How to date as a busy entrepreneur

When your first love is your business, making time for someone else is tricky. You’ve got payroll to run, stock to be ordered and contracts to be fulfilled – cupid is going to have to wait. However, if you’re serious about giving your love life some attention, it’s time to adjust your mindset. To sprinkle some romance on your Q2 roadmap, check out our tips for dating as a busy entrepreneur.

Prioritise

In business terms, to start with your goal is acquisition. Set yourself a target of X dates or introductions a month. You can then prioritise this against your normal schedule.

Found someone you like? Now it’s lead nurture. Commit X hours a week to your relationship. If it’s going to work you’ve got to give it a chance. Your business priorities aren’t going away,  so setting yourself a dating goal will help you make time for it.

Plan and be flexible

You know how to plan, you do it for your business all the time. You wouldn’t leave your staff rota or quarterly financials to chance, so do the same with your personal life. Set aside time each week to message people on dating sites. If you’re already seeing someone, find time in your diary to give them a call.

Think creatively too. Can you call them while you’re doing something else, like traveling or cooking? Can you meet for a coffee or lunch between meetings? If you wait for the chance to spend a whole weekend together you can lose momentum. Find the gaps in your schedule to show them you care.

Give and take

Now you’re in a relationship and you want to make it work. But what do you when business issues get in the way?

To start with, you need a partner who’s going to understand that sometimes you can’t switch off, and plans will sometimes get cancelled, often at the last minute.

To repay their understanding, you need to show them that your relationship is just as important to you as your business. Think about it from their point of view, would you want to be in a relationship where you’re always no 2?

How to do this will be different for everyone, but you need to dedicate time to do things together. Make up for missed dates with other, better dates. Add in some surprises, thoughtful gifts and generally finding ways to show you care.

Again this goes back to the point on prioritising – if they’re worth it, make it your goal to prioritise them. If they’re not, go back to the start.

Take time off to spend together

Small business owners are generally pretty rubbish at taking holidays. 76% work through their holidays and 17% take no time off at all. However, the benefits of time away from your business can be huge. Spending time together (not working) will help you form a stronger relationship and lasting memories. It will also help to reduce stress and leave you energised with new ideas when you return to work.

Be honest with yourself

If you find yourself trying to be extra efficient at work so you can spend more time with your partner, chances are you’re on to a winner. If you’re using work as an excuse not to see someone, then maybe it’s time to call it off. The same is true for everyone, but for busy entrepreneurs with less time to water, it’s all the more important.