fbpx

The Benefits And Challenges Of Marrying An Entrepreneur

Getting married is an eye-opening experience for anyone. Here are a few perks and challenges to expect when entrepreneurs say I do.


Getting married is an eye-opening experience for anyone. Whether you’ve dated your partner for ten years or ten weeks, there’s something incredibly beautiful and challenging about tying the knot. And when you’re both entrepreneurs, the experience is even more powerful and enlightening.

 

Perks of being married to an entrepreneur

Entrepreneurs often marry one another for good reason – they understand each other. Here are some of the perks that come from these marriages:

 

Humility abounds

Rarely will you find an entrepreneur who starts a business and immediately strikes it rich. There are usually multiple mistakes and failed businesses that come first. As such, entrepreneurs are forced to embrace humility. When you get two humble people in a marriage, you have a recipe for success. This bodes well for entrepreneurs and, arguably, gives them a leg up on traditional couples.

 

Sacrifice comes natural

Entrepreneurs are also used to sacrificing. They know what it’s like to do more with less and aren’t afraid to delay gratification for the future. For example, they’re okay with buying affordable engagement rings, rather than splurging and spending an outrageous amount of money on a piece of jewelry. They know that, in the future, they’ll be in a position to buy almost anything they want.

 

Similar wavelength

Entrepreneurs often view the world through the same lens. Not in a political way, necessarily, but in the practical sense. They understand the challenges one another are going through and they aren’t as quick to lose their patience with their spouse when something frustrating happens.

Perks of Marrying An Entrepreneur
© Jacob Lund, YFS Magazine

 

Passionate

Nobody will ever mistake a couple of entrepreneurs for lacking passion and excitement. Entrepreneurs have a spirit that can’t be crushed, and this can be enormously positive in marriage when life doesn’t go according to plan.

 

Equality

Partners are technically always equal in a marriage, but it sometimes doesn’t feel that way. When one partner is the sole breadwinner and another partner is the sole caretaker for the children, things can get out of whack in a hurry. Both parents feel resentful for different reasons and bitterness festers until it boils over. The good thing about having two entrepreneurs in a marriage is that it’s easier to recognize equality and treat each other with the respect that’s deserved.

 

Challenges of being married to an entrepreneur

Anytime you bring two people together to get married, there are challenges that must be worked through. When it comes to two entrepreneurs in the same marriage, here are some of the challenges you’re likely to encounter.

 

Strained schedules

Think about how busy one entrepreneur is and then multiply this by two. When both partners have their own busy work schedules – not to mention personal schedules – it’s easy for the marriage to feel strained. In the early days of marriage, this is manageable. After a few years, it can get tough.

 

Unpredictable income

The great thing about owning your own business is that you control your earning potential. But when you have two individuals with unpredictable income, it’s a little scarier. Household income can feel like either feast or famine. This is especially true for early-stage startup founders.

 

Lack of benefits

Self-employment can mean no or inadequate benefits depending on the stage of a business. Even then, for entrepreneurs, finding good and affordable health coverage can be difficult. Meanwhile, if both spouses are self-employed – as is the case when you’re both entrepreneurs – health insurance is costly, paid vacation time is not always plentiful, and retirement contribution plans are not often a priority (especially for young entrepreneurs).

 

Hard to get away

In theory, owning your own business means you can take as much time off as you want. However, as any seasoned entrepreneur knows, it can be incredibly difficult to take time off for a vacation. And even when you’re on vacation, you still feel like you’re tethered to your email. This can make it hard for a couple to get meaningful R&R.

 

Lack of balance

When there’s one entrepreneur in the marriage, the other partner is typically able to balance out some of the personality extremes. When both spouses are entrepreneurs, everything gets amplified.

 

Creating your own happily ever after

There’s nothing easy about marriage. It’s one of the most challenging ventures you’ll ever be a part of. But it can also be the most rewarding.

As an entrepreneur, you understand what it means to strategize and take meaningful risks. You also understand that partnerships are characterized by ups and downs. Approaching your marriage with this same vantage point will ensure you stay committed and engaged through the good times and bad.

 

© YFS Magazine. All Rights Reserved. Copying prohibited. All material is protected by U.S. and international copyright laws. Unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this material is prohibited. Sharing of this material under Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International terms, listed here, is permitted.

   

In this article