Working with your spouse can test your marriage to its limit.
Running a business can be a very big challenge, especially if you have your spouse as your business partner. While most of these problems may not be evident as you go through the early stages of planning and launching a business, they will inevitably be visible later on as you begin facing the many challenges that come your way. Needless to say, the strain of running a business can have a detrimental effect on your marriage ? if you don’t know how to deal with it.
So, how can you run a thriving business with your spouse without ruining your relationship? Here are some suggestions that you may want to consider.
Set goals together. Avoid some of the most common start-up business mistakes by setting your goals together as a team. Make sure you share the same goals and vision for the company if you want things to run smoothly from day one.
Establish personal accountabilities. Who should make the decisions regarding the business? Well, this can be a tough call, especially if you and your spouse both own an equal share in the business. To prevent any problems regarding this issue, you need to establish who is accountable for the different areas of the business based on your personal strengths and preferences. Do this and you can avoid a lot of disagreements in the future.
Avoid ‘work talk’ after business hours. Do not make the grave mistake of taking your business home with you. Learn how to separate your business from your personal relationship if you want to avoid unnecessary tension, disagreements and burnouts that may later on strain your relationship. Learn how to turn the business switch off to avoid ruining your marriage.
Keep work issues in the office. If you have any disagreements with your spouse regarding the way the business is being run, make sure you discuss it during scheduled meetings. Do not tear your team apart by making your employees feel that they are caught in the middle of a marital dispute.
Get out of the house. If you can afford to rent an office space, then do it. It can help provide a clear physical boundary between your family and business life, allow you to meet new people and help you save your sanity all at the same time!
Keep your date night sacred. Running a business with your spouse can be very stressful so you need to save some time for each other to unwind and nurture the relationship. Remember, your business may be one of the most important things in your life but your marriage is definitely worth even more than that.
Keep the communication lines open. Running a business together requires you to be stronger than most married couples. As such, you need to have the courage to talk about your mistakes and failures, and be able to resolve your conflicts before they get out of hand.
Running a business with your spouse can be very challenging but extremely rewarding at the same time so follow these tips to increase your chances of enjoying immense accomplishment in both areas of your life.
