Many believe that it is either hard to be in a relationship with an entrepreneur or start a relationship as an entrepreneur. Let me bust that myth. Being an entrepreneur or dating one has many upsides for romance and committed relationships. Many of the entrepreneur’s qualities that are so necessary for a business also help him/her in building a strong relationship.
Here are four of those qualities that make entrepreneurs great romantic partners:
Entrepreneur’s Tryst With Ownership
This is a key learning as an entrepreneur and a super key ingredient for a relationship. Ownership means confidence in whatever you do. You take pride in doing things the right way. You also take failures in your stride, making them part of you learning curve to get better. This is a quality that helps tide through the ups and downs of romantic relationships. I guarantee that this approach makes the relationship very strong.
Siddharth (my husband and founder of Floh) and I started dating when he was deep into running a startup. It was during the early days when he and I went to his college reunion. From the time we entered to the time we left he was not once by my side. Though I did meet fine people and had great conversations, the fact that he did not even check on me made me really mad. On the way back, of course I promptly brought this up, thinking this would be our first big fight. To my surprise, he simply apologised and agreed that it would be have been indeed awkward for me. Now that’s taking ownership!
Entrepreneur’s Innate Sense of Adventure
There is so much action and rapid changes when running a company, think of it as a roller coaster ride. There is a lot of excitement and a sense of adventure that totally creeps into romance too. Being an entrepreneur, one is always looking for the new kids of the startup world. When my friend started dating a serial entrepreneur, she had one of the best evenings of her life when he rented a chopper in the city. They landed on the helipad of one of the hotels. Right there at the helipad, was a beautiful table with silverware, champagne, candles et al. All organised by a gifting company that had just started at that time. And yes they even gifted experiences. Though a bit OTT for some, it definitely made for a memorable romantic evening for her.
Entrepreneur’s Hard-Earned Resilience
No entrepreneurial journey is complete without a few hard knocks. And no relationship exists without it reaching a point where you think this is it. Entrepreneurship prepares you so well to weather any storm. Imagine your self hanging on to the mast of a sailboat during a raging storm and then opening your eyes to the serene calm of the sea, with the sun shining upon you! There are so many “this shall too pass” moments, that at some point you start approaching things like a zen master. That is also the best way to handle any grave relationship issues one might face. It is so important to take decisions with a calm mind, to be able to rise above emotions and take the right call. An entrepreneur I know of was in this tumultuous relationship, the lows were brutal but the highs were brilliant too. This is one of the toughest relationship situations to deal with. Many people take years to break this cycle and come out victorious. But to her credit, she realised it well in time. Ended her relationship with great calm and moved on with her life in a very commendable way.
Entrepreneur’s Need For Hard Work
Many entrepreneurs will relate to this, when you are running your own company, you are everyone’s back up. Getting the job done is always the top priority. One thing no entrepreneur is guilty of is slacking! Hard work comes so naturally to them that it starts to extend to all aspects of their lives. We all know that any successful endeavor requires effort and so does a successful relationship. Entrepreneurs definitely pass the trial by fire of putting their heart and soul into something they are building. And they can’t help but bring that attitude to the relationship they will build too. This entrepreneurial quality is the winner of them all. That’s why I saved it for the last :).
The truth is when you meet the right person – no matter what phase of professional life you are in, don’t let anything come in the way of being with each other.
If what I’ve written above resonates with you, I’m confident that you will really like being a Floh member. Floh is a curated community for Indian singles who are looking for a meaningful relationship. Click here to read more about Floh.