Estelle Lloyd, Founder of Azoomee - a safe, fun and creative app for primary school-aged children
Relationships on Female First
Going into business with your partner isn't a decision to take lightly. Whether you're married or live with your partner, investing in and launching a company together can add a heavy layer of pressure to your everyday life and make it difficult to separate work from home.
Earlier this year I officially launched Azoomee, a tablet-based app for keeping children safe online, with my husband Douglas - believe it or not, this is the second business venture that we've started together! There's no doubt it took a little time to find the right balance when we first started out on the entrepreneurial path together, so if you and your other half are planning on working together, here are a few tips to help you keep your work-life balance right:
1) Listen to each other's opinions
It's likely that you and your partner will have followed different career paths to date, and will have developed different areas of expertise and ways of approaching tasks, so it's important that you trust each other's instincts. Even if you don't agree with something they suggest, be respectful of their views and hear them out. They might be your partner, but they're also your colleague and deserve the same courtesy as other members of the team.
2) Make sure you're both committed
Before you go into business together, it's vital that you're both 100% invested and committed to the venture. If either of you goes into the business half-hearted, it'll only cause problems in the future for the company and for the two of you.
3) Have clearly defined roles
Where possible try and work on different parts of the business. If you work too closely together you can easily start stepping on each other's toes. In our case, Douglas manages partnerships and product development, whereas I focus on the creative and content aspects of the business. It works well for us, working towards a shared a vision whilst having responsibility for different aspects of the business.
4) Maintain your partnership outside of work
Building a business is one thing, but remember you're a team back at home too so share the load with one another. Douglas and I have three young children aged between 3 and 10, but we try to share childcare and the boring chores as much as possible.
5) Don't talk about work at the weekends
It can be hard to switch off during the week when your head is brimming with ideas, but, come the weekend, try and keep the work talk to a minimum. You wouldn't call your colleagues up on a Sunday to discuss work, so why should you do that with your partner?
6) Look after yourself
If you and your partner are working and living together then remember to schedule in some time for yourself. Whether you're catching up with a friend or going to the gym, keep up with your hobbies and individual passions, and don't let work consume you.
7) Travel
The great thing about escaping - going away for the weekend, visiting friends and family - is that it takes you out of your home environment. That usually means no laptop, fewer emails and generally a really healthy weekend. This also means you come back with fresh ideas and perspectives.
tagged in Partner