How Owning a Business Changed My Relationship

How Owning a Business Changed My Relationship—Let’s Talk About It Let’s get uncomfortably honest for a minute. You know what no one talks about when you start your dream business? How it sucker-punches your relationship. Oh, sure, there’s the “You’re amazing, babe!” phase when you’re getting started. The “Wow, look at you go!” stage. But then… the orders pile up, your brain is a tangled mass of product labels, website glitches, and tax deadlines, and suddenly you’re sitting on opposite ends of the couch, one of you staring at Canva and the other silently wondering if there’s a clean spoon left in the house. Yeah. That part. Running a business is a full-time job with overtime and no sick days. When you're the aesthetician, marketer, cleaner, receptionist, and occasional emergency therapist all in one... something has to give. And sometimes? That "something" is the sweet little moments with your partner that used to feel easy—like chatting over dinner or doing absolutely nothing together without guilt gnawing at you. You start trading date nights for inventory runs. Lazy Sundays become client care emails and "just a few hours" of market prep that turn into 12. You love your partner, of course you do, but suddenly your love language becomes “I did the laundry so you could keep working on that new product.” It’s not glamorous. It’s real. There are days when I look at him, standing in the kitchen, and think: "You have no idea how tired I am." And he probably looks at me and thinks: "You’ve been glued to that laptop for 7 hours. Do you even see me anymore?" Here’s the kicker: we’re both right. But neither of us is wrong. Owning a business isn’t just demanding—it’s consuming. And while it gives you purpose, passion, and independence, it also quietly takes up real estate in your relationship if you’re not careful. It wasn’t a romantic weekend away that brought us back to centre. It was... Saying thank you for the little things (like taking the kids so I could film content without someone yelling "MOMMMM"). Actually explaining what I’m working on, instead of assuming he “just doesn’t get it.” Apologizing when I get short because I’m running on two hours of sleep and dried serum. Recognizing when he’s trying, even if it’s not in the way I’d do it. Sometimes love looks like late-night tacos after a long day of clients. Sometimes it’s them building a chicken coop while you label facial toner at midnight. Sometimes love is choosing each other even when it would be easier to just go to bed mad. I’m not going to pretend I’ve figured it all out. Some weeks we’re a dream team. Others, we’re ships passing in the night, both too exhausted to even argue properly. But here’s the thing: he stayed. I stayed. We’re learning how to stay, together. If you’re in the thick of building your dream and feeling like your relationship is collateral damage… you're not alone. It doesn’t mean you’re failing. It just means it’s time to recalibrate. Because your business can be your baby—but it shouldn’t be your everything. If you’re reading this and nodding quietly while pretending not to tear up a little—same, babe. We’re all just doing our best in the chaos. And if your partner washed the blender so you could keep chasing your goals today? Go kiss them like you mean it. They’re in it with you—even if they’re not in the treatment room.