Have you ever considered starting a business? Better yet, have you ever considered starting a business with your significant other? Whether your business is a blog, boutique, restaurant, podcast, etc., startups can be stressful and challenging! Especially when your business is a joint venture with your significant other, there can be complications. But, if you are strategic about utilizing your relationship in a business setting, you and your partner can be successful in your business and grow closer as a couple.
Some Benefits of Starting a Business with your Spouse
There are so many benefits to starting a business with your significant other. My husband and I are full-time business owners and have created our own budget-travel blog: Budget Travel Love. One of the pros of starting our own business is that my husband and I get paid to spend time with each other and travel the world. This summer we’re going to be spending a month traveling around Europe together. That never would have been possible if it wasn’t for us taking the plunge to start our own business together.
Another pro about starting a business with your partner is that you get to spend so much more time together! Before we took the plunge to work on our blog full-time, we worked 10-hour days apart. We would have just enough time to eat dinner and spend a couple of hours together before we’d fall asleep and do the whole routine again. Starting a business with your significant other means that you get to spend so much more time with them.
A third benefit of starting a business with your partner is that when you’re in business together, you get to celebrate your business successes as a couple! We love that we get to celebrate our blog’s milestones together, such as our first sponsorships and meeting our production goals.
Lastly, one of the best things about starting a business with your spouse is that you get to create your own work-life balance. For us, this balance will allow us to be full-time bloggers and raise our children together. I can’t think of anything better than that!
What to Know Before Starting a Business With Your Significant Other
At first, my husband and I were definitely daunted by the thought of creating a budget-travel blog together. There are so many things that I wish we would have known before we started our business together. Here are some important things to consider before starting a business with your significant other:
- Keep an open mind
If you’re going to start a business with your significant other, remember that it will be a challenge. You’re sure to have some disagreements and discouraging days. There have been days when we’ve felt like quitting our dream. There are so many businesses that are created and failed each day, and it can be difficult to have your businesses preserve and stand out in a crowd. So if you choose to start a business, keep an open mind and recognize that the startup road isn’t always paved with roses and butterflies. But, the difficulties that come with a startup can bring you together as a couple.
- Communication and compromise is critical
Starting a business with your partner will require tons of communication, especially in difficult situations. Both parties need to be able to speak their mind openly and be able to listen to each other as well. Nothing will get accomplished unless there is open and honest communication.
Compromise is also so important! It’s imperative to recognize that you and your spouse won’t agree on everything. Having a difference of opinions is actually a great thing because it will bring multiple perspectives to your business. Embrace your differences in opinion and learn to compromise. Don’t waste time being deadlocked because you can’t come to a consensus.
- Don’t take things too seriously or too personally
Life is too short to be upset! Learn to let things go, and don’t take things too personally. If something doesn’t go our way with the travel blog, we will joke about it, have a laugh, and move on. Learn to have FUN! You’re on an exciting adventure with your partner. Enjoy the journey!
- OWN your talents and delegate tasks
We’ve found that the “divide-and-conquer” mentality works wonders in our business. This is a great technique to get things done without stepping on each other’s toes. With our travel blog, we know what parts of our business that we love and enjoy. For myself, I love writing. For my husband, he loves the photography and social media aspect of our business. We delegate those parts of our business to each other. By doing this, we’ve found that we truly love our roles and are able to thrive. This technique has allows us to get so much more done than if we didn’t delegate responsibilities.
- Designate work hours
When you’re working on your business full-time, your work hours may be more fluid than the typical 9-5 work schedule. We used to find ourselves working, and talking about work all hours of the day. It made us feel like we could never “clock-out.”
Now we set up times in the day where we physically cut off our work talk, and just enjoy our time together. For us, when 8:00 pm rolls around, we’ll say “Alright, no more work talk for the evening,” and we will physically cut off all talk about our business. It has been great to set those parameters because it lets you carve out time in your day where you and your significant other can just be a couple, rather than co-workers.
- Chose your relationship first
If it ever comes down to feeling like you have to choose the business or your relationship, always choose your relationship. Even if you have to walk away from your business, your relationship should always come first. Family is always more important than business. Communicate openly with your significant other if you feel like things with your business are not working out.
After these considerations, if you decide that you and your spouse want to start a business together, DO IT! My husband and I’s joint venture have been such a fun experience, and it has allowed us to create a life that we love and enjoy. Regardless of if your business ends up being a monstrous success or a complete belly flop, starting a business with your significant other will allow you to learn so much about your partner and grow closer together as a couple.
I hope that these tips and suggestions aid you and your partner as you start your business. Good luck!
Author Bio:
Kiley Hayden is a budget-travel blogger from beautiful Bend, Oregon. She and her husband launched Budget Travel Love in 2017 and have been to 12 countries together! Her mission is to help people see more of the world by stretching their travel dollar.
Kiley Hayden is a budget-travel blogger from beautiful Bend, Oregon. She and her husband launched Budget Travel Love in 2017 and have been to 12 countries together! Her mission is to help people see more of the world by stretching their travel dollar.
