Many small business owners are mixing business with pleasure and turning to their partners for straight talking advice…
When it comes to honest business advice, accountants and bank managers are being cast aside in favour of our other half. According to a nationwide study of 2,000 small business owners by T-Mobile, over half of bosses will turn to their husband, wife or partner before anyone else.
In fact, the findings show that parents are preferred to accountants (22%), trade bodies or other local businesses (3%) and bank managers (2%).
More than half (53%) of small business owners choose their business advisor based on who they trust to tell them the truth. A further 27 per cent seek business advice from those who were most likely to “give it to them straight”.
TV psychologist and leading behavioural expert Judi James says: “It’s understandable that we tend to turn to our partners for this honest and clear advice – they have the same goals as us and understand the complexities of the possible answers to our problems. Unlike other advisors, they have no hidden agenda and aren’t trying to impress us to secure a contract.
Psychologically, talking to our partner is the closest thing we have to talking to ourselves. By logically discussing our problems with them we have to ‘straight talk’ the problem over. In this respect they become a vital sounding-board as well as an actual advisor.”
It’s over to you – who do you turn to with your work problems? Do you go to your significant other for some honest business advice, or do you never bring the office home with you? Post your views in the comments below, talk to us on Twitter or write on our Facebook wall!
Picture kindly from here
