Working together: A husband and wife team that clicks

David Caren, CEO & Co-Founder of Run Angel

After an incident during a morning jog when I was startled by a stranger, I teamed up with my wife Ellen to become entrepreneurs and we developed run angel™ SAFE – the smallest, loudest personal safety wrist wearable designed to keep runners safe.

The incident helped us identify a gap in the market for such items. We were thrilled to attract the attention from Irish government agency, Enterprise Ireland, which listed Run Angel as a High Potential Start-Up.

Having received funding from Enterprise Ireland we have experienced tremendous growth since launching in the UK earlier this year and we have high hopes for the future! Being a husband and wife team is challenging in itself but with determination, continuous innovation and support Run Angel has the opportunity to become a leading global player.

Here, we’ve put together a few tips on how to make a husband-wife business partnership work. 

KEEP YOUR HOME AND WORK LIFE SEPARATE

SME Publications/ SME XPO 2024

As a married couple working in a business together it can be challenging to separate your home life from your work life. When you consider the alternative of going into business with a fellow worker or college friend, and, you are having a particularly difficult day, you can each return home to your respective partner or spouse and share with them your day, seek their unbiased view or support, or divert your attention away to playing with your kids. For the married business couple living together under the same roof, this is not always possible.

Establishing a routine that separates work from home life is essential. We have created a habit of when walking in the door we switch off our phones and place them in a box on the hall table. 

DESIGNATE ROLES

It is imperative to establish who is doing what, and what department is his or hers to manage or oversee, and, who is answerable to him or her directly. This fosters a degree of independence for each spouse in the workplace. 

 RESPECT EACH OTHER

Respect is the mainstay of any relationship. This is also paramount when in business – respect your fellow worker. For the married couple in business how you treat each other in the workplace is usually in full view of your co-workers, naturally this can be quite testing if you have had a slight difference of opinion at work or at home. Best practice is to box off any relationship hiccup to where it first occurred and not take it to work or vice versa, home with you. Compromise is a key ingredient of the spousal business set up.  

FIND THE RIGHT BALANCE 

Finding time to spend alone together outside of work, away from the home is essential. You cannot go into business with your spouse if you don’t get on with them. We consider one another as best friends, and whilst many other couples may never contemplate working with their own spouse, we see ourselves as being fortunate that we can. At the same time, we also recognise the importance of having time to oneself, be it through a hobby, sport or hanging out with your own friends.   

STAY UNITED

Pay attention to what you are doing and who for. As a married couple (and with a family) you are fully committed to making a success of the business. Finally, be proud of one another ensuring that wherever the road takes you that you take it together.

For more information about Run Angel, visit: https://runangel.com/

Picture: Miki Barlok

SME Publications/ SME XPO 2024