Startup Life: Surviving and Thriving in a Relationship with an Entrepreneur

CHAPTER EIGHT

COMMON ISSUES AND CONFLICTS

Although every relationship is unique, there are several common issues and conflicts that are particularly prone to developing in a relationship with an entrepreneur. These are the qualities that attracted you to your entrepreneur, but now they’ve gone too far or gone on too long. Of course, not all entrepreneurs have these issues, but big swaths of the entrepreneurial ecosystem are populated by people who are goal-oriented, ambitious, driven, creative, optimistic, autonomous, forward-looking, independent thinkers, and leaders. That’s the good side. The dark side is that entrepreneurs are prone to a series of personality extremes that can be an ongoing challenge to a happy relationship.

Power dynamics in a relationship are complicated. It’s important to acknowledge that they exist, and that even the most egalitarian couples still have issues around who makes a particular final decision. The entrepreneurial partner may be used to making all the decisions at work, and indeed that may be an important part of the leadership role she plays at her company. The partner at home, who may not be working outside the house, still needs to be acknowledged as making a vital contribution to the financial life of the couple and be empowered to make decisions.

WORKAHOLIC

Workaholism is the first and most obvious tendency of the entrepreneur that interferes with having a happy life for herself and her partner. Always on, never satisfied, stressed out from ...