Starting a business with your spouse can be an incredibly exciting venture, but it’s also something that could potentially put a strain on the marriage. Without clear boundaries, roles, and communication plans, couples who plan to go into business together may face unmanageable stress or even permanent emotional damage to their partnership. So how do you ensure you don’t end up divorced while still achieving success in your co-founded enterprise?
Agree on clear rules
Before starting a family business, all negativity, all conflicts must be eliminated between partners. If the relationship does not go well in ordinary life, it is not worth working together. So first, you must deal with personal issues and then consider a joint business. Otherwise, all quarrels and conflicts will be transferred to work and back in a circle.
You should not start working with someone unless you trust them. If you can’t rely on your partner and are always worried about their work, it’s better not to work together. Instead, you should focus on the business and let your partner do their job.
Understand who’s boss
Try to distribute responsibilities between another friend: who is responsible for what, who is the boss, who is the subordinate? For example, if the husband is the head of the family, and the spouse is subordinate to the wife at work, then a conflict of interest is inevitable. Develop a new system of work. For example, when one is in a negotiation, the other may discuss important points.
One of the most important questions is about money. You need to know who gets paid for what services. Be specific about how much money people make. Otherwise, people will ask you questions you don’t want to answer. This question can become a problem if you’re not careful. It’s unfair if one person is making all the money while the other is doing all the work.
Separate personal and work
The day will come when everything will be related to work. Even if you want to watch a movie and relax, you will start talking about work without meaning to. If you go to the store with your family, you will probably remember that you need to buy something for work, like office supplies or materials for making the products you sell. As a result, neither rest nor full-fledged work will turn out. Strict control and a clear separation of personal time and working moments help to avoid this.
Regarding business decisions, agree to make them only after listening to each other’s opinions and considering both points of view. It will help you stay on the same page regarding running the business together.
