How Personal Relationships Can Change For Entrepreneurs

Dan Sullivan

The health of your personal relationships affects how you show up in your business.

Rapid entrepreneurial growth and ambition sometimes cause you to outgrow personal relationships, and unaddressed friction from this change can negatively impact your professional endeavors.

A great deal of our confidence and sense of stability comes from our personal life, so this must get resolved quickly.

How personal relationships can change.

You may start with common ground, whether with childhood friends, family, or even a spouse. Then, ambition—typically when one person has it and the other doesn’t—causes the path to split. Economic disparity within families, despite members sharing the same upbringing and culture, can also cause pressure due to jealousy and judgment.

Naturally, people and relationships evolve over a lifetime, and rapid growth may cause you to struggle to relate to people you used to be close to. Your new success may also spark feelings of envy and resentment in others.

We’ve even found that entrepreneurs will sometimes leave The Strategic Coach Program because their rapid progress causes friction in their personal life. This is also usually when things in their business are better than ever. Subconsciously (or not), they feel pressured to slow down or hold back.

How to address change in your personal relationships.

Usually, I recommend that entrepreneurs tackle this friction with a sense of urgency.

The best place to start is by being honest and telling the truth to whomever is caught up in the friction. This can lead to a breakthrough—or a break-up if both parties can’t see a way to move together in the direction of growth, support, and understanding.

After decades of doing what I do, the entire nature of my social universe is entrepreneurial. My closest relationships are with independent, ambitious, growth-oriented people who are unwilling to live stagnant lives. They range from new entrepreneurs making their first breakthroughs to seasoned entrepreneurs making billions. Yet, no matter where they are along the journey, they are committed to freedom.

Entrepreneurship is ultimately about freedom, and our inner circle must understand that.

It’s about unapologetic growth, collaboration, and free time for rejuvenation and relaxation. It’s about having an incredible support system and deep resonance with the people closest to you. Finally, it’s about having a community of like-minded people—ambitious, creative, and cooperative—to grow alongside you and push you to your highest potential.

This is the community we cultivate in The Strategic Coach Program, which is designed for entrepreneurs seeking freedom and support.

We also have programs for team members to understand the entrepreneurial mindset and for families to learn the concepts of Strategic Coach. The intention is to enable the people around you to comprehend your world, align their expectations with yours, and accept you for who you are.

Tips for maintaining healthy personal relationships as an entrepreneur.

Everyone is on a different path. You can get along with anyone by learning what they’re excited about and being genuinely interested. Be engaged. Ask questions. Be open to the possibility that you can learn from anyone.

Don't use your success as a weapon or to make other people feel lesser. Instead, be kind and respectful to everyone, but ensure those closest to you have your best interests in mind and support your growth.

Personal relationships are essential to any person’s life, and the healthiest ones are where each person encourages and enhances the ambitions of the other. Learn about the eight “ambition mindsets” in my book Ambition Scorecard and continue transforming your ambitious goals into breakthrough achievements—and help the people you care about reach their goals too!

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