Dave Ramsey’s Entreleadership: Ask Dave

*Published with permission in the July, 2015 newseltter*

Married to An Entrepreneur

Dear Dave,
My wife is a very energetic entrepreneur. I’m a little more laid back, so we have very different personality styles. What’s the best way to encourage and communicate with her, and not hold her back from her ambitions? – Charles

Dear Charles,
This is a great question! You’ve already taken the first step in recognizing and identifying your personality styles. If she’s a hard-charging entrepreneur, there’s a good chance God sent you into her life to slow her down enough so she can keep it between the ditches. That’s what my wife does for me. She doesn’t hold me back at all. But sometimes I’ll get to a point where I’m so wrapped up in a project or new opportunity that I can’t turn it loose. That’s when she knows to step in and say, “Honey, did you ever think about this possibility?” or simply, “Dave, slow down!”

The fact that you’re wired a little differently, that you can go slow enough to be observant and wise when things in her professional life are hectic, is one of the most valuable benefits you bring to your relationship. Once she understands and respects this, the more you guys — together — are going to win. It’s going to make a positive impact on your lives, because you’ll be making steady progress that’s more predictable and reasonable versus sudden launches into the stratosphere that are usually followed by crashes.

I love these discussions about family and business. As you grow to better understand the other’s thinking – and how each is necessary for success — a beautiful piece of music will be created. Your encouraging, but cautionary, due diligence side, and her energy and passion to pull things forward, can be the key to you guys making great things happen together!
—Dave

Client is Out of Bounds

Dear Dave,
My wife and I own a small business, and we run it debt-free. We only accept cash or checks in payment. Recently, we’ve had a client start pushing us to accept credit cards. What is your take on this situation? – David

Dear David,
For starters, that client is out of bounds. It’s not his, or her, place to tell you two how to run your business. In a way, you’re kind of lucky to only have one person getting pushy about the whole credit card deal. I have a bunch of people who are mad at me because I won’t accept credit cards. But in my case it’s not just a business decision. I teach people all the time not to use credit cards, so I’d be the world’s biggest hypocrite if I accepted them.

Your case is a little different. Still, if you and your wife have a moral or values issue with accepting credit cards, that’s fine. It’s okay for you not to accept them for payment. You’ll probably have a few people turn up their noses at the idea of not being able to pay with credit, but if you’ve got great products and services, that will only amount to an occasional bump in the road.

But it’s not okay for someone to give you grief over how your business is structured by saying, “You know, you ought to take credit cards so things will be easier for me.” Dude, did you forget how to write a check? I mean, really. It’s not that hard!
—Dave