Working with your spouse?

Hire someone else that has specific skills for what you need. You're running a business, having the best people you can afford in the right positions is crucial to positive growth. you need people that want and need the job vs someone that has an emotional attachment to someone else. The business has to come first and having to play politics inside a small operation is a recipe for disaster for not only the relationship but the business as well. The money you spend on someone that has what you're looking for will benefit the business much greater in the long term vs what you may pocket by hiring in house.

The question you have to ask is, is this good for the business. I would bet that going over the potential pros/cons, the cons will come out on top. They almost always do. The exception to this is that the business is losing money and your cash flow is hurting.

 

In my case she is a equal partner in the business so she just as into it's success as me. Never would have taken on Suzuki without her being involved to handle all the office, paper work bullshit. Plus it's nice to have someone you know you can trust handling the money.

 

Definitely case by case. One of my close friends and his wife run a business together, and it works great for them. He said the key was separating responsibilities.

He’s CEO and she’s CFO of a tech company with 120 employees. They only overlap where necessary. Financial decisions are hers, business decisions are his. It’s actually really cool to see how great they work together in business and life.

On the other hand, I keep my girlfriend as far as I can from my business. She doesn’t need the stress, and frankly isn’t equipped for it. It’s just not the way for us. Even if we got married I’d keep it that way. She makes me better at my job by giving me a mental break from it. I don’t even vent to her because I like that our relationship is a sort of s sanctuary from the bullshit.

 

Been working with the wife for the last 10 years. I’m in estimating/ project management and she’s our company purchasing manager.

Our rules:
At work we’re co-workers, at home we’re a couple.

Minimal work talk after work hours.

Absolute no favoritism at work.

We drive separately, it’s our own time to decompress and change rolls from co-worker to spouse.

It’s not for everyone, but we’ve made it work for us.

 

I don’t feel so bad now.

 

No. Under any circumstance NO.

 

Do you each have your own skill set? If so, let her do her thing and you do yours. If you’re both working on similar tasks and have differing opinions on how said tasks should be done, that could be the tension creator.

Disclaimer: I’m a pharmacist and my wife is a teacher. We will NEVER work together so I’ve got no clue if my advice is of any value. But at home, she has her duties (laundry, homework oversight for the spawn, reasonable dispensation of disputes) and I have mine (dishes, landscaping, sniffles and sprains, staying the hell out of her way). Thusly, we have a harmonious relationship.

 

ive worked with my lady friend for 10 years, she is my dispatcher. in my opinion it sucks.

1) the least negative aspect is that we communicate multiple times a day and there is jack shit to talk about when i get home. we both know exactly what each other did all day.

b) we both bitch about employees not carrying their weight in respect to our jobs. its a small company so the ripples are big.

III) she works from home, I do not. i sit in mother fucking traffic all day, get home around 7pm. she works hard but no sense of travel stress. when i get home she is bored and wants attention. i want nothing less than to drink beer into oblivion and relax.

perhaps my main gripe is that the spouse works from home and not necessarily working at the same company. either way, avoid it.

 

Wife and I work for the same company, I never go work out of her office. I love my wife more than life itself but I don’t want to be with her that much. One of us would end up dead and it most likely would be me. Well not likely it damn well would be me.

 

I'm impressed with anyone who can do it.

 

Worked with my ex wife for 6 years . It was brutal on our relationship. It was amazing to share success but it was very difficult to address failures and hardships and NOT take it home. It started to be a co worker relationship and we started hating each other . But she was mean

 

Realistically, unless your joint venture is bringing in big bucks, I'd have her stay at her current employer and hire someone to handle what you need. If your business gets into a tight spot it will be pretty easy to fire the person you hired. And you can keep her current revenue stream going to offset anything that comes your way.

Her income is stable, and you can probably hire someone for less $$ than what she earns. Its the safer bet... personality and relationships aside, its just safer.

Now if you are 10 years in, making huge money with no real risk and no need for her stable income, maybe take her on. But I'd hire someone. Revisit it in a few years once you know 110% the business is stable and lasting.

 

hey...on the plus plus side, you can live out those office fantasies

 

Go to the Track more often and for longer... I have worked out of my house with the wife( Separate Companies) and it will make you go crazy... I stay away as often as possible...

 

That's how it looks from the outside, IMO.

 

this This THIS THIS

So much THIS!

 

Depends on you bruh. I wouldn’t do it unless one of us was day to day and the other was offsite or helped only on an occasional basis. I’d personally not want to work with my wife. Generally I’d say avoid it. Personal relationships can get in the way of and destroy businesses. Business can and does end personal relationships. You want the best and you have to be ruthless in business to survive. If your wife is a non-hacker are you going to fire her quickly? Be real with yourself.

That’s me though, your mileage may vary. People can and do make it work, but it might still be suboptimal.

The fact that you’re even asking might already give you your answer. It might go well at first, just think about what happens when the chips are down and either the business or relationship are on the rocks. That’s when people show their true colors!

You already know what the right answer is if you dig deep. We’re just the sounding board.

 

Good advise from both sides.

So we wouldn't ride together and right now it would be just 2 days a week. Tuesdays and Thursdays. Plan would be to use her to tie up loose ends and complete the little detail changes we want to make without slowing productivity. We shouldn't have to much interaction during the day as I am out chasing trucks and trailers around, getting or returning parts.

Her current work environment is toxic. She has been on vacation this week and it is a world of difference in her attitude towards me and the kids for the better . She wouldn't "HAVE " to come to work if she quit, she could just stay home,but she has said she would like to be part of the business we bought. At 2 days a week gives her some adult time, and there are plenty of smalls things to keep her busy there shouldn't be a need to really be bugging me so to say. Lol

 

I would be dead within 45 minutes if I worked with my ol lady. I get on her nerves bad.