The Similarities Between Business and Sex

Yes, you read that right!

Photo by Tom The Photographer on Unsplash

“Business is like sex. When it’s good, it’s very, very good; when it’s not so good, it’s still good.” — George Katona.

Let’s take a moment and pretend that you’re someone who is ready to take the leap into a new relationship. You’re mentally prepared and quite excited to get started on your new journey to see what opportunities will unlock when it comes to your love and — ahem — sex life. To get started, maybe you begin going out more, set up a dating profile, hire a matchmaker and do some deep self-reflecting so you know exactly what you want in a partner long-term.

Now, let’s turn the tables a bit. Instead of your objectives being to find a sexual partner or long-term relationship, let’s say that you’re starting a new business instead. You crave to become one of the 582 million entrepreneurs out there or the 57 million freelancers living the good life. So, what do you do? Well, perhaps go venture to scope out your target audience, set up your business profile, hire support and do deep self-reflection to ensure that your core values align with your business goals.

Sound familiar?

You see, even though sex talk tends to be a taboo topic, there’s a striking amount of similarities it has when it comes to the business/freelancing world. Overall, business and sex go hand in hand in many ways, and to demonstrate that a bit more, below are more in-depth reasons on how the wonderfulness of business truly is like the wonderfulness of sex.

1. Not holding back

In sex, you have to get naked, own your flaws, embrace who you are and trust that what you’re doing is the right move. Though you’re not stripping down physically with business development and strategising, you’re doing it metaphorically. You have to bare it all, be confident in yourself and not hold back. Holding back in either business or sex is going to make the experience much less euphoric than it could have been.

2. Learn and grow

Let’s face it: just about anyone who has sex for the first time is not going to be a master at it. In terms of business, establishing a brand from the ground up for the first time is going to feel like you’re lost and have no idea what you’re doing. Even if everything is falling into place, you may gauge it otherwise. But the beauty of it is that with practice, studying and self-development, you become more seasoned and successful over time, and those results speak for themselves in both cases.

3. Both get you in trouble if not respected

Where there are good traits, there are also so negative ones that should be mentioned. Poor, disrespectful decisions or actions made in business can cause pretty bad outcomes, which could ultimately force you to close shop. And the same goes for relationships. If you want to thrive in both areas, then understand that business and sex equally must be respected and approached with integrity to make it enjoyable.

4. You get what you put in

Do you want the best sex of your life? What about the most profitable business imaginable? If so, you have to realise early on that the effort and work you put in is what you’re going to get in return. The harder you work and the more passion you use, the better and more favourable the outcome will ultimately be, both in business and in pleasure. As the old saying goes, ‘you get what you give’.

5. Endless creativity

Did you know that about 60% of CEOs stated that creativity is one of the most critical leadership qualities in business? Though there is no stat on creativity in sex, Psychology Today claims that over the last 70 years, there has been a massive surge in sexual diversity. The thing to take away here is that creative opportunities are seemingly endless for both business and sex. You have the freedom to switch things up in different ways, try new methods, and discover what works and what doesn’t through experimentation.

Conclusion — business and sex is not comparing apples to oranges

There’s no denying that there are some hardlines when it comes to business development and sex. Those are the kind of details that don’t necessarily need to be put down into words to recognise. Overall, no, business and sex are not the same on the surface, but don’t think you’re comparing apples to oranges just yet. As you can see above, business is like sex in several ways. Vital strategies, concepts, innovations and mindsets for both tend to overlap with one another, and that is why this topic is such a fascinating, and a tad bit scandalous thing to highlight.

With that being said, take what you wish from this less than commonly compared information. In the end, even if you don’t leverage it to analyse and advance your love life and/or business development goals, you’ll at least have an intriguing conversation starter to bring up with friends that will surely spice up the night.

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