Do you work with your spouse?! According to a study by U.S. researchers in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 22 percent of US married couples in the U.S. met at work.
We know better than anyone that working with your spouse can present a whole new set of challenges in your relationship, because we’ve been working together for years. And we want to help YOU and your partner delegate your roles and responsibilities, work as a team, be kind to each other, and set boundaries with your work!
So whether you and your SO are employed by the same company or you have started your own business together, this episode is all about our best tips for working with your spouse. Let’s dive in!
Focus on One Endeavor Together
When it comes to working with your spouse, it’s important to focus your efforts on ONE endeavor… not multiple.
First, identify what that one thing is. For us, that one thing was building our business. We both worked together in the beauty and influencer industry, with Erika as the face of the business and Kyle taking care of the behind-the-scenes work. We decided to focus on building this one income stream, maxing it out, and seeing how big we could get it.
The next step is to make sure both of you are on the same page. We discussed our goals, our expectations, and our plans for the future. We both agreed that our focus should be on building our business and that we would both need to be committed to this goal.
The third step is to make sure you are both putting in the effort. This means that both of you need to be willing to put in the work and the time to make this goal a reality. We both worked hard to make sure that the business was successful and that we were achieving our goals.
Finally, it is important to stay disciplined. We both had to learn how to manage our finances, budget, and invest in order to make our business successful. We also had to stay disciplined in our focus on the one thing that we wanted to achieve.
By focusing on one thing, we were able to make our business successful. We both worked hard and stayed disciplined in our focus, and we are now reaping the rewards. If you and your spouse are looking to build a business, we highly recommend focusing on one thing and committing to it. This will help you both stay focused and ensure that you are both working towards the same goal!
Set Clear Boundaries with Work
One of the most important things to remember when in a relationship is to set clear boundaries. Boundaries are essential for any relationship, especially a romantic one. They help to ensure that both parties are respected and that each person’s needs are met. When boundaries are not set, it can lead to feelings of resentment, insecurity, and even anger.
Having clear boundaries in a relationship, especially when you work together, is crucial. In a relationship in which you work with your partner, consider creating boundaries around:
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- You and your spouse’s working hours
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- What you’ll do on your days off
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- When it is and isn’t appropriate to discuss work
Remember: clarity is kindness and boundaries are not a punishment. In fact, boundaries help foster an environment of mutual respect. It’s important to be talk openly and honestly in regular check-ins with each other. This helps ensure that any issues or concerns are addressed quickly, and we’re constantly checking in with our needs and our goals!
Prioritize Your Relationship
When it comes to marriage, running a business, and parenting together, we have found that it’s easy to get caught up in the whirlwind of everyday life. With so much going on, it’s important to remember to schedule date nights and–yes, we’ll say it!–time to be intimate.
Honestly, scheduling this time into our weekly schedule has been a game changer for our relationship!
At the end of the day, your spouse is the most important relationship in your life. Make sure to prioritize your relationship and make time for each other. This could be as simple as sitting together and watching a movie or taking a walk together. No matter what you do, make sure to take the time to connect and appreciate each other.
If you ever find yourself getting frustrated with one another in business, get some fresh air and go back to it later. Your relationship is never worth sacrificing for your work, and you should always keep that priority in check.
Work Together as a Team
Being a team is an important part of any relationship, and it’s especially crucial when it comes to couples who work together. EVERYTHING we do is as a team, which means having real (sometimes difficult) conversations, setting mutual goals, delegating responsibilities, and supporting each other in achieving those goals.
As you can probably tell with all of our tips: communication is key in our relationship. Not a week goes by that we don’t have a conversation about what is working and what could be improved, both in our business and our personal lives.
We always start these conversations with a positive attitude, focusing on the things that have been accomplished and the things that can still be achieved. We also keep gratitude, appreciation, grace, and understanding at the forefront of our minds (especially when giving and receiving feedback!)
Of course, there is always room for improvement in our lives, but we are proud of the business and home we’ve built together over the years. We truly believe that there is nothing better than being a work-from-home family who spends every day together, and we hope this episode inspires you to do the same with your partner if it’s the right fit for you!
If you already work with or are planning to go into business with your spouse, we’d love to hear about your experience! Head over to @trustissuespodcast on Instagram and join the conversation surrounding working with your spouse. And be sure to subscribe to the podcast to hear our future episodes on this topic, because we only scratched the surface today!
