5 Ways You Can and Should Treat Dating Like Business

Greetings King,

For the past decade or so, it is clear that dating, relationships, and marriage have been a struggle for millennial, and gen Z men. It’s been such a struggle, that the divorce rates have been higher in these two generations than there have been in recorded history and marriage rates have declined.

There are three reasons for this:

1. Poor communication skills
2. Lack of patience
3. Selfishness

Poor Communication Skills

We’re worse communicators than the generations before us. Passive-aggression has been our go-to tactic. We can’t speak to people face to face, or even on the phone for that matter. We assume that people should understand exactly how we feel in any given situation rather than voicing our comments or concerns.

Lack of Patience

We’re the least patient when it comes to dealing with difficult periods in relationships. Many of us believe that relationships should be like fairy tale endings, happily ever after. Unfortunately, this isn’t the reality of life. Difficult periods will always be around the corner, but we can’t seem to navigate life effectively when things aren’t going our way.

Selfishness

We’re the most selfish group compared to the previous generations. Vanity is quite high with us, we’re very narcissistic and we always seek to take advantage of people for personal gain. I’m sure that while reading this you can think of two or three people that have tried to use you for a skill or connection you may have for only a mere “thank you” in return.

Because of these three reasons, there is a lack of trust among men and women in these two generational cohorts. Understand however, we brought this on ourselves. While we can put some blame on the generation that raised us, we also have to remember that we’re adults now and we have control over the way our lives will end.?

The way to do that is to live life with intention, just like the way you’d build a business with intention.

Here are five ways you can treat dating like a business.

1. Have a dating vetting process
2. Have a relationship plan to present
3. Be transparent
4. Be authentic
5. Voice concerns

Have a dating vetting process

You won’t join a business venture with someone because they speak well or dress well. You want to know specific details of the business venture to determine if it is a good investment that can bring favourable returns. That is, a business analysis must be conducted. Similarly, you shouldn’t just begin a relationship with someone because they’re physically attractive or they speak a good game or they have a nice car.?

Your version of a business analysis is the dating process. Here is where you ask them questions about them and observe their mannerisms and how they treat people (i.e. waiters/waitresses). Observe the way in which they speak about their previous relationship. At this time, you should be at your most logical.

Have a relationship plan to present

Every serious business should have a business plan. There are five year projections, ten year projections, marketing strategies etc. in business plans that are serious about making an impact in the marketplace. Similarly, life plans should be discussed to determine of the both of you are a right fit for each other.?

Be transparent

Serious entrepreneurs are straightforward with their investors as it relates to the intentions for the business, the size of investment needed, and estimated time of ROI (return on investment). Similarly, during the dating period, both parties need to be straightforward with one another about their true intentions. This way, no one’s time is wasted and there isn’t deep regret or resentment.

Be authentic

Businesses that pretend to be something they’re not are referred to as Ponzi schemes because they swindle people out of their time and money. It’s the same for dating. If you want to have deep, meaningful and fulfilling relationships, you’ll want to present yourself authentically from the start.?

Don’t pretend to love partying because she loves partying or that Netflix movie she loves when you know for a fact that you’re a homebody and you like sports more than movies. Always present yourself authentically to remove all assumptions and guesswork.

Voice concerns

In business, if there’s a part of the plan that the investors don’t like, they immediately voice their concerns because remember, there are millions of dollars at stake. Similarly, you must put value on your time and money, and voice your concerns about things you might have heard or seen.?

Far too many people in the millennial, and gen Z cohorts see red flags that seriously bother them, but choose not to speak up and these problems end up being magnified in the relationships.

Dating is only for serious relationships and has to be intentional at all times. It greatly reduces the risk of wasting yours and other people’s time and it is honourable to be clear and precise with your intentions.

Be legendary.