Should you do a startup with your spouse? | Hacker News Reader

Should you do a startup with your spouse?

lifeafterliquidity.com

12 pointsebahnx6 comments

Great way to visualize skillset match for co-founders, I however feel that this isn't isolated to doing a startup with a spouse but with any co-founder choice; making sure you have the right skill balance.

Since starting backstitch (http://backstit.ch) with my wife we constantly get this question: "How do you work so well together?" We really don't see it different than if we were just two best friends from college that decided to start a startup.

We were used to working together on projects in school and post graduation weekend hacks. Our careers led us to work on different things and pick up different expertise (font-end design vs operations vs data analysis, ect.) Yes you need to consider thing such as establishing a work vs personal relationship but the same is true when going into business with a close friend as many people do.

> Since starting backstitch (http://backstit.ch) with my wife we constantly get this question: "How do you work so well together?" We really don't see it different than if we were just two best friends from college that decided to start a startup.

When my wife and I discuss the possibility of working together on a business, our main concern is about spending almost every waking hour together or in contact with each other. Neither of us can stand being around the same people constantly. Hell, neither of us can stand being around people constantly. I don't think I could do the 12/7 or 14/7 startup thing at all unless I was spending significant portions of that time locked up by myself. If I tried to do that with my wife, or anyone else I was living with for that matter, it would be disastrous. Is that ever an issue for you?

The best thing we found is making sure to try take an hour a day, usually before going to sleep to do something by ourselves in a separate room - we call it our sanity check.

Might be as simple as she will go watch an episode of something on Netflix and I'll go play a couple rounds of a videogame. During crunch times its not always feasible but its something we feel strongly about and try to make the effort to do.

We recently doubled our team size and are trying to make "having a sanity check" and part of our developing company culture - it works wonders not only for working together but for helping prevent burnout in general.

Thanks for the kind words! And yes, the article was meant to address picking key hires, whether your spouse (main focus of article) or any other person who would play a major role in your business.

Terms like "mom and pop store" or "family business" are cliches for a reason. While not all spouses make for good business partners, having a business partner whom you can trust and whose vested interests you naturally share is a powerful asset.

Totally agree. The best part of working with my wife is knowing that she's always looking out for my best interests (and vice versa). The absolute trust is a huge relief.

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