The term “power couple” is thrown around so loosely these days. Beyonce and Jay-Z, Michelle and Barack, Jada and Will. We look at these couples as equal players from the boardroom to the bedroom.
For a while, I had myself thinking that my husband and I could be that couple– one that worked and played seamlessly. But I learned that my husband and I are great as lovers and friends and horrible (I mean…horrible) as business partners.
And that is okay. I love my marriage and my husband as they are.
When it became clear that Bae and I could never (ever) be business partners, I started to ask myself why.
While there are a number of factors that go into making a power couple flourish, I found that you have to have at least the following three things going for you as a couple for bae and business to work well.
1. You both have a passion for the business.
Going into business with your spouse will require that you both have a passion for business and the actual market that you want to reach. The reason that Ronnie and Lamar of Black and Married with Kids and Alfred and Zara of The Grown Zone do so well is because they both care deeply about black relationships and want to develop platforms that will allow them autonomy and flexibility to express their creativity and their brands.
My husband is a software developer with a passion for African politics, coding, and soccer. Me…not so much. I love personal finance, blogging, writing, and psychology. While my husband has been more than supportive in technical know-how as I grew The Frugal Feminista, he was not passionate about blogging or feminism, which I had to respect.
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2. You have complimentary skill-sets.
When working together as business people, you both will be responsible for everything that goes into the business: from marketing to customer service. If you are both big vision people without the ability to execute plans on a day-to-day basis, your business will fail. So before you go into business, be clear about the skill-sets that you both bring to the table and how they will support the development of the business.
3. You know how to leave work at work.
Do you want your spouse to whisper “sweet nothings” to you about tomorrow morning’s meeting in your ears? Do you want date night to focus on what products your competitors are launching? One the dangers of working with a spouse is the inability to make clear lines about work and home. To keep your wife from becoming your favorite business partner, remember to keep “work talk” during working hours and husband-wife-life time and talk sacred.
BMWK Family, Do you think you can go into business with your spouse? Why or why not?