6 Great Reasons You Should Go Into Business With Your Spouse

I often here people say, “I could never work with my spouse.”  Those who say this don’t realize two things: 1) Some of the most successful people in the world are “duos”; and 2) Working together could be the most rewarding decision of your life.

When I refer to working together, know that I’m not suggesting you both quit your jobs and start your own company (although many couples, like the founders of mega successful companies  Eventbrite, Clif Bar, A to Z wines, Kate Spade New York, Fiji Water and Teleflora have done this and had wild success).  

But I am encouraging you to go after your dreams together.

Do either of you have a great business idea?  Is there something you or your husband have been talking about for years but just can’t seem to begin working on it?  

When I left the hotel industry a few years ago to launch a start-up technology company, never in a million years could I have imagined all the twists and turns I’d experience along the way (the rapid growth of this club and a trip around the world to interview couples for an upcoming book, being two of them).  

In our early years together, we decided it would never be a good idea for us to work together.  In part, because we’re both so strong-willed.  Separation of work and personal, we concluded, would be best.

I wish I knew then what I know now.

Although my husband works in a completely different industry and loves what he does, he is my partner in every since of the word.  I might own the company but he is my top adviser.  He may not be a CEO in the traditional since but he is certainly my chief encouragement officer.  

Early in the morning, before he even has time to sip his cup of coffee, he is oft times fielding business-related questions from me.  Rarely do my meetings or calls for the day begin without our early morning “board meeting.”

If you’ve ever considered starting your own business but disregarded your spouse as your partner because it might “cause conflict,” here are four great reasons (in addition to the two above) you should reconsider that decision:

1. No one, other than you, will have more of a vested interest in your company than your spouse.  Your success is oftentimes even more important and gratifying to them than it would be if they’d achieved it on their own.

2. You don’t have to both quit your jobs in order to launch out on your own.  My husband may never leave his current company.  They treat him well and he’s brilliant at what he does.  But that doesn’t keep him from having my back fully in this business venture and that gives me the confidence and boost I need to go out and conquer another small piece of the world each and every day.

3. You’re like a big, giant idea factory.  You can spend hours upon hours each week bouncing ideas off one another.  Laying in bed, if an idea pops in your head, you don’t have to flesh it out or put together a Powerpoint presentation.  You can just blurt it out and get instant feedback from the person you (hopefully) respect the most.

4. You can pool your resources.  When you are working together as a unit, you can save money toward the same goal, you’ll trade off housekeeping and child-rearing responsibilities, and work as a team to build your company without sacrificing the more important things in life.

Bring your spouse in to partner with you on your greatest ideas.  Maybe that means they’re just a sounding board or maybe they actually roll up their sleeves and get to work building the business alongside you.  Partnerships come in many shapes and forms, but by far, my favorite partnerships are all those that involve my husband.

QUESTION: Do you have an idea you’d love to bring to the market?  Does your spouse offer a certain skill set that could be helpful in getting taking your idea to the next level?

Until tomorrow…make it a great day!

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Fawn Weaver

Founder at Happy Wives Club

Fawn Weaver is the USA Today® and New York Times® bestselling author of Happy Wives Club: One Woman's Worldwide Search for the Secrets of a Great Marriage, adopting the same name as the Club she founded in 2010. The Happy Wives Club community has grown to include more than 900,000 women in over 110 countries around the world. When she’s not blogging or working on her next project, she's happily doting over her husband of nearly eleven years, Keith.

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