Women Business Owners in the Divorce Process
I thought I could handle this – but I had no idea how complicated this would get so quickly. I need help.
If you are a woman business owner, you’re likely an expert in planning, budgeting, project management, and evaluating results. You may even view your divorce as a “project.” But this project is about more than hitting a financial target. It’s wildly emotional. And the stakes couldn’t be higher.
The divorce negotiation process is unlike any other. You’ll experience anxiety, sadness, anger, indecision, and often a feeling of failure. Yes, you can rely on the skills that have served you as you’ve built your business, but this time you simply can’t do it alone. We’re here to help.
Most business women assume they can rely on their talents at multitasking and attention to details to help them through their divorce. But they often fail to realize that they are entering into an unfamiliar and often scary new world. You likely approach problems with a fiercely capable attitude. “I can deal with this… I’m strong and smart… I’ll just break this down into manageable pieces…” Your can-do approach to life will get you into a problem-solving mode for sure — but you’ll need help. Lots of it.
The challenge facing most women business owners is this: You are accustomed to being your own boss and running your own show. But you’re probably not used to asking for help. You’ll need a strong creative legal team who is there to support you in staying clear-headed as the divorce process thrusts you through rough patches that feel like they will derail you, your kids and your career – and this happens while you are in the midst of the most important negotiations of your life: your kids and your financial future. Our team here at DCLG is made up of compassionate fierce legal advocates. You need a team who you can trust and where you can be vulnerable. And something unique about the lawyer – client relationship is that everything you tell us must be held in strictest confidence. This is critical during the divorce process because friends, colleagues, as well as family members, and even possibly your therapist could be subject to depositions and anything you have told them is open to discovery. You, quite simply need a legal team you can trust.
Here’s the biggest challenge for women business owners going through a divorce: When “traditional” (whatever that means) families go through the divorce process, the husband is likely the primary wage earner, and the wife is typically responsible for the parenting duties. The breadwinner has to let go of money and the primary parent has to let go of the kids. But it’s different for women breadwinners in the divorce process. Most women are also the primary parent. So… that parent finds herself not just having to give up money to the other spouse, but also access to the children. And it really doesn’t feel fair.
With proper education and support from an experienced, efficient, and compassionate legal team, this is all doable. It takes time, grit, and resolve, but if you are a business owner, you already have those qualities, or you wouldn’t be where you are today.
