3 Keys To Creating a Powerful Marriage and Business

— by Robert Fukui

Being married can be challenging enough at times but throw in the aspect of running a business and it gets even more complicated. Divorce lawyers estimate that divorce among entrepreneurial couples is 5-10% higher than the average.

This is a sobering statistic but it doesn’t need to be true for your marriage. There is a solution.

While sacrifices do need to be made for the business, it does not have to come at the cost of your marriage. That is a world standard that we as Christian’s shouldn’t have to live up to. 

So here are 3 Keys to Creating a Thriving Marriage and Prosperous Business. Listed in order of importance.

Key #1 - FAITH 

It is actually possible to have your cake and eat it too. Your marriage can be strengthened at the same time your business is prospering. Matthew 19:26 says “Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

According to an article written in Christianity Today, active conservative Protestants that attend church regularly are 35% less likely to get divorced than those with no religious affiliation. 

If that surprises you to see that stat it did to me as well. I was one that believed the lie that divorce rates in the church were the same as in the world. But remember, the operative word in that stat is “active” Christians. Not simply someone that states they are a Christian but one that is actually going to church, reading the bible, active in the church community, etc. It’s one that is walking the walk.

Key #2 - FAMILY 

The second priority behind God is your spouse (if applicable) and family. They should get your best after you give God his. Now, this isn’t measured in the amount of time you give but the quality in which you give it. 

One day a week of uninterrupted time for your spouse and family is a good goal to have. That means no checking emails, text, phone calls that have anything to do with business. Whatever time you do give your family, they deserve your undivided attention.

I understand that from time to time there will be business emergencies but they should be true emergencies. Time with your spouse and family should be protected and treated as the precious asset that it is. 

You give them your best, they’ll give you theirs. 

When you devote quality time to your spouse and family you will be amazed at how many conflicts disappear and how your relationships flourish. This will not only help your marriage but will do wonders for your physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health. 

Also, quality time with family will allow you to be better rested, energized and more productive in the business too.

Key #3 - FINANCE (Business)

Ok, so you’re probably wondering “how can I find time in my busy schedule to give quality uninterrupted time to God, spouse, and family...and still build the business?”

First, God will bless your faithfulness to Him and your family.

Second, you just need to get creative and find ways to do more with less. Putting more time in the business does not necessarily equate to increased output. So increase your productivity. 

A great example of both is Chick-fil-A. It’s no secret that the Cathy family are strong believers but they are also highly devoted to family. 

We all know that they are closed on Sundays. For a fast-food restaurant, Sunday’s represent 17% of total revenue for the week. So you would think this would put them behind amongst their competitors. 

Well, think again. 

A typical Chick-fil-A restaurant earns $4.16 million/store. That’s #1 in the industry! A distant second was Raising Cane’s (not McDonald’s) earning $2.9 million/store. (For more amazing stats about Chick-fil-A click here)

In short, the power struggle between marriage and business occurs because we are trying to build our business based upon our own understanding, knowledge and power. But Zachariah 4:6 says “‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ saith the Lord of hosts.

So put your faith and family first and lean on the Holy Spirit for creative solutions on how to work smarter not harder. When you do this you will build a Thriving Marriage and a Prosperous Business.

Related articles

——

[Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash ]