I think we need to rethink how we configure work. Serious jobs almost always implicitly assume it is designed for a male breadwinner with a full-time homemaker wife.
I think it's refreshing to see some of the comments here acknowledge that.
Do you really want an individual, or just a service?
An EA/PA is low touch and avoids all the context switching. They're a dependable person you have a working relationship with rather than hit or miss gig for hire.
good for you, but yikes, man, that made me cringe.
you might want to re-think if you'd be comfortable giving the same tasks to a male personal assistant, or if you've somehow unconsciously engineered a large financial/power imbalance, in the disparity between your gross yearly income and what you pay your assistant to do the duties of a "stay-at-home wife". and exactly what you think her role really is.
if by some chance the original poster here is not a dude, it's a whole lot less sketchy in my opinion.
Give how absolutely little you know about this situation, that was completely out of line and asinine. You jumped to a conclusion to polish a hobby horse, completely derailed the conversation, and got downvoted for it.
I’m asking you to reflect on how condescending and presumptuous your original comment was.
In matters of money, there are less secrets/unexpected swings; and you both have to be invested in the success of the business, ergo one's livelihood and goal-achievement-vehicle (e.g. for vacations, new cars and appliances, better house, etc.).
Plus, if you cannot tolerate one another and cannot work well together, then you'll know soon enough that perhaps the two of you are not compatible in a partnership (and really, that's all a marriage is if you work for a living -- a partnership to help you both reach your goals).
An added bonus, is that it breads closeness, rather than only seeing your significant other for a few hours every night/morning, and the weekends.
Massive financial/power imbalance? Very. Are both people getting what they want from the arrangement? I would imagine so. The ones that weren't have left/had everything crash and burn, or are on their way.
so in my opinion two people in a romantic relationship that also own/run their business together is a completely different thing than what the 'helsinki' poster described, unless their paid assistant they found on craigslist also has other, uhhh.... duties
On "other duties," I think a lot of people have that mindset in a partner: mechanically do these things that benefit my emotional state, while I mechanically do my things that benefit their emotional state, and repeat until death.
With the common form of payment being money and material goods, for material services. Transactional.
A disheartening state of affairs, but more common than not.
You are a CEO and have five minutes to prepare for a first remote meeting with a potential client that could result in years of business down the road.
What is the time worth to you, to have someone else get the coffee you like?
The important thing ... is treating the person doing services for you as important too, in pay and respect. Because the five minutes they save you by being reliable are worth a lot.