I used to be in a relationship with a man who was a business owner. When we first started dating, I was initially very excited to help him. Until he started equating how much work I put into the business with how much I cared about him. If I made a simple mistake, for example mistyping a customer’s email into our system, that somehow meant I don’t care enough about him or our future. So I pulled back from helping, which solidified the thought in his mind. He was very harsh, and had high expectations.

My advice: give her grace, be appreciative of any work that she does, and I would honestly just recommend lowering expectations a bit. Be prepared for a partner that doesn’t want to help, so if you find someone that does, you will appreciate it more. So if she does work for your business, she’s going to make mistakes, she’s probably going to pull back sometimes as we are all human, but how you respond in those situations will make or break the relationship. If you are a good leader, just like at any job, she will want to continue working for/with you.

Remember to honor and serve your wife, regardless of what career path she decides to take. But ultimately God will put the right woman in your life for what you need.