You live and breathe your business. It makes you excited, keeps you up at night and you love spending any moment possible working on it! But not everyone understands this passion, so it’s important that any discussions you have with others, and particularly your partner is positive and productive.
I’m sure that you can relate to those moments where you get an eyeroll, which leads to negative comments and before you know it, you and your partner are in an argument about the performance of your business, or the amount of time that you are spending on it.
Whether it’s ignorance or jealousy, there are more productive ways to have conversations with your partner about your business’s performance and plans. Here are my tips on being proactive and positive.
Make it fun
These discussions typically come up in the evening or around dinner time, when hunger and tiredness play a big impact on how you’re feeling! Get on the front foot and make a brunch or lunch date to have your discussion. You could even go one step further and pack a picnic to take it outside. Fresh air always helps!
Treat it like a performance review
If your partner is working for an employer, it is likely that they have performance reviews regularly, so they know how this type of meeting is structured. In a typical performance review, not only does your manager give you feedback, but you also need to rate yourself as well.
Grab a template online (such as this one ) and adapt it to your business, or create one specific to you. Examples of goals achieved and an honest self assessment on areas of improvement can result it a constructive discussion with your partner.
Recognise the emotions
When you are so passionate about something, it’s easy to become too attached and invested in the emotions that go with it. Similarly, your partner may be feeling threatened, burdened or scared. Tune into this and make sure that you remind yourself to take a deep breath. It may be a misunderstanding between the two of you that can be easily addressed without the emotion.
Be open
In the same way that you need to recognise your emotions, you also need to be open to constructive feedback. Passion often comes with blinkers so that we can only ever see our own lane. A third party perspective may help you make a breakthrough or recognise an area that you could improve.
Create an agenda
When emotions are running high it’s very easy to go off on unrelated tangents. Create an agenda (with your partner’s input) to ensure that you stay on topic. Once again, allow the space for worries or concerns to be aired without judgement.
Be prepared
What data or facts could you bring to your discussion to make it interesting? Is your partner aware of your:
- Business vision
- Goals (both business and personal)
- Financial performance
- Monthly budget and projections
- Current projects
- Industry data
Having a productive and proactive discussion with your partner about your business can open communication lines to help you feel supported and encourage your partner to be on the same page as you when it comes talking about your business. You never know, they may even become as passionate as you are to make it a successful venture!
Looking for a financial template or a way to easily show your partner the profitability of your business? Grab a copy of my free Profit and Growth Planner and you’ll be on your way to a clear pathway from where you are now to your future.