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Entrepreneurs are dreamers. We are full of ideas, we have a life of roller coaster with its own ups and down that we have chosen. My life has been no different since I turned from a Professional to an Entrepreneur 4 years back, I enjoyed my own share of high highs and low lows. Over the years I have come to realize that our personal ecosystem including family, friends and most of all our significant other have a huge impact on our success. But sometimes we just forget about it in our daily grinds.
Quite honestly, I was trying to write another article dealing with business side.The turmoil of being an entrepreneur, more relevant for this post at around 1:00 am in the morning. While I was furiously tapping on my keyboard my wife called me to help with nappy change and feeding routine of my twin sons. I had just taken my doggy daughters for late night walk and have just returned to work on this post. I naturally felt irritated of this interruption and went into my tirade, but over time Sangeeta has got wiser for her age and knows how to diffuse such situations. After hearing me patiently she said “Baby, it’s not easy being married to an entrepreneur either. As your better half I too have to put up with the late nights, crazy ideas, and the constant checking of email and phones.” Her swords stumped me.
The nappy change routine started an exciting conversation for 2 hours on what life has been since last 4 years for her to be married to an entrepreneur and advise she would dispense to another person in the same shoes. I think our discussion had great perspectives and insights for my fellow entrepreneurs’ about their significant other.
An entrepreneur’s life is not easy. It is a long grinding journey full of turmoil and typhoons. Personal relationships often take a beating and it is important to have an understanding partner to keep the boat sailing. Here is a perspective of an entrepreneur’s better half. Hence, I chucked my earlier piece and am sharing the Sangeeta’s (My better half) pearl of wisdom.
- Entrepreneur needs someone to be their sounding board, someone who allows them to share their ideas without being judgmental and criticizing the logic of it. Pray to the Greek God of patience if there is one as you will need plenty of it.
- I never thought about ethics as much as I have these past 3 years, being married to an entrepreneur. Being married to an entrepreneur means dealing with symptoms of OCD syndrome before all big organizational decisions.
- As a Spouse I see a person nights after nights thinking, taking notes, calling people, running into endless rounds of discussions in coffee shops scattered around the city.Always in the hurry to finish a task, to do one more call and answer one more e-mail.
- In 5 years of our marriage we have not gone on a honeymoon, as an entrepreneur you don’t know the meaning of “weekends,” “evening-outs,” or “vacations.” I do not remember that we have taken any, but even on those rare occasions when I have coaxed you into taking one , I have only seen you talking to random people as if you are making a “sales pitch”
- Sometimes I feel that you have 2 sets of “In-Laws” and I have 2 sets of “Parents” organizing managing and remembering birthdays and family functions.
- You have no idea of the chaos that I get into with my entrepreneur spouse. Always on the go, there are times when he won’t talk; your mind and attention would be so fully occupied that you would hardly notice anything else.In past 5 years I have worked for you as Business Development personnel, Data entry operator, Admin
- Staff and numerous other job descriptions for free.
- There have been times when I felt like pulling my hair out, when my entrepreneur husband tried solving my problems related to house helps and maids with his data driven logic and drove most of them off.
- Being married to an entrepreneur is not for the faint hearted you need nerves of steel. It can be very lonely and isolating because most friends and family members don’t understand unless they have been there. Personal commitments to social functions take a beating because your husband is always on the move.
- I do remember a time when our bank balance had only few thousand rupees turning me insomniac, while my husband kept working at his vision. Now don’t take me wrong but I am sure lot of you have been through the same virtual feeling of bankruptcy.
- In last few years for whatever odd moments that we have gone for shopping my entrepreneur husband have suggested on more than one occasion that I purchase a clothing item not because it looks good but because it is of the same brand colour.
- The meticulous approach even crept into our personal life, I remember every time he accompanied me to our gynecologist, he was ready with well typed (If I may mention “Verdana” font size 10) list of questions.
- Sachin Tendulkar retired on 16th Nov 2013 the day I went into labour, between his concern for my pain and love for Sachin you guess who won …..I had to listen to the batting maestros cricketing records and his possible career options after retirement keeping in view what “Brand Sachin’ means. Finally I had to bite his thumb to bring him back to reality of the moment, but it did not deter him to suggest that our twins should be named “Sachin” and “Tendulkar” an advice that was dismissed by me immediately with a firm rebuke.
- There have been times when I have to literally force feed my husband, but there are tasks like these where he pulls up his sleeve, takes our Furkids for walks, changes nappy with me in the middle of the night inspite of a harrowing day which more than makes up for it.
She had added more to this list which I cannot share because the content is more personal and some of them are high praise that I don’t deserve. But you know what, I have a confession to make .Today my organization is doing better and when I hear people telling her that they can give anything to be in her shoes, I steal that glance at her thank God silently and murmur that she has actually given EVERYTHING.
Her advice on a retrospect is not only to an “Entrepreneur’s Wife or Girlfriend” but holds true for us as a entrepreneur of whichever gender that we belong to ….In our daily grind we should stop smelling the roses with our spouse by our side. That silent pillar of strength, supporting us and dreaming our dreams.