Way too many times, smart people give up on their dreams of investing in Michigan real estate or starting a business because they get massive resistance from their wife or husband.
In the last 10 years, I have seen this over and over again. Guy wants to flip houses, wife thinks that he has a mid-life crises or something and says, "What is wrong with you? Why can't you just shut up and go to work like your brother? I don't see him or his wife talking about buying and selling houses."
Or the husband tells the wife who is really excited about starting her own business, " Honey where you are going to find time for doing all this? Are you sure that you are not going to hurt our children's school grades by being distracted with this business. Why don't you just get a part time job or volunteer at the school to keep yourself busy?"
Most people don't want conflict at home so they agree, even in their hearts are not with it, and replace their ambition with resentment toward their wife or husband.
You need to stop it.
Most likely you are doing a lousy job of 'selling' your business to your spouse.
If you are going to your spouse and telling them that you want to start a business because you are 'bored' or 'feeling the urge to do something' - you might as well tell her that you are going to leave her and the kids, take a second mortgage on the house and be like Julia Roberts in Eat Pray Love and travel to Italy, India and Bali for one year.
They are not you. Your dreams are your dreams. Keep them to yourself.
If you want your spouse to sign up in this new adventure, you have to tell them how they benefit out of a new check coming to your home. "Hey I want to flip a foreclosure. I want to make $20,000 out of it so we can pay off your student loans off and go on a 7 day cruise that you always wanted to. Next flip, I am going to pay off all the credit cards off. Third flip and fourth flip - lets save the money and buy the cottage Up North that we always wanted but instead of getting a mortgage... lets pay cash."
What are the odds of them saying NO to this? Or not supporting you 110% because you are going to learn and do these deals so you can both live your dreams.
Guys (and yes this next line is more for husbands) don't take the ladies in your life for granted when it comes to money or business. They are smart and intuitive and they will pick better colors for your house when the time comes to paint your flip. You will just pick WHITE. And their support is not cheap. It should not be because it is a worth a lot to you and your LLC. So get their dreams ahead of you when you start getting the flip checks.
Love has nothing to do with it. The love you have given them has already been given back to you with what they do for you already. This is business and you are going to pay up for their support but take it from somebody who has been in business with his significant other for 11 years now... it is worth 100 times more than you will ever give back to them.
After all if you cannot convince the person your share a bed and life with to believe in you - what chances you have to convince the rest of the world to do business with you?
