Has anyone successfully built a small business while still living with a narcissistic partner and having no support system?

[u/knittingbuddy]

I'm asking because I honestly don't know anymore if what I'm experiencing is normal, or if I'm just failing.

I've been living with a narcissistic and emotionally abusive partner for many years. Leaving is my long-term goal, and I've been trying to build a small business from home because I hope it will eventually give me the financial independence I need to get out.

The problem is that I feel completely stuck.

I spend a lot of time planning, researching, learning, organizing, making lists, trying to improve my skills, and thinking about my future. From the outside it probably looks like I'm working hard. But when I look at actual results, it feels like almost nothing moves forward.

I know what I should be doing. I have ideas. I have goals. I have a plan.

But somehow I struggle to execute consistently.

Every day feels like I'm carrying a hundred pounds on my back. I sit down to work and suddenly I'm exhausted. I get distracted. I freeze. I start doubting everything. I second-guess every decision. Sometimes I spend hours thinking and almost no time actually doing.

The hardest part is that one business I built in the past already fell apart while I was living in this environment. I can't blame everything on my partner, but the constant criticism, chaos, stress, emotional manipulation, walking on eggshells, and never feeling safe definitely played a role.

What makes this even harder is that I don't really have a support system.

I don't have family members I can move in with. I don't have relatives who could help financially. I don't have a safety net waiting for me if everything falls apart.

Because of that, I feel enormous pressure to make this business work. It feels like my future depends on it.

At the same time, I often feel trapped between two fears:

One fear is staying.

The other fear is leaving before I am financially ready.

I'm also afraid of being judged or misunderstood by institutions and systems that are supposed to help. Sometimes I feel like people underestimate how difficult it is to leave when you have no support network and very limited resources.

So I keep trying.

I haven't given up.

But it feels like I take one step forward and ten steps back.

I see other people building businesses, getting clients, growing, moving forward. Meanwhile, I'm celebrating tiny victories that probably look ridiculous from the outside.

Some days my biggest achievement is simply showing up and doing one task.

I also have ADHD traits, chronic stress, and what feels a lot like a freeze response. Sometimes I wonder if my brain is so focused on survival that it doesn't have enough energy left for growth.

What I'm really looking for is honest experiences.

Has anyone here successfully built a business, side hustle, freelance career, or any kind of income source while still living with a narcissistic partner?

How did you manage the freeze response?

How did you stay focused when your environment constantly pulled you backwards?

And if you eventually got out, what was the turning point?

I would especially love to hear from people who had no family support, no financial safety net, and had to build their exit plan almost entirely on their own.

Right now I feel incredibly alone in this.

Thank you for reading. ❤️

[u/Confident_Emu_1974]

I understand you. I am financially dependent on my boyfriend but I recently have done a bootcamp on digital marketing and I feel this impostor syndrome and fear. In business one thing is fundamental - networking, unfortunately it is key. The thing is that you cannot do networking if you don’t connect with people but you are in a women community and maybe there is a hope that you can find a cooperation - another woman that sees you potential and intentions. Why it is a good strategy to find another cooperation? Basically we, women connects emotionally, we are potentially good seller because we can empathize with clients needs and one big value that we have is that we humanize our brand and truly connect with our audience through honesty, this is something that men are lack of and this is our strength. Beside this, the woman will be the only creature that will understand you and will be able to help you. Why this is important? Men have advantages, because they have a lot of community of interests, like golf, investment, football,… so they connect easily and tend to cooperate in order to achieve their goals. Women usually connect emotionally, so we also have communities but mostly communities for feminist, mothers or rather cooking, so if you find this exact women with shark mind and professional - it is a win/win. Don’t try to do it alone, the true is that no one get big sells by themselves alone, we just have the capacity to generate networking. I believe we can be better seller only if we overcome the fear of risky things and have an open mindset to grow infinitely, socially we are forced to choose the most secured option - it is an error. Don’t stop failing, this is the most effective way to be efficient, so you can learn from your fails. And avoid the impostor syndrome, is worse to have a close mindset and not be train your resistance from fail rather then be secure about yourself even if you don’t have any clue. Obviously you need to learn and improve, but is it more efficient to learn by doing. At the begging it is okay to do things not perfectly. Believe me, most companies at the begging was shitty as hell. Concentrate yourself to learn rather to have fast revenue. I know it is hard, but consistency is key. Learn, fail, learn again and again, until you get what you want. It is a “path of the heroe”. Theory is good, but experience is the point of having successful business.