In Love and Business

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, can you keep the peace in the boardroom and the bedroom? That’s the dilemma facing wives and husbands in business together.

There are more then a million businesses in the U.S. run by a spouse team. How to know if it’s right for you?

“The main thing to remember is to listen to your partner. Don’t always assume your way is the best way,” says Joan Curtis, author of Managing Sticky Situations at Work.

Some take their work home with them – literally – which means relationships take a back seat. “Create a signal that tells each when to stop the shop talk,” she suggests.

Robbie Hanson and Bill Hampton run their business together. “We complement each other,” says Hanson. While they’ve found a good routine, they acknowledge it’s always a work in progress.

“Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of your partner is the key,” like who’s a better money manager and who excels with clients, he adds.

Fox Business lists five things to ask yourself before going into business with your spouse, like who’s really the boss, if you can live with the daily business burdens and what financial risks you’re willing to take.

To keep house and work operations running smoothly, other experts recommend separate offices, not getting personal during disagreements and sticking to firm boundaries between work and home (as much as possible, at least).

Megan Cadoux Hirshberg’s For Better or For Work, a survival guide for married entrepreneurs, shares insight on caring for children and your business simultaneously, keeping the romantic spark and minimizing homed-based business chaos.

Bonus PINK Link: Think you can’t “find your honey where you make your money?” Our online exclusive begs to differ.

Minute Mentor: Women for Hire’s Tory Johnson reveals the #1 mistake women owners make.

By Sidmel K. Estes

“You may love your job, but your job won’t love you back.”
Cathie Black, PINK Fall Empowerment Event