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" Dear E. Jean:My boyfriend owns a company that makes iPhone apps. Last year he made more than $650,000, just in salary. This year he&amp;#039;ll probably double that. I, on the other hand, have a struggling business that I am working hard to grow. The problem is, my boyfriend spends tons of money on his projects, his charities, his investments,his socializing\u2014and lots of time talking about the expensive things he wants to buy for himself. Isn&amp;#039;t this a bit insensitive? I&amp;#039;m laboring so hard! I know I&amp;#039;ll be successful, but I&amp;#039;m not able to go out and shop\u2014never mind splurge\u2014at this point in my life. We&amp;#039;ve been together three years, and he is generous in that he buys me dinners and has paid for one vacation to France. But he doesn&amp;#039;t otherwise offer to share his success. Heaven knows he&amp;#039;s worked hard for it, but am I not entitled to some of his dough, since we&amp;#039;ve been together three years?\u2014Something Doesn&amp;#039;t Feel Right Miss Something: I&amp;#039;m all for a girl using every weapon at her disposal to get what she wants, but to paraphrase Simone de Beauvoir, the only difference between a girlfriend who sucks money out of a chap and a prostitute is the amount of cash spent and the length of time the payments run. You&amp;#039;re his girl, not his call girl. Your business is &amp;quot;struggling&amp;quot; because you&amp;#039;re focusing on his money, not concentrating on making your own. What puzzles me is this: Why aren&amp;#039;t you excited about your start-up? Nothing\u2014not sex, food, the entire nation of France\u2014is more stirring than launching your own start-up. So if the monologue in your head is about your boyfriend&amp;#039;s projects\u2026 if paying attention to your boyfriend&amp;#039;s business is more stimulating than paying attention to your own business\u2026if you&amp;#039;re thinking that &amp;quot;something doesn&amp;#039;t feel right,&amp;quot; this is the thing that not&amp;#039;s right. If your start-up is dead, cut your losses. If your business is unconscious, change it. If you&amp;#039;re not joyful doing what you&amp;#039;re doing, stop doing it and pivot. Once you experience the no-bullshit fire of being an entrepreneur, you&amp;#039;ll be too electrified, too crazed, too exhausted, too worried, and too happy making your own money to even notice your boyfriend&amp;#039;s successes and bank accounts. Good luck! Send me your new business card. E-mail your questions to  e.jean@askejean.com MORE E. JEAN:  I Hate My Body  Choosing Between Two Lovers  Bride Versus Future Mother-In-Law "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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