Are You With a Dream Killer or Dream Weaver?
We always hear about the entrepreneur.
The years of long hours and low wages. The hundreds of times they failed or heard no. The constant push until finally they broke through and found success.
How often do we hear about the person in their life that made it all possible?
On June 17th, 2017, Whitney stood in front of friends and family and said yes to marrying me. I am still not entirely sure she knew what she was signing up for. Less than a year later, we were traveling across the country and in the early stages of launching an independent financial advisory firm.
The concept of Driven Wealth Management is fairly unique. We specifically aspire to work with clients in their 30s and 40s, a subset of the population ignored by financial firms. Most of my former clients were extremely wealthy retirees – the type of clients traditional firms want. As such, when I launched, there was no option of bringing former clients with me, which most advisors do when going out on their own. This meant that as I left my high paying, secure job – for the immediate future, Whitney would be responsible for supporting the household. Newly married in her late 20s and bearing a lot of responsibility.
I don’t think many people would jump at this proposition. When I approached Whitney about the idea of launching the firm from scratch, she didn’t flinch. I had full support from the outset. She knew it would require sacrifices and changes to a comfortable lifestyle we had grown used to enjoying. What she might not have anticipated was the emotional rollercoaster that comes with entrepreneurship.
The range in entrepreneurial emotions is another side of launching a business that nobody talks about.
There are weeks when everything is clicking and you feel like you’re on your way to total success. Then other weeks you wonder, does anyone even notice what we are doing here? When you’re building something, you become obsessed and all consumed. You over analyze every detail. Every like or comment on social media. Every word in an email inquiry.
This lends itself to bursts of joy and frustration. Whitney often finds herself on the receiving end of my many entrepreneurial moods. I can be a pain to be around, and yet there she is. I can be self absorbed and entirely caught up in what is going on in the business, and she continues to be my biggest cheerleader. When my insecurities get the best of me, she will step in to review these posts and make edits, finding time that doesn’t exist in her busy schedule that supports us.
This is our second valentine’s day as husband and wife and first as business owners. I don’t know how I got so lucky and there is no way I could do any of this without her.
Aside from my need to publicly acknowledge how amazing my wife is, I hope this post encourages you to reflect on who’s in your corner. I can’t imagine any entrepreneur having success if surrounded by dream killers. Your circle matters in all endeavors. Take today to be a little cheesy, a little sappy, and acknowledge your dream weaver and all of the actions they’ve taken to help get you where you are. Thank them – especially today.
