[A075] The Formula for Awkward: Mix Business and Pleasure

Do you want to work with your significant other? From working in a “regular” job, to potentially starting a business with your life partner, does it make sense?

It sounds like the perfect recipe for bliss. You get to work with your partner, seeing them every day? Business and pleasure FTW.

Except it’s not always rainbows and unicorns. Sometimes things get a little dicey when you mix business and pleasure with your life partner.

Concepts

• The good side of working with your life partner.
• Tips for spending more quality time with each other when you work together.
• Challenges of working with someone you have a relationship with.
• Is it possible to see each other too much?
• The realities of the power dynamics once you start mixing business and pleasure.
• What happens if you break up?
• The importance of honesty and open communication in this situation.
• How to talk about money, risks, and other issues that come with working together.
• Why you need to get away from each other sometimes.

This week's DO NOWS are all about trying to decide if you should work with your life partner. Look at whether it makes sense to run a business together, or work in the same department at your 9-to-5. If you already have a business together, review your roles and responsibilities. It might be time to change things up.

Finally, mixing business and pleasure sounds fun, but sometimes you just need pleasure for your relationship to work. Go have a date.

Our listener question deals with trying to figure out how to convince your S.O. to start a business with you. We look at whether or not it really makes sense, and how you can decide if it’s the right step for you to take.

Resources