It’s been six years since I’ve started my online ventures and if there’s one person I want to be really thankful for everything I’ve achieved thus far it’s my life partner Tomas. This guy was and still is next to me during all kinds of ups and downs & today, I’ve wanted to share my thoughts on the importance of having support from your loved one when you’re trying to grow your business.

I know how strong our personal life can achieve our goals. Let me be very clear with you here, you need to feel safe and feel like your ideas are valuable in order to reach your full potential. If your partner constantly makes you feel small- I want you to take a deep breath and realize that this situation won’t get you anywhere. Have a talk with him/her, find the way to communicate or just know that you have the way out.

The relationships in our lives make a huge impact on our daily decisions. You are only going to be as good as the people you surround yourself with so be brave enough to let go of those who keep weighing you down.

The reason I’m writing this post is not to brag about how wonderful my relationship is. We still fight sometimes like every other couple out there, but no matter what, I always know that my partner believes in me and I hope he feels the same way. Here are some ways I feel like his presence impacted my ability to grow successful online businesses…

He believed in me at the early stages

Back when I’ve started my blog and a design shop on Etsy, we were renting a seafront apartment in Brighton and monthly expenses were not perfectly suited for one income. I was out of a job at the time after I came back from spending six months in Amsterdam. I was contemplating between going all-in in my business or finding yet another job in a service field. Lucky for me, my partner was extremely supportive and gave me the freedom to make my own decisions. He never pushed me into rushing to find a safe spot and get a job. I feel like his support back then motivated me, even more, to get this new business venture of mine to the serious level. It all turned out way better than we both could have ever expected!

He agreed to join me in this adventure

After a year or so in my business, we were at the stage in our lives where we’ve decided to move back to our home country and my life partner since then actually became my business partner as well. He’s a talented developer now working on all the bits + bobs of kotrynabassdesign.com as well as other projects. It’s been over four years & I’m still so grateful we’ve made this decision. Combining our knowledge together allowed us to do so many things and have the freedom to travel or go out on dates in the middle of the day.

“-But isn’t it hard working with your loved one 24/7?”

Well… nope! I admire the guy to bits and spending the majority of our time together is what actually makes us such a strong unit.

He often lets me know how proud he is

Admiration is the key. I’m the kind of person that needs to be complemented in order to keep going. Even if most of the times I become a bit awkward when I hear someone complimenting my work, deep down I know that it is crucial for my survival as an entrepreneur. Tomas is the kind of guy that would come into my office just to say how proud he is and his words have this magic power of lifting me up instantly.

We’ve agreed on respectful interactions in our home

As much as it is tempting to show your best friend a funny YouTube video when you know he’s just in the other room at all times, we’ve made a mutual agreement to have respectful interactions only during the business hours.  This means that up until 6 pm we won’t disturb each other work for personal reasons. Of course, the rules are not super strict and if we feel like we need a minute with each other, that’s all fine, but the number one rule in our home is to respect each other’s needs and wishes. If I know he is super busy working on a deadline, I would take over the household tasks for the day and he does just the same. Working as a team is what helps our business to go forward.

We never control the time we put towards our business

Here is another thing that a lot of couples do is blaming each other for not spending enough time together. Sure, we do have to remind ourselves that it’s been ages since we last went on date night if we’re having a busy season, but he always understands if I’m working on something new and exciting and perhaps do not show enough attention towards him. I always try and do my best to surprise him whenever I get a spare moment, but I never feel pressured to choose between my work and my relationship and that, my friend, is the reason our partnership actually works.

Hope you’ve enjoyed this post, my friends! Share your thoughts on the connection between personal relationship and your business, I’d love to hear what you think!