Working with a spouse

Filed in Thoughts on July 21, 2010



I have written before about one of my favorite business writers, Meg Cadoux Hirshberg, who is married to Gary Hirshberg, owner of Stonyfield Yogurt.  Here is another classic article from this month's issue of Inc.

The reason I like Meg so much is because she writes so well about how business ownership really feels and the stresses it brings.  This particular article deals with the pressure on spouses who work together.

For most of the time I have been a business owner, my wife has not worked in the business.  At the beginning, she did, but not for the last eight years or so.  However, because the children are all in school this fall, and because as Meg puts it, Marla is available, capable, and cheap, she is going to start working part time here.

I do understand the dangers that Meg speaks of in her article.  I remember the stresses from the last time we worked together.  Our personalities are very different.  I am a very driven, fast talking and often abrupt.  I focus on big problems and become impatient very quickly with details.  Marla is sweet, great with people, and detail oriented.  In a pressure-packed environment, my bad tendencies get worse, and there is often pressure in my business.

As a result, I have a tendency to run over people when things are not working.  A little too much of that, and a lot of stress is introduced into a marriage.  So, while we are going to give this a try, I am going to be working extra hard to stay calm.

Reading between the lines, it is clear that Meg and her husband had a similar situation.  And while she says that when she quit, they smiled and embraced, you can still feel the pain in her writing.

For all adults, life is tough.  For almost all business people and especially so in today's world, life is very tough. Because of that, spouses often end up working together out of necessity.  If you are in that boat, take a few minutes and read Meg's article.



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