How well do you really know your ideal investors, customers and prospects, employees, business partners and so on? Most people really don’t.

They have random jigsaw pieces (the last deal or contract they did together, the last couple of roles that person was in, the odd anecdote) but not a clear, contemporary and discernible picture of the individual(s). They are guessing.

If you really interested in the people doing the work, do so from a highly informed position.

In a technology-driven age, the danger is not robots or AI but smarter competitors applying knowledge to create higher touch experiences. One that predicts self-interests more accurately, connects the dots with human empathy, and monetises relationships faster and more profitably.

Here is a little exercise “Target 10”. Pick the ten most important individual relationships for your immediate business and personal success:

1. What are the life changes that those individuals are seeking to make?
2. What bores them and they want quit?
3. What excites them and they want to experiment further with?
4. What resources and relationships do they ideally need to maximise their income and “free” time while meeting or exceeding their desired life changes? (capital, people, technology and so on)
5. What resources and relationships do you control or you might influence to assist those individuals lead their desired lifestyle? (look into three circles: your family and friends, business and investments and interests)
6. How might you make that happen where it is in your mutual self-interest to do so? (ideal situation, ideal time, ideal place, ideal conditions etc.)
7. How can you make yourself more relevant and immediately useful in future situations? (new skills, new behaviours, new expertise, more impressive and diverse contacts, greater reciprocity with peers etc.)
8. With that knowledge, what value will you bring to their attention today, tomorrow and the day after? (ideas, insights, products, services, contacts etc.)
9. How will you and others know you are making progress and successful with those relationships? (changes in behaviour, results etc)
10. What is the ideal position you want those relationships to remain in? (financial, non-financial success)

We get out of relationships what we put in. That is an individual not an organisational decision.

If you are, or are considering being, an entrepreneur do you have a supportive and/or supporting family (spouse, partner, extended family)?

“Supportive”, in the sense that they are willing, and do, routinely give you honest feedback (accountability), and at times, tough love (point out negative behaviours) while accepting the compromises of building your business and the family’s wealth (staycation, missing the kids play).

“Supporting”, they happily contribute time, money and resources to fund and maintain a reasonable lifestyle when you, the entrepreneur, are at your most vulnerable (childcare, education, mortgage etc.).

Let me be frank, it is OK to have your family supporting you (dual careers, family seed investment) so long as it doesn’t put anyone in peril. It is not OK, in my experience, if you cease to have a supportive family. You will not succeed if you have the family screaming “get a salaried role”, “where’s the money you promised” or “why haven’t you sold out yet”.

1. Deal with their fears (perceived or actual) beforehand and during the venture.
2. Address their self-interest (enhanced lifestyle choices), and then your own self-interest (peace of mind, financial flexibility).
3. Recognise that support is often conditional (meeting or exceeding certain logical and emotional imperatives), and can change or end, at any moment, not of your choosing.
4. Take time to regularly communicate in your weekly routine, formally and informally (dinners, social gatherings).
5. Confront and/or rid yourself of negative family relationships, who merely seek to score points for some imaginary victory (“I told you it was foolish.”) and drain your energy or enthusiasm to build your business. Bring bad news up early, and allow for midcourse changes of direction.
6. Make all important financial decisions with your spouse or partner, present in the room.
7. Get professional and qualified “help”, if you cannot resolve relationship problems within 30 days.

Families are often an overlooked “elephant in the room” in entrepreneurial success (control, influence or outside of your control and influence). Business is often a 24/7, 365-day singular focus for the entrepreneur with many more disappointments than successes to report. You can always create another business venture, it is much harder to create a supportive family.