fed up with DH not earning any money

[superpenguin]

my DH set up his own business a couple of years ago but it has not really taken off and he is not bringing in any income.
He works really hard and I really want him to do well but it looks like it's just not going to work. But he is passionate about the business and will not give it up even though it is not making any money.

How can I persuade him to cut his losses and look for a job instead? or should I just let him carry on like this indefinitely?
He has never claimed any benefits from the state and he has never asked for any money from me.
I earn a reasonable income, enough for us both to live on, so it is reasonable I should expect him to contribute financially too?

Every time we talk about it he just tells me that it will work and to give it time, but I feel like I have given it forever already, and it's getting me down.
Any advice appreciated.

My hubby is self-employed and I find it hard to cope with the fluctuating income, he is a decorator and in the winter months there is very little work and we struggle, I have had to take apart time job to tide us over these troughs. You are fortunate that you have a good salary but can understand your fustration - you want the finer things in life

I'd suggest you agree a deadline. Establish a date in the future and mutually agree that if the business is hitting certain targets then he can carry on and develop it. But if it isn't hitting those targets he has to agree to call it a day, accept that it didn't work, and make other plans.

I don't think he has a clear picture what 'success' looks like at the moment and he's under no pressure to be profitable either. A deadline with strings attached would focus the mind.

If he really wants to continue with the business, he needs to pinpoint the reasons the business is not doing well, i.e. whether it's

• a demand problem- i.e. people just dont want what he's selling. There's no market.

• a publicity problem- people want the service but don't know about him.

• a competitive problem- he's unable to provide the service profitably at the market rate. This would usually be because he cant compete on costs with larger/ more established operators.

Publicity is solvable, the other 2 probably not.