Your beloved spouse comes home from another day at the grind and announces, “I’ve had enough! I’m going into business for myself.” Before you start hoarding food and stashing money in the mattress, stop and pray.
Remember that God is sovereign and that He will provide for you. This new venture may be exactly what God has planned for your life. Surrender your will to Christ and pray. He may give you a peace that calms your fears and alleviates your concerns. Anxiety is a natural reaction to change, but as Christians we are to fight back with God’s truth.
The changes that come about in your spouse may surprise you, especially if they are following a prompting from God to leave the traditional work force. Pray with your spouse and be honest about your feelings. Discuss your excitement over the possibilities that a new business can provide. Vent your frustrations and fears about the changes and instability that will come in days ahead. Keep the communication open, between you and your spouse, and you and God.
This does not mean putting on a smile no matter what happens and ignoring the realities around you. It does mean that you should live beyond your circumstances and trust God. Be supportive of your spouse through the ups and downs. Encourage each other, pray together, talk with other couples who have started a home business together.
Do some research in your spouse’s chosen area of business. Learn the associated jargon. Be familiar with the product or service provided by the business. Make yourself available to help with menial tasks like errands and printing shipping labels. Talk up your spouses’s bravery and professionalism every chance you get. Announce the birth of your new business at church, to your friends and family, to anyone who will listen. Be your spouse’s biggest fan. You will need to be knowledgeable of the business so that you can take calls on busy days and answer questions on the street when approached by curious neighbors and passers by.
Go to the library and research small business management and marketing, condense the books into a divided binder full of notes on the topics your have researched. You can present it to your spouse as a “business warming” gift. This information should be easy to read and condensed down to useful facts. You can even sneak in personal notes of encouragement, scripture verses or inspirational quotes.
Going the extra mile to show interest in what is important to your spouse will help hold you together through the storms of life and will allow you ti build a strong, Christ centered business that can be passed down for generations to come.