50 Signs You Are Married to an Entrepreneur Sometimes there's money, sometimes not so much, but there is always a plan and a lot to do.
By Kristy Rampton Edited by Dan Bova
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
All marriages come with all different types of challenges and experiences. I have realized that while many of these marriage/partner experiences are similar to other couples', there is a whole new dimension in marriages involving an entrepreneur.
The breed of the entrepreneur personality has many unique traits that don't always fit into the same box that some may consider the "norm" in a relationship. As someone who is married to an entrepreneur, I often find myself shaking my head and enjoying some of the funny things that my husband does. Some of these things I absolutely love about him, some I learn to live with, and luckily, we often both laugh about the entrepreneurial personality!
If you are married to an entrepreneur, or if you have ever wondered what it is like to be married to one, check out this list. I came up with this list after my husband wrote the article, "50 Signs You Might be an Entrepreneur." If a large quantity of these, "signs," resonate with you, then you are definitely married to an entrepreneur!
Related: How to Be an Entrepreneur Happily Married to an Entrepreneur
1. It's hard to explain what your spouse does for work in just a couple sentences.
2.You have suddenly awoken somewhere around 5:30am to the sound of your spouse's fingers clicking on his laptop next to you in bed.
3. At times your bank account has enough money in it to buy a house outright, but your spouse is still driving what I call his, "clunker" of a car. (And worse, he doesn't care!)
4. The balance in your bank account fluctuates by tens of thousands of dollars from one week to the next on a regular basis.
5. Your entrepreneur's commute often consists of relocating all the way from the bedroom to the couch or his desk.
6. You have more swag in your house than you know what to do with.
7. Your spouse has said to you "Honey, I might have bought something." And when you ask him what he bought, he says "A domain!" You breathe deeply before you ask, "How much?" And he says, "Um, $17k." You try hard to appear reasonable, and calm, and try not to freak-out. I try to remember that he knows what he's doing, and will, of course, have an idea of what he will use this domain for. But, when I ask my entrepreneur what the domain is for, he hasn't decided yet! Whaaaat?!
8. You have attended more events and networking groups than you can count.
9. More people know your name and face than you could have possibly ever met. Of course, you are often only referred to as, "the spouse of so and so."
10. Your entrepreneur may have at least three or four lunch meetings a week, and three or four late business meetings/events a week. I have to remember that a lot of plans are "soft," plans.
11. You have done many random jobs for their business, like data entry, content editing, managed schedules and ordering supplies.
12. They are always working on multiple projects at the same time.
13. Their attention and their drive on each project sometimes only lasts for as long as it keeps their interest and keeps them busy.
14. It often feels like they spend more time with their co-founder than they do with you.
15. They sometimes get so busy they forget to take time to shower for a day.
16. It's like pulling teeth to get them to take a real vacation where they actually unplug.
17. You have planned multiple parties for their office.
18. They go into the "zone" while working where they can block everything else out around them, (especially your voice!).
19. They go over and over something with you before they make a decision, but once they decide, their mind is 100 percent made up.
20. Every time they tag you in something on Facebook you have at least 3 people from a foreign country send you a friend request.
21. Their laptop bag contains things like a toothbrush, protein bars, ear plugs, sleeping pills, a wifi card, and multiple power cords for every possible device.
Related: The Secret of Staying Married While Starting a Business
22. They have seen movies like "Social Network," "Wallstreet," and "Jerry McGuire" 20+ times, and can quote them all.
23. The only way to get them to remember dates or events is to send them a Google calendar invite.24. You sometimes worry that their headphones or Bluetooth have become permanently attached to their head.
25. You often feel like your entrepreneur lives in the clouds, of their dream businesses and projects, and you have to be the one to give them the reality checks they need.
26. Your spouse is unpredictable. Things can quickly change for an entrepreneur and they have to be ready to make adjustments when needed.
27. You often realize your entrepreneur has been so busy they haven't eaten all day and you have to simply put food in front of them as they continue to work.
28. They have a collection of badges from all the hundreds of conferences and networking events they have attended.
29. They have come to you more than once wanting to invest everything you own into a project.
30. They are naturals at outsourcing.
31. They have multiple accounts on all different types of social media sites.
32. You have learned exactly what the terms bootstrapping, VC, and Series C funding means.
33. They talk to anyone and everyone when you are out in public and they are always networking.
34. They are always willing to give advice to other entrepreneurs. They are natural helpers.
35. You are their sounding board and they talk to you about business ideas that they need a fresh ear on. Many of the businesses you don't always understand, but you listen anyway.
36. You have toted a baby to more than one board meeting or event.
37. They tend to prefer jeans and a t-shirt to dress clothes. My entrepreneur often likes to have me pick out his clothes for events.
38. One of their guilty pleasures is browsing domains for sale.
39. They are always focused on the future and where they want to be in fove or 10 years.
40. They are always looking for new ways to make money, like posting your blowup mattress in the middle of your living room on airbnb.com.
41. They are one of the most passionate and hardworking people you know.
42. You have cleaned their office to save money on cleaning.
43. They often have sleepless nights when their brain won't stop thinking about money and new ideas to grow their projects.
44. There is at least three businesses using your home address to receive mail.
45. You have found them shamelessly checking emails and texts while in the bathroom.
46. Some days your house looks like a pawn shop.
47. You have heard your entrepreneur rehearsing aloud their important sales pitches for their investors, countless times.
48. It has become commonplace to be called and told someone is coming to dinner with 30 minutes to prepare.
49. They constantly get offers from other companies or projects to join, and you have to remind them not to spread themselves too thin.
50. Thankfully, they don't forget you, and often thank you for being so understanding and flexible, by surprising you with flowers or a favorite treat.
Even if you relate to half of these, "signs," you are probably married to an entrepreneur. I hope both you and your entrepreneur are able to chuckle and enjoy this list. After all, marriage is a rollercoaster, but you can enjoy the ride!
Related: How to Keep the Marriage Strong When You Work Together
