When Your Partner is Your Business
The National Post (Monday, December 21, 1998)
by Laura Fowlie
Judy Harcourt remembers the day a few years ago when she
heard the rumour floating around her office that she was having
an affair with a co-worker. There was nothing secretive about her
relationship with the man who sent tongues wagging among employees
- she was married to her business partner, Peter. After more than
22 years of working together, Mrs. Harcourt says it is not surprising
new hires could miss the fact that she and Peter are married. When
they are at work at Edmonton-based recruitment firm Harcourt & Associates,
she and Peter rarely see each other outside of scheduled business
meetings.
The arrangement works well for both. Mr. Harcourt handles
the main business of recruiting candidates for the firm's sales,
technical, and support positions, while Mrs. Harcourt focuses on
day-to-day management of the company. The two started the company
when they wanted to settle down in Edmonton after having been transferred
to several Canadian cities in their previous careers. "We hardly
see each other all day although we do pass each other in the hall
from time to time," says Mrs. Harcourt. "He's on one corner of the
floor, doing his thing, and I'm on another corner, doing mine. But
we do spend most of our nights and weekends together."
Though they have worked in the same business for two decades,
the Harcourts illustrate what is a growing phenomenon - couples
who work together, or at least see more of each other all day as
a result of sharing the same office space, at home.
Nora Spinks, a consultant who helps create balanced working
environments for organizations as president of Work Life Harmony
Enterprises, says with the growth of entrepreneurship and home offices,
she is seeing more and more couples spending their working hours
in addition to their personal time together.
The advantages of working together are many. Partners with
busy careers can see more of each other than if they are shuttled
off to separate offices for the day. They can become closer, more
attuned to each other, and obviously interested in each other's
work. But there are pitfalls, too. When working together, business
can become consuming, taking over the lives of both partners until
there are few outside interests. If both are in the same business,
there is a financial risk if the business should fail. And couples
who are not used to spending long hours together may begin to find
themselves putting pressure on each other to make the business work
as it becomes top priority.
The key to making such arrangements work, says Ms. Spinks,
is ensuring - as the Harcourts have done - that each partner has
a clearly defined role and responsibilities, both at home and in
the office. Tasks can be divided up according to expertise or interest,
and sometimes just assigned. "There are lots of thins you both might
hate doing, like the laundry or filing. But those tasks can be rotated
on a weekly, monthly or seasonal basis," she says.
Farah and Martin Perelmuter, for example, don't yet have
the luxury of setting up offices on opposite corners of a large
office building, but they may not want to. The two 29-year olds
began their Toronto-based business, Speakers' Spotlight, 3 1/2 years
ago after quitting promising careers - his in international law
and hers in marketing and advertising. They started working in the
same tiny office of their apartment, a situation Mrs. Perelmuter
describes as "impossible."
Now, half of their rented duplex is devoted to their business,
which books such famous Canadian and U.S. speakers as Paul Henderson,
Ken Dryden, Faith Popcorn, and Christopher Reeve, and the other
half is where they live. Their work is divided according to interest;
Martin spends most of his time booking speakers, while Farah works
on marketing, advertising, and general management of the business.
They are together nearly 24 hours a day, since their offices are
separated by a sliding door, usually left open.
"Our arrangement would definitely not work for everybody,
but it works for us," Mr. Perelmuter says. "There is very little
conflict in our business, not because we agree on everything but
because our level of communication is so open. We say what's on
our minds and reach agreements very quickly. There is a high level
of trust that doesn't typically exist in larger offices."
Both the Harcourts and the Perelmuters have drawn boundaries
where their work life ends and their home life begins. Having their
own business means working long hours, but when they are at home,
both couples make an effort not to talk shop.
Ms. Spinks recommends setting up areas in the home where
business talk is off-limits, such as the kitchen, dining room, and
bedroom. Other rooms can be "neutral zones" where anything goes.
Similarly, personal issues should not be discussed in the office,
and partners should ensure that each respects the other's individual
space requirements. That is, divide up drawers and working areas
to give each person his or her own space, but agree on what functional
areas such as filing cabinets and fax machines are shared. "It sounds
funny, but if you stick with it, the mind and body take over," she
says. "I know some couples who use the dinner hour as a chance to
debrief and go over the days' work, but I would caution against
that, especially if there are children involved. Talk about work
can be really boring for them."
Ms. Spinks also warns couples who work together should
make every effort to maintain separate lives outside of working
hours. There has to be some free time where each can pursue individual
friendships and interests, bringing new ideas to the business and
relationship. "It's really easy to lose your perspective, so I tell
people to make sure they have fun," Ms. Spinks says. "These relationships
can often end up in trouble because we tend to rely on our personal
partners for support in our careers. When they are our business
partners too, it may be difficult to call on that support when you
need it, because you're both feeling the same pressure."
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