Does your family/partner support you?

[Kay]

I was just thinking about this there. I'm lucky in that both my husband and I work online and have a shared fascination with both writing and the Internet. We understand the need for longer hours some days than others and plans together having to be rescheduled at a moment's notice because of work. We have an agreement where we set a time when we'll make it up again.

I was wondering if you all have the support and understanding of your spouses or partners in what you're trying to achieve. Do they just leave you to get on with it and trust you'll do great or do they take an active interest in what you're doing? Do they begrudge the time you spend on it at all?

[Fergal]

Running your own business can definitely place a strain on family life. You end up spending too much time on your business and doing irregular hours. It is difficult for other family members to understand this. As discussed in in other threads it is important that the business owner can schedule times for family.

This issue is more difficult when one partner has a business and the other has a regular job. It is difficult for the partner with the regular job to understand the requirements of running a business and the demands that it places on the other partner's time.

[Nazreen]

There is this very nice quote by American writer Mary Anne Radmacher - "Courage does not always roar. Sometimes it is a quiet voice at the end of the day saying... I will try again tomorrow." At the end of the day, it is usually our family - our husband or wife, parents, children, grandparents or cousins, that we last speak to before going to bed. The quote above stresses the importance of the support given by our family, not just in times of failures but also to motivate us to do even better.

Without the support of the partner/family, I would think that it would be difficult for us especially when we need to work late for our business. This might even cause some misunderstandings and cause some fights in the family.

[djschwab]

My wife has been and still is my biggest supporter. There were many times early on when I started my business that I thought I had made a huge mistake and wanted to quit. Her words of encouragement helped me to keep at it no matter what.

[youbetcha1018]

I believe that in everything you do and want, make sure that there is always that someone that's close to you who is supporting you all the way. It's either your family, your friends or your partner.:) I am supported by my family, my friends and my boyfriend eversince....:)

[pendelton]

My wife gives me the time I want to play around online with little fuss. She keeps me well balanced between having time to do some online work and, for example, kitchen cleaning work.

It is a poor person that does not have the support of their loved ones in anything they attempt.