No – you did not just read that wrong. Because we can determine our own work schedule – our time management ability often takes a hit. Many of us fall prey to the trap of “fitting in” our work between the kids, running errands, cleaning up, preparing meals, etc. This is a sure fire way to throw your business and your relationships into disarray – because truth be told, after all the other responsibilities are taken care of, chances are you end up working during the time you originally planned on spending with your significant other – or friends.
To avoid time mis-management that steals preciou hours away from the already little time you have for your relationship, set up a work schedule – and perform only work-related activities during those hours. Do not get suckered into taking that cell phone call from your friend, doing the laundry, driving the kids around town, etc. Work during the designated time you set aside for work – and then be with the people you enjoy and love outside work hours. Don’t worry about work when you are not working – it will still be there when you get back to it – I promise!
Using the relationship tools of looking at the level of commitment you bring to yourself and your business, creating appropriate work space within your home and scheduling a specific time for work- and honoring it – will get you well on your way to having a successful profitable business and happy inter-personal relationships.
Hopefully, you have just gotten a first glimpse at how we are in for an unbelievable ride -as we grow your business and your relationships!
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