Tomorrow is Valentine's Day - perhaps you have some romantic plans? Flowers? Mood music (the blog heartily recommends the sultry tones of Jessy Lanza!) and a carefully prepared meal? Going to go see the stars of Fifty Shades of Grey heat up the movie screen? Or is a quiet night at home more your speed? Whatever your plans - even if they involve the companionship offered by a Morrissey record and a tub of ice cream - we hope you take the day to do something that makes you feel good about yourself. As it turns out, statistics show that "something" might mean working with your significant other to make your small business the best it can be!
It's Business Time
If relatively recent survey data is to be believed, many couples will be celebrating the success of their small businesses together as well. In 2013, American small business community Manta surveyed over 1,000 of its partners and determined that 25% of business owners across North America work with their significant other. 60% of those polled were married, and they said that the experience of building a company from the ground up had strengthened their relationship as a couple. Yet another 60% of the owners surveyed said they’d recommend going into business together to other couples.
The Hazards of Love
Being in a committed relationship can be tough enough at times without the added pressures of working together day in and day out to help a business succeed. Work-life balance becomes especially critical - and every couple has their own way of sorting out the right boundaries between business and pleasure that become necessary for the health of their relationship. The number one piece of advice your blogger has encountered? Make time for yourselves. Any businessperson has a datebook, a calendar, or an app to keep track of deadlines, know when bills are due, and otherwise run a tight ship. In instances where business partners are also life partners, their overwhelming opinion seems to be that conscious effort ought to be made to un-tether from the temptation to keep work hours going 24/7.
Take a look at some further data from Manta's survey in infographic form below:
