Startup-itis

Some wannabe entrepreneurs get startup-itis. It's a disease that strikes people who think they're entrepreneurs, and might be doing a few things so that they can claim this title, but actually are doing a number of things to prevent themselves from actually launching the business.

If the business your entrepreneur wants to start isn't off the ground, and a fair amount of time has passed (for example, friends who first heard about it, are saying things like, "It's still not going yet?!"), ask yourself if you're starting to hear things like this from your entrepreneur:

"I'd be able to launch it, except I'm still waiting for some government red tape to clear."

"I don't have all the information I need yet, and no one will tell me, so I can't move forward."

"Some potential customers I talked to are asking for a track record, so I'm waiting to contact more until I get a track record together."

"The product's not ready, so everything's on hold."

Are you sensing a theme here?

Too many people create their own obstacles to moving forward with their business ideas. Why not- it's easy! And by blaming some external force in what's holding you back, the entrepreneur doesn't have to feel responsible themselves.

If the symptoms persist, you, the StartUp Spouse might have to step in and have a quiet talk with them. Keep pressing them for details as to why they are stuck. Once you get down to the real, key problems, have the entrepreneur devise a specific plan to overcome them. It might be as simple as "go down to the local licensing office to fill out some forms", or as complicated as "research pricing of competitors and determine a price for what the entrepreneur's offering". Whatever it is, the extra push from you might be what they need to get out of a temporary rut.