Devoted to Managers and those that seek to improve their management skills

4 Things we can do to protect our marriages if we run a business together.

The disruption in the Christian celebrity world over the last couple days concerning the alleged beating of Juanita Bynum by her estranged husband Thomas Weeks III, and now the announcement last night that Paula and Randy White will be divorcing, speaks to the pressures on husbands and wives working together.

In the area of business and management, there are a lot of stresses that come from being in close proximity and sharing power on a daily basis. Other stresses like separation can also be there if one member of the couple has travel as part of their duties.

The first thing to keep in mind is to get rid of any illusion of paradise working together in the business. It's not. I speak from experience here, as I've worked with my wife in business partnerships in the past.

Probably the biggest risk in a business run by a husband and wife team is they will bring whatever is happening outside the business into the business. Usually that will result in the destruction of the business and disruption of the lives of those working for you.

On the positive side, the same thing applies. Husbands and wives with strong relationships will bring that into the business as well, helping make it a great place to work and a success for everyone. It can also be a lot of un and enjoyment to work together when you're dedicated to the same purpose.

In the end, if you're a husband and wife team running a business, it'll be very difficult to escape what is happening in your relationship outside the business: good or bad.

Here are four things we can do to make it work for married couples:

Clearly define responsibilities.

One way to ensure failure in a business run by marriage partners is to have no clearly defined responsibilities. Any partnership must have them, and the same applies to those married. Division of labor is a must, and once you have a business idea, sit down together and put on paper what each of you will be responsible for, and stick with it.

If you don't do this you'll end up running into each other and crossing each others tasks. If there aren't clear division of labor guidelines for both of you, eventually you'll build resentment up and a lot of friction will come as you battle for supremacy in areas you feel are yours to be responsible for.

Make set times to talk about business after hours: then drop it.

We all know that serving our customers can make communication throughout the day difficult. In response, we should set specific time frames to talk about what happened, how things can be improved etc. Once that time is up, we should then drop all talk about the business and simply enjoy being together or doing other things. Too much business, after business hours, will put tremendous strain and pressure on a marriage.

The idea here is that everyone needs to wind down and talk some about the day. Create a transition time where that can happen and then after unwinding, transition to your personal lives.

Spend time with each other outside the business.

One thing that can happen when husbands and wives work together running a business is they can sometimes forget they're more than business partners. To combat that, just get away together at times, doing or talking about anything related to the business.
 
Spend some time away from each other.

We all need that personal interest time where we person things on our own. This is even more important when you're working shoulder-to-shoulder, day-after-day in a business.

To remain in a healthy relationship and outlook, we need to have some private time away from each other where we do things we want to do individually. Things that belong to us exclusively and individually.    

While there are other things we can do to make our businesses work better when we run them as spouses, these are the foundational tools we need to ensure our goals and working together won't destroy our businesses, along with our marriages and relationship.

Related Stories:

Juanita Bynum Decides to file charges against husband Thomas Weeks III

Juanita Bynum, Christian Celebrities, and Personal Tragedies

Juanita Bynum's Husband Thomas Weeks III Released on Bail

More Trouble in Christian Celebrity World: Paula, Randy White Divorcing

Latest Christian Celebrity Fallout: Paula, Randy White Divorcing