The following post was written for the readers we have who are starting a new life in a married relationship or are already married.  Starting a business with your spouse can be a very rewarding and amazing experience, but there are some rules to follow if you want to be a successful entrepreneur with your significant other.

1.  If you are already in a tense and stressful relationship – Don’t Do It!

•      Working together is not therapeutic and is intensely stressful.

2.  Know who will be in charge.

•      Someone will ultimately need to make final decisions.  So having this clarified at the beginning will help eliminate confusion later.

3.  Write down your responsibilities.

•      Make sure they are clear and separate.

4.  Set a schedule and stick to it.

•      Keep each other accountable for the time at work each day.

5.  Separate your personal life and feelings during business hours.

•      Keeping boundaries will help erase any gray areas between the business and the home.

6.  Communicate with each other.

•      Let each other know what your goals are for each day.

7.  Make sure your goals and visions for the business line up.

•      Like in marriage, before starting the business know where you want to go and that you have the same goals.

8.  Get away with each other.

•      Plan time out not talking about the business, but enjoying each other.

9.  Get away from each other.

•      Plan alone time, being together 24 hours a day can create tension.

10.  Encourage each other and enjoy the journey.

•      Nothing is more important than your spouse and your family, including your business.