Twenty four years ago my husband, JR and I started a business together. And, today it’s incredibly successful, it’s our family business and I love getting to work with him each and every day. But, that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been tough or it hasn’t had its ups and downs over the years. Being in a romantic relationship and working together day in and day out can be a real challenge.
It’s a lot of time together and it’s tough to leave the challenges of the business at the office – sometimes your business relationship and your romantic relationship bleed into one – and that can be hard. But, if you can find your groove and make it work, getting the chance to be in business and love together is an incredible gift – and I am happy to say that we love it. From making our schedules work for our family to finding a work life balance that keeps us happy, here are five tips on how to work well with your spouse.
5 Tips for Working Well With Your Spouse
#1. Recognize your strengths and weaknesses. This is an important one to keep in mind so that you can divide and conquer the tasks at hand. When you know where each of your strengths lay, you’re able to focus on the business and be sure you’re working toward a successful outcome.
#2. Leave work at the office when you head home. This is one of the most difficult tasks there is when it comes to running a business with your significant other. But having separation of your personal and professional life is key when it comes to making sure you’re successful on both fronts. Even though it might be a challenge, when you walk out of the office and into your home, be sure you let it go and focus on your family and your relationship.
#3. Be trusting and loving both at work and at home. When it comes having faith in your partner it’s more important than ever if you work together too. Running a business together means there’s going to be some tough decisions ahead. There will be successful moments, but there will also be trying times and having trust in one another will help get you through even the most difficult periods.
#4. Be ready to work as a team. Tackling big challenges together is one of the best reasons for being entrepreneurs together. Learning to operate as a team will help you be stronger both as a couple and business partners – making for a lifetime of success on both fronts.
#5. Be open with your goals and dreams. Knowing what you both want out of your personal and professional life will not only help you both get there, but you’ll also be able to support one another along the way – making you that much closer to achieving your dreams. That’s the ultimate destination, after all – seeing your love and your passions come to fruition. When you get there, it’s a feeling that you’ll never forget.
Have you thought about working together or building a business with your spouse? What scares you about it and what excites you about it?
