Before You Begin – Part 4

This is part four of a four part article.

Finally, if you have a spouse or significant other, it is absolutely vital you have his or her support.  You will have enough challenges without having to battle on the home front.  This is a conversation that should be done in love and understanding.  Set aside enough time and plan an appropriate setting where you can both be very candid.  They may have doubts or fears.  You may uncover some issues such as a father or mother that was never around because of a family business.

You also need to take an honest look at yourself and consider if you have been a good partner.  Have you upheld your end of household responsibilities, or just left those to your partner to figure out?  If not, starting the conversation with an apology is a good idea.

All the diligence done up to this point will go a long way towards showing your loved one that you care about them enough to have put serious thought and consideration into starting a business.  Review the goals for the business together and ask for input.

While no one can guarantee that your business will turn out exactly like you planned, putting the right amount of research and thought into the plan will increase the odds significantly.