These are pitfalls for enterprising couples in everyday life.

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Open a small shop, run a hotel or start a catering business: some businesses are particularly well suited to run as a couple. “The trust of a marriage can improve positively in everyday work”: Loïc Deslarzes, industrial psychologist and president of the ‹Association genevoise des psychologues› (AGPy), believes that love between two partners can improve work performance. Ultimately, this is a huge advantage for a company’s success: “Knowing the other person can enable entrepreneurial couples to better cope with turbulent times, support each other, and think and innovate together.”

But as in marriage, it is better to anticipate failure in a business. Because the goal is for an entrepreneurial project to survive independently of a love affair. Two experts and three pairs of entrepreneurs describe five hurdles to avoid in everyday business.

One of the most important points to be clarified at the beginning of any entrepreneurial journey is the precise definition of the framework conditions of the partnership. This is even more true if the spouses are also a couple in the household. “In a partnership like this, you really put all your eggs in one basket. “There is a risk of being dazzled by the initial excitement,” explains Célia Salvador, expert at consulting Entreprendre.ch.

But there can always be a separation. This sometimes leads to a “battle of ego and other emotions” in which the company can suffer greatly. “To protect yourself from double failure, it’s best to quickly draw up a shareholders’ agreement with an attorney.” In this step, decisions can be made about the distribution of each individual’s shares, and may also envisage the takeover of management or repurchase of shares in the event of separation.

Daniela and Emanuel Steiner, the founders of the Zurich catering company Felfel and married for six years, report: “We very openly discussed the values ​​and aspirations of each individual. Clarifying and documenting these points was an inevitable and important step.” When choosing the legal form of the company, the couple chose a joint stock company that offers them many opportunities for expansion, but also protects family assets and simplifies procedures in case of bankruptcy or company closure.

Anyone who starts a business risks blurring the lines between work and private life. “If the project takes up too much space, the partnership may lag behind the employment relationship. Setting rules helps couples stop seeing their married partners as just professionals,” explains Loïc Deslarzes.

Charlotte and Jean-Marc Boutilly work in the hospitality industry, a profession that must be practiced with the utmost passion. They had to make minor adjustments to restore balance in the family. “We tended to take professional problems home with us. Our children blamed us for this. Today that is no longer an option » says the management couple of Villars Alpine Resort Group, which was founded in 2021.

A challenge that the Steiner couple has mastered as well. “Creating the balancing act requires a certain amount of professional and emotional maturity. We no longer have to systematically tell each other every problem that arises during the day,” Daniela sums up. They also regularly treat themselves to an evening for two.

Communication is a common foundation for interpersonal relationships and any entrepreneurial project that should last for the long term. However, Célia Salvador suggests separating form of communication from context to context: “If you’re addressing the business partner and not the important one, it can help to create a specific framework where a different vocabulary is used.” Setting time for professional change also helps to set clear boundaries. “It’s also about having the ability to delay communication from time to time. Humor can also defuse crisis situations,” adds psychologist Loïc Deslarzes.

Hotel manager Jean-Marc Boutilly confirms this advice: “Charlotte has an incredible ability to tell me everything at the right time. And with my sense of mockery, I can brighten up even the most serious conversations.”

Lara Nour Wehbe and Alain Walther have been together for nearly seven years and founded jewelry retailer Anour Shop in 2018 and a beauty salon in Courgevaux FR in 2021. Professionally, the couple developed a solution-oriented communication that had a very positive impact on their private relationship: “For the project to work, you must be able to talk freely to each other without offending each other. The company has made us more resilient and taught us to put our egos aside to resolve conflicts.”

The extremely time-consuming daily life of every entrepreneur requires a strong sense of sacrifice from the partners involved. Every Friday, the Steiners plan their week for themselves so that everyone can peacefully fulfill the demands and obligations of daily life. “With three kids, it’s very important to coordinate and determine who does what every day, both professionally and privately. These weekly meetings are a real success factor,” says Daniela Steiner.

On the other hand, it can be dangerous to impose your own rhythm on your lover without asking them first. Expert Célia Salvador says: “It is essential to accept and trust each other’s differences, the way they work. The introduction of crash barriers and occupational hygiene can also help.”

“It’s about predetermining criteria that don’t have to be the same for both spouses – do you work weekends, evenings, and if you’re working, every weekend, every evening? If the couple knows each other well, they can both monitor each other’s health and stress stress,” says psychologist Loïc Deslarzes. or they can identify warning signs of fatigue,” he explains.

One of the benefits of starting a business is mutual trust, but also the ability of partners to reflect on their ideas and challenge each other. “It’s important to maintain a critical perspective when it comes to evaluating the strategic direction or analyzing a situation,” says Deslarzes. “If you have an emotional attachment to your partner, there is a risk of developing some kind of unity and making a decision yourself that you really don’t want.”

“In this sense, personalities that complement each other and have a good distribution of roles and tasks are one of the keys to success. Lara is more thoughtful but also more realistic, while I am quieter and more dreamy,” says Alain Walther of Anour Shop. A few arguments come from the one subject we both mastered: accounting!»

Jean-Marc Boutilly of Villars Alpine Resort Group says: “Although our roles have changed over time, they have always been clearly separated. In character, we are as opposite as you can imagine: I am fire and my wife is water. These differences contribute to harmony and balance in everyday life. .»

This text was created in collaboration with LargeNetwork. Originally published on Blick.ch’s French website.

Source :Blick

Tim

I’m Tim David and I work as an author for 24 Instant News, covering the Market section. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, my mission is to provide accurate, timely and insightful news coverage that helps our readers stay informed about the latest trends in the market. My writing style is focused on making complex economic topics easy to understand for everyone.