Mike AndesFounder, Augusta Lawn Care and Homeworks · Founder of Homeworks and Augusta Lawn Care

I've Heard From Hundreds of Owners Who Got the Talk

17 May 2026 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

1:14

In this talk, Mike Andes explains that many small‑business owners receive a wake‑up call from their spouse—often called “the talk”—when the partner’s love language is quality time. He argues that entrepreneurs pour time and energy into growing the business to eventually provide more for their families, yet the spouse may value time together over money, a bigger house, or status. When the business consumes the owner’s time, the partner can feel abandoned, leading to relationship strain or divorce. Andes stresses that a spouse is effectively a 50 % partner in the business, even if they are not formally involved, because a divorce can force the business to be split, sold, or otherwise destroyed through legal proceedings. He warns that this dynamic is a major, often overlooked cause of small‑business closures and urges owners to prioritize quality time with their significant other to protect both the relationship and the business.

Chapters

There are many times I hear from business owners where they have the talk from their significant other, their spouse. It's always a wake-up call because it's the people that you are doing all the work for. And the reason why you put so much effort into the business many times is to spend more time with them. And especially if your partner or your spouse, their love language is quality time, they can feel abandoned. And you're pouring so much time and energy into the business and making more money. And we can convince ourselves many times that we're doing it for them. But many times they don't want the more money. They don't want the bigger house. They just want time with you. And this is actually a major reason for many businesses closing down. Either divorce or some sort of relationship strain is a huge contributing factor to many small businesses that close down. And if you are married, you have a 50% partner in the business, even if they don't work with you. Because if that relationship goes to waste and falls apart and you end up in divorce court, the business almost always gets completely shredded, whether it be an attorney or the courts pulling the thing apart until finally, either from distraction or actually forced to sell the business. This is not where we want to end up.