The opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
From Beyonce and Jay Z to Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, there are dozens of high-profile entrepreneurs in pop culture, each successful in their own right, who have partnered in life, becoming famous power couples. But what if you and your significant other are novice entrepreneurs, like Nina and Tim Zagat, who started their entrepreneurial dreams together? Is it possible to run a business together during the day and have a loving relationship at night?
I quit my job to work for myself full time on August 1, 2013. Two weeks later I met my future husband and business partner. After ten years of working together, launching and running two businesses, getting married, and uniting our families, we’ve learned through trial and error how to keep not only our businesses thriving, but our relationships as well.
Do you and your significant other have power couple potential? These four lessons my partner and I have learned over the past decade can help you decide.
Power Couple Lesson No. 1: Evaluate compatibility and shared goals
Nowhere is the phrase “opposites attract” more relevant than in the power couple dynamic. Even though Aaron and I have many of the same hobbies and interests, we are quite different when it comes to work styles and habits. I’m a bit of a workaholic, working through lunches and late into the night. Aaron takes a walk every day at lunch and ends his workday at a normal time, whether he’s having a slow day or feeling crazy. I like managing finances, he doesn’t. Each of us has strengths and weaknesses that complement each other.
Aaron and I both worked in restaurants when we were young, so we understand the importance of customer service and have exceptionally high standards for our customers. Our values, work ethic and long-term visions are well aligned. We balance each other well and this makes us both all-round professionals.
If you can collaborate and resolve disagreements effectively and effectively separate personal and professional issues, you have the potential of a power couple.
Power Couple Lesson No. 2: Define roles and responsibilities
It’s important to draw boundaries on who owns which aspects of your organization, but you should also be willing and able to step outside of the boundaries (a little). As a female executive, I am sensitive to the idea of taking on gender-specific roles in any company, much less an equal partnership. I have found myself in positions where I was asked to take notes as the only woman at the table.
In our activities I manage the financial part; my husband manages the production. They are copy and strategy; he is design and ideas. He’s also offline, so he’s our guy whether we’re printing signage or building cases for in-store displays. I rely on Aaron for all of our agency’s and clients’ creative endeavors, but I’m not without creativity. In fact, I know great creativity when I see it and also not-so-great creativity. I have ideas about design; I just can’t make them happen and I’m not always good at explaining my vision.
If you can clearly outline and communicate your specific job responsibilities and expectations and avoid distorted roles, you have the potential of a power couple.
Related: 8 Characteristics That Make a Successful Entrepreneur
Power Couple Lesson No. 3: Call a friend
Every couple faces arguments, especially those who work together. It’s not a question of Self you don’t agree, but When. It is critical to have a system in place to overcome these challenges. One of the most crucial business lessons my partner and I have learned is to bring in a third party for the tiebreakers.
At one point, Aaron tried to convince me to add another segment of the business that would be ideal for expansion. I was 100% against it and didn’t think it would work. Instead of calling it quits (which I wanted to do), I agreed to “phone a friend” and asked my business coach for a second opinion. She agreed with him. This sealed the deal for me. It also increased our revenue by a large margin. He was 100% right. (Yes, I said it.) A trusted source to turn to for tie-breakers is a must in every power couple partnership.
If you can be open to ideas, or at least agree to bring in a trusted break-up judge who can settle a debate, you have the potential of a power couple.
Lesson no. Power Couple #4: There are no (hard and fast) rules.
In our first year of doing business together, I wanted to constantly talk about work. That’s all I thought about. At work, after work, on weekends and even on holidays. I drove my partner crazy, which was not conducive to a healthy relationship or our mental health. But that passion is also part of what makes me so good at what I do. It’s what has helped us increase our revenue fourfold over the last seven years. We have learned not to put rules or limits on what we talk about and when. Sometimes we talk about work after hours or on weekends, sometimes we talk about personal things during the day. Nothing is off limits and there is no set time for either. It’s what makes us think creatively and stay connected.
I’ve read articles advising that each partner must bring 100% every day. Let’s face it: we don’t always have 100% to give every day of the week. Brene Brown once said that successful relationships are not 100/100 or even 50/50. The percentage each person brings to the relationship will naturally change, depending on the day and what each person has in their “tank” to give. And it’s our job to communicate this to each other. If I feel burnt out, it’s my job to tell Aaron that I only have 30% that day; that way he knows and is ready to come with the remaining 70%. He is no different from our life at home. Our personal relationship is the most important to both of us, and if we had to choose, we would without hesitation remove the “power” from our title as a couple.
If you believe that rules are meant to be broken and changed as you evolve as individuals and as partners, you have the potential of a power couple.
If you’re thinking about going into business with your partner, use these lessons we learned the hard way to start creating your power couple story today.