I posted a blog in a Home Business Club asking the question "Can a Husband & Wife Team Work together in a Home Business?" I got some interesting replies.
I believe a working relationship is enhanced if both partners are competent. The question you have to ask yourself is "if s/he wasn't my spouse would I still want him/her as my business partner?"
Now if you planned your marriage carefully then your spouse is already the ideal business partner. S/he is intelligent, honest, hardworking and quick at mental calculations whilst still being a good listener. But how many of us choose a partner based on their future potential business qualities?
Living together is hard enough and then combining it with a business relationship could easily lead to a break-up in both relationships. Not only do you have to work with your partner / spouse all day, you have to eat your dinner together, spend weekends together and finally sleep in the same bed; you don't even get a break from each other on Christmas day!
So how do you go about making sure that your home business does not lead to divorce? The ideal solution is to break up the roles so that you both don't do the same tasks. As an example, one partner can be in charge of sales and marketing, whilst the other could take care of administration and book keeping. You could then cover for each other when children need collected from school or something unexpected happens.
In any business relationship somebody has to be in overall control. A business can not be run by two bosses in my opinion. This decision should not be based on sex but instead on experience and competency. Many people will argue that both partners should be equal but this method of working will only work in very rare circumstances.
Pay particular attention to your telecommunication system. At the very least you will need 2 or better still 3 telephone lines so that both of you have access to a phone when needed whilst the third could be for incoming calls or other family members. A decent answering machine and a call forwarding service should help to make life easier.
Try and segregate business and home life completely. There should be certain rooms in the house that are "business free" zones.
Just as you allocate time for business, leave a certain amount of time for family life. Avoid carrying on a business discussion in the bedroom. Do not let a heated business debate ruin your sex life!
Plan your life so that you have hobbies and pastimes that force you to spend some time apart. Cultivate friendships that are unique to each partner so that each of you has a person you can moan to!
Often when working together tempers will get frayed... and the best solution might be to take a step back and analyse the problem. There is absolutely no point in trying to allocate blame and attacking each other.
Working together can work in a home business if you are not together all the time. You can rely on your partner 100% knowing that you have each others interests at heart.
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