Anyone else in business with spouse?

[gyrus3 0]

Hey everyone,

Myself and my wife(she's banded also but prefers anonymity) recently started our own business. We make sea salt scrubs, lotions, soaps etc. We have twins age 4 and we both work full time jobs. Any veteran's of business ventures with spouses have tips, tricks or thoughts on dealing with the challenges couples like this face? From things like making time for each other, dealing with the stresses/headaches or any other words of wisdom. We also like to deal with small family owned business and home made products(weary of big corporate monstrosities). Would like to hear from/support other LBT'rs in their ventures. Here is our link Untitled please share yours.

[Jaymie72 0]

Hi my name is Jaymie and my husband and I own a business together. We started it in 2001 and it is a private Ambulance service. We started with one ambulance and we have nine now. I would say working with your spouse is trying at times but the benefits outway any longterm regrets. My daughters were 2 and 4 when we started and I was able to stay at home and work from the home while they were young. NO daycare here! My only real advice would be is to give eachother space when needed. The fact that we were under eachothers feet, we new we needed some sort of space. I go to the movies with my girlfriends during the week to get space and he hangs with his friends. Good luck with your business!

[Marimaru 7]

I don't own the business that I work for, but my mom does. Her and her boyfriend work here, as well as my sister and her husband, and myself and my husband. My husband and I don't work at the main office, we telecommute from a client's office in Oregon (mom's office is in CA). I think a lot of it has to do with compatibility, DH and I are much happier working together than we were when we had different jobs. My sister likes having her husband where she can see him, but I think HE might be happier if he could get some space away from her, lol.

DH and I just kind of know when we need some space. I make a point to tell him if I'm feeling moody, or PMSy so he can decide whether he wants to deal with it, or kind of hide out until I'm in a better mood, and he can tell me when he's irritable, though that doesn't seem to happen much. I think the biggest thing is being open with each other. DH and I have worked together for 4 years or so now, and it's never really been a problem. But I think you have to be able to say (nicely) "I need to not be near you right at this moment". For me that often means "I'm going out, I'll be back in a couple of hours" or something.

[Lucy 0]

My husband and I are planning to expand my little company into our little company someday. I work out of the house and he often telecommutes into work, so there are many days where we are both working at home, albeit on different projects. We met while working at the same company, so we do have some prior experience with working in the same space. We're both very independent people and part of what makes our relationship work is that we spend a lot of time together and a lot of time away from each other. It's really important that you both find ways to make time together while you are not working where you don't discuss work so that your personal relationship does not just become an extension of your office relationship. It's also really important that you each have your own time alone -- find ways to kindly, but honestly say to each other "I need my alone time". We also have separate offices, I think that's key.

It's also very important that you compartmentalize your personal life -- what happens at home should stay at home and what happens in the office should be office-related. I used to work for a husband and wife who hated each other and they would have these awful fights in the middle of the office and all of the employees would end up getting caught in the middle of this personal argument that did not belong in the workplace. If you have employees, don't make your personal issues their problem. Keep the arguments private and keep them work-related.

Good luck!

[Wheetsin 714]

I own a business so technically my husband works for me, even though we're partners. This is outside of our regular jobs.

We don't have any challenges. Our individual skills draw clear lines around who owns what, and we just get the job done.

No need to provide my link as I wouldn't see LBT as a potential market (hence no one would need the link).

[Pix 4]

My Husband and I don't own our own company YET, we are planning on opening a few Cafe's when he gets out of the service. We are both serious coffee snobs and avid gamers so we would incorporat those into the business. But even now, while he is still in the service know when we need time apart from each other (willing time apart not deployments) He goes to the movies, and I either retreat into the hot bath with lovely candles, or I get a mani and a pedi ... or I do all of it. Which is most likely to happen the not. LOL

The Key is to know WHEN to back up and say "ok, we need space" ... that is something you two will HAVE to work on as you go. Or as you set it up, set up prearranged days that is hers and yours and then a date night also that is JUST you two. Don't speak business, don't speak kids, just enjoy each other over a nice cup of coffee or dinner or what ever.

[Marimaru 7]

It's also very important that you compartmentalize your personal life -- what happens at home should stay at home and what happens in the office should be office-related. I used to work for a husband and wife who hated each other and they would have these awful fights in the middle of the office and all of the employees would end up getting caught in the middle of this personal argument that did not belong in the workplace. If you have employees, don't make your personal issues their problem. Keep the arguments private and keep them work-related.

This is important. My sister and her husband haven't figured this out AT ALL. If they get into a fight one night, the whole office knows about it the next day, whether they say anything or not. She's either snappy with him, or they aren't speaking with each other at all. And then there's the fights they do have at the office. They go into the kitchen area, but you can still hear them anyway. Yikes.