It is not easy to be in business and life with the same partner. It takes a strategic lens and a lot of emotional stability to master leading your business and showing up for your partner romantically when you choose to build a life and business together.
I recently was a guest business coach on a series Crystal Vilkaitis on her Rooted in Retail podcast called Retail Therapy. We bring on different Retailers in her community that have business questions, and I get to coach them and help them breakthrough blockers to build a thriving business. In the latest episode, the retailer asked a question about how to lead in a new business with her husband when neither of them have run a business before and both new to it. I was so happy to get this question so early in their commitment to building this business together. The video clip above is from the episode. For the full interview/coaching session, click here.
If you are in a personal relationship and partnered in business, I wanted to share the below framework with you to help you lead in a discerning way, where you put your priorities in order on how you choose to spend your time. (Even if you are personal friends with your partners in business, these are key actions to consider.)
Your relationship is the foundation of everything—if it’s not strong, the business will reflect it. Build with intention, communicate with clarity, and always protect the connection that brought you together in the first place. When you’re partners in both life and business, the stakes are high—but so are the rewards. The key to thriving in both spaces is alignment, communication, and intentionality. It’s not just about working hard, it’s about working smart together.
Here’s how to make it happen:
1. Define Your Shared Vision
This shared vision becomes your North Star, guiding every decision you make
- Every high-performing partnership starts with clarity. Sit down together and map out your shared goals—not just for the business, but for your life.
- What are you building?
- What does success look like for both of you?
2. Play to Each Other’s Strengths
- You’re not meant to do the same things or approach challenges the same way.
- Identify your individual zones of genius and divide responsibilities accordingly.
- If one of you thrives in strategy and the other in execution, lean into that. High-performing teams are built on complementary skills, not competition.
I’ve had partners in life have the same strengths in business and when that happens, one person defaults to a role they do not and should not be playing which can cause frustration and resentment in the relationship, and it definitely impacts the business potential having a mismatched role.
When this couple took my CEO Quiz and realized their roles were misaligned it gave them the clarity on how to shift and realign their skills to the roles in the business and hire for the gaps.
3. Establish a Code of Conduct
Boundaries are critical. Create a “Code of Conduct” for how you’ll operate—both in business and at home. This includes:
- How you’ll handle disagreements (e.g., pausing to cool off before revisiting the issue).
- When and where you’ll talk about work (e.g., no business talk during date nights).
- How you’ll celebrate wins and support each other during challenges.
- When you are ready to leave your role in the business, how will you communicate and support each other in that decision.
This framework ensures you’re aligned and respectful of each other’s needs, it also lets you move through the business challenges with your primary relationship in tact. Without outlining these things up front on how you will operate in life and business together it will lead to resentment, frustration, and worst case scenario a breakdown of your relationship that can not be repaired
4. Communicate Like Pros
- The best partnerships thrive on open, honest communication.
- Schedule regular check-ins to discuss both business and personal matters.
- Use these moments to address concerns, share wins, and recalibrate if needed. And remember: listen to understand, not just to respond.
One couple I worked with sat in a lot of resentment of the roles they thought they should be playing because they assumed if they didn’t play those roles the business would fail. I worked with them together and separately. In our 1:1 sessions, I helped navigate what the true career path was for each of them, and together I helped them understand the roles needed to lead and own their business. Once each of them had clarity on what they truly wanted, how their expertise aligned with the business, and discussed how they would like to exit the business, it was way easier to communicate next steps for them individually, as a couple, and as owners of their business. This was a huge shift that resulted in higher revenue for their business and ease in leading their initiatives and staff to meet the demands of the business. Their home life improved because the resentment they were both feeling dissipated and they no longer felt depleted.
5. Prioritize Your Primary Relationship
- Your relationship is the foundation of everything. If it’s not strong, the business will feel it. Make time for each other outside of work—make that the priority, schedule this time on your calendars first, and schedule work commitments around it.
- When you hold your relationship at the highest value for your life together, that commitment and refueling impacts your business. Protecting your personal connection is non-negotiable.
6. Celebrate the Wins—Big and Small
- High-performing couples know the power of celebration. Whether it’s landing a big client, hitting a revenue milestone, or simply surviving a tough week, take the time to acknowledge your progress. Gratitude fuels momentum.
Quick tip: Write out a list of the ways you both love to celebrate: travel, dinner out, more sleep, spa day, etc and put it in a bowl - when you accomplish your next big win, pull from the bowl and commit to celebrating in that way.
7. Invest in Personal Growth
- The stronger you are individually, the stronger you’ll be as a team.
- Commit to personal development—whether it’s through coaching, therapy, or learning new skills. When you grow, your partnership grows.
Having a third party to talk things through outside of your relationship to bring back bed practices, and create a space of sharing something new with each other, will help you grow as a couple. If you are just leaning on each other for everything - I guarantee the perspective is getting skewed and your personal growth is getting stunted. Don’t shy away from individually growing and sharing with each other that growth path so you can evolve together.
8. Be Flexible and Adaptable - Life and business are unpredictable. High-performing couples know how to pivot when needed. Stay open to change, and trust that you can navigate challenges together.
Most people shy away from change because it is hard. You are already doing the hard by being a couple in business together. Lean into your Code of Conduct on how you approach change so you can adapt quickly and move through the challenges you will face in both business and in life together. Change is inevitable, how you respond to it is totally under your control.
Relationships have their challenges when you are not in business together, and now that you have agreed to be in business together, learning how best to perform together and respect each others acumen is key. Treat your relationship with the priority it deserves and make sure to lean into your partnered values as you build your business.
Give each other permission to exit when the role in the business no longer is a fit for your partner’s path, and ensure to keep your primary relationship in tact. I have helped so many couples navigate how to lead their business with their joint vision for their life in mind. What I know for sure, is that the steps above will help navigate something that can be super challenging with a bit more ease and a positive outcome for all parties.
If I can be of service to help you navigate your partnership in life and business, do not hesitate to book a session with me.