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It is not uncommon to see couples venturing into business together. Couple-preneur may come off as a pithy term, but it has been prevalent in our society for a long time. It often joked about that husband and wife cannot work together or on something common. However, setting up a business with the person you love and trust the most can offer you the unique opportunity to share your professional goals.
The close relationship, shared goals and unwavering support couples share together often makes entrepreneurship seem like a natural fit. However, it’s a double-edged sword; starting a business as a couple has both pros and cons. Here are some secret tips on running a business successfully as a couple-preneur.
Divide Responsibilities
As a power couple in business, just like your household, divide responsibilities at your business also. This will not only help you both in handling your respective areas of expertise, but it will also make both of you accountable for your department, avoiding the chances of a blame-game. Moreover, it will also be easy for your employees to know whom to report to for a particular problem.
Couple-preneur Anand Shahani and Mehak Sagar Shahani, founders of WedMeGood, said, “Divide responsibilities and let the other take the final call on their responsibility. There is always going to be differences of opinion; however for us, if it’s a matter related to revenue, for example, Anand will be the final call. For matters related to customer acquisition, I take the final call.”
Create Separate Working Conditions
Starting a business as a couple-preneur may sound intriguing as you may get to be around each other 24*7. But, the real situation is often not as romantic as it may seem. Working together means spending long days with each other—both in and outside of the business—this can turn out to be recipe for disaster, leading to arguments etc.
This does not only affect your business but also your personal life. Thus, creating separate working conditions will not only provide you with the independence of working according to your own routine but will also increase productivity and strengthen your business & relationship.
Keep your Work Life Separate
“On one hand, starting a business as a couple is actually great for your startup. You have two co-founders who trust each other immensely, living together and constantly brainstorming startup ideas. On the other hand, our personal life definitely takes a hit. However, I think it’s a matter of time and respecting each other’s strengths. There is a reason you started a company together and it's usually not because you are married; it’s because you felt the other brought something to the table that you couldn't. So, keeping a view of that and letting each person have their space to make a decision, make mistakes and learn is important. Also, separating out time at home where there is no work talk!” asserted, Mehak and Anand.
