Relationships are never easy, but being an entrepreneur
presents a unique set of challenges when it comes to balancing the demands of
work and with the needs of a romantic partner. After entrepreneurial drive
nearly broke up their seven year marriage, Brad Feld and Amy Batchelor overcame
the challenges and wrote a book about their experience. Startup life: surviving
and thriving in a relationship with an entrepreneur (Wiley, 2013) explores the
difficulties entrepreneurs and their spouses face when balancing the demands of
work and romance.
“The passion, excitement, and commitment that the
entrepreneur has to work are the same qualities that will bring to the
relation, which seems like an advantage; but enthusiasm unbounded leads to
exhaustion in both work and relationship context,” says Feld. Take these steps
to improve both your business and relationship success.
Schedule together
time: Feld says setting priorities and making schedule changes to
accommodate the needs of your relationship can help strengthen your bond. Feld,
a managing director at Foundry Group never schedules high priority activities
or deadlines on a Friday, as doing so is likely to create a scenario where work
drifts into Friday night and even the weekend. Feld and Batchelor are also strong
proponents of family “life dinners” where they go out of the house to talk
about the past month while setting goals for the next month. “Having a
scheduled time together on the calendar can give you both something to look
forward to,” says Feld.