Tips for Working with Your Spouse | Dynamic Marketing 2017
Photo Cred: Hale Production Studios
I've had a lot of experience working with my spouse, but never in the way that I do now. My husband and I met at work. Although we were in different departments, we worked in the same building and experienced living and working together for 4 years. There was a time that I couldn't imagine working without him. Not seeing him everyday...not being able to walk over to his desk and say hi... It didn't take long before working from home became the new normal, and now I can't imagine what it would be like working together again. Weird how that happens.
Andre is very insightful and offers a lot of assistance with Dynamic. He is a marketer, an analyst, and a big-picture thinker. Whenever I'm stuck, he can pull me out of it. When I need someone to communicate things through, he is there. And now on top of collaborating with him for Dynamic projects, he's since started a finance and travel blog that we are constantly strategizing together about. We have very different strengths and weaknesses. I've always really appreciated how different we are, because of the advanced perspective it offers.
But let's be real. I'd be lying to you if I said that working together was easy. It's always an adjustment learning to work with someone else, let alone your life partner. It made me realize that although we spent 4+ years working for the same company, we had no experience actually working together... making us weary to start because we don't want to cause unnecessary strain on our personal relationship.
Being that many entrepreneurs and start-ups dive into the realm of business with their s/o's, I feel it's an important enough subject to invest in a blog post. For those of us who desire to professionally collaborate with our bae's, I think it's essential to understand how to best work together in order to keep your relationships copacetic.
But I'm not going to give you advice. That would be hypocritical. Even with my limited experience, I'm doing a mediocre job at best.
The good news is, I have plenty of clients who work with their s/o's. So, I did a little investigating for ya'll. Here's what they have to say:
1. "Make sure you always take some down time together. The business can be 24-7. It's really important to get away or take a break and enjoy each other. Easier said than done, but I think it's vitally important in maintaining a healthy relationship." -Matt Francke, San Diego Wine & Beer Co, 20 years in business
2. "Pick and choose your battles. Do what you do best and don't micromanage what your partner does best. And a shared glass of wine at the end of the night." -Jonette Francke, San Diego Wine & Beer Co, 20 years in business
3. "It's so important to know who will fill what role. To understand that one person may be more dominant in the professional relationship and to not take it personally. Communication is key to staying on the same page. Taking time to step away from the business to appreciate the romantic relationship." Danielle Rapozo, Rapozo Funding
4. "Don't take things personally. Know your strengths and weaknesses, and define your role in the business. Understand that your creative differences don't mean that you're wrong for each other or can't work together. Have balance in work & play - keeping both in equal parts and having dedicated quality time without being plugged in. Lastly, have fun! Always remember you're building something really cool together and that you're a team with the same goal." Alexis Asquith, SameSame Vintage & Hale Productions Studios
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I found a few common denominators from a handful of pretty amazing husband and wife duo's. I think understanding roles, not taking things personally, and detaching from the business are what these successful businesses owners claimed were their keys to success.
If you have a business with your spouse, what are your favorite tips for maintaining balance? Please share in a comment below!
-Michaela