We’re excited to introduce our first guest contributor, Jennifer White of The MJW Group, LLC.

Jennifer and her husband have been together for 11 years and decided to start their business together earlier this year. She shares tips below for having a good working relationship with your significant other.

We’re together every day and every night. We wake up together and go to bed together. We eat together and watch TV together. How much time can you spend with one person? Well, when you’re friends, lovers, business partners, and married; you’ll spend quite a bit of time together. But, is it healthy to spend that much time together? I believe so! You may think otherwise which is ok. Every relationship is different and through the years you learn to adjust and adapt. I love using those two words to describe my working relationship with my significant other. My husband and I have been together for 11 years and married for 8 of those years. However, in 2017 we decided to launch a business together. This brought on many challenges and new obstacles into our relationship that didn’t exist before. That’s when I developed an appreciation for the words adjust and adapt because I had to learn that fast! During my learning curve, I noticed a few areas that I had to work on in order for us not to step on each other’s toes. Something I like to call, “finding the right blend for working in harmony.” Stay tuned for the highlights. Here are 5 tips for working harmoniously with your significant other:

1. Ask your significant other for their input consistently.

I feel this is the most important tip because you’re in business together. You must learn to communicate effectively in order to live in harmony. You may each have your own roles to play, but I seriously advise you to keep your significant other included. If you don’t, they may feel as though you don’t trust their input. Always take the time to make them feel valued by asking for their feedback.

2. Talk through unresolved issues daily.

At the end of each day, it is important to discuss any lagging issues that may have arisen. Talk to each other and don’t be afraid to bring up the “uncomfortable” issues. One thing I’ve learned is not to assume that your significant other knows what you want or need. Be open and honest with your requests and also write things down; a journal or notepad is a big help here. Documentation is key to referencing previous conversations, but also to keep each other accountable and aligned.

3. Set goals together every week.

I love Sundays, don’t you? Sundays are my favorite day of the week to set goals. It’s even better when you can do this exercise with your significant other. Setting goals keep you on track with prioritized projects to complete, meetings to attend, and follow-ups with clients and suppliers. Ask each other, “what are your goals for the week?” Focus on the following categories:

Family
Personal
Business
Health
Financial

That’s just to name a few to get you started. It always helps to identify similar goals you both may have so you can work on them together.

4. Take breaks frequently.

Are you two working from 9a-9p, 5 days a week? Houston, we have a problem! As business owners, it is so easy to rack up hours every week and not have anything to show for it. There are times where you have to focus on the back end of your business so the front end can prosper. I get it and am totally guilty of working long hours without frequent breaks. Your business is part of your life. You created, developed, and nurtured it to where it is now. Make sure you both give yourselves time to breathe and recalibrate.

5. Enjoy every experience.

I repeat, enjoy every experience. You started this business together for a reason and you only have each other to depend on. Some days are great while the other days are WTF! There is nothing too big that you both can’t handle. Learn from each other and work on complimenting each other. I’ve learned that my husband excels at speaking while that’s not my strong suit. I perform well with organization and numbers, so I don’t mind putting together a thorough report for him to present. Lean on every experience and identify the positives from it.

There you have it. 5 tips for working harmoniously with your significant other. Try utilizing these tips and take a different approach to your work life. Your mind will open up and you’ll see your significant other in a different light. Don’t rush the process… you’ll find that right blend in no time.

P.S. I would love to hear from you. If you need help with creating an infrastructure with the way you work with your significant other, please contact me. I help small business owners and entrepreneurs take their businesses to the next level. I show them how to incorporate their core values into their metrics to increase productivity, visibility, and overall performance. Click here to get started!

Jennifer White is a business consultant who specializes in performance management. She is a talented communicator with a passion for motivating clients to transform their assumptions and achieve high performance. She is known for applying her sharp analytical skills to develop innovative solutions. www.themjwgrp.com

We’re going to be featuring other business owners once a month, so stay tuned for the next post in the series.