Love + Business = Failure?

At Fuckup Nights , we're Fuckup Nights strangers to the topic of love

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Some people have met their future husband or wife at a Private Failure Event (we’ve even had a couple of marriage proposals at some of our events!).

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What’s more, the first thing that comes to mind for many people when we talk about failure is a failed romantic relationship. And even though Fuckup Nights focus on that kind of failure, we’ve heard several stories at our events that have to do with love… or heartbreak.

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Whether it’s a divorce in the midst of a financial crisis or giving in to your partner and investing recklessly in cryptocurrency, love sometimes plays a major role in some epic screw-ups. And while some people think that mixing love and business is a recipe for disaster, we decided to take a look at the pros and cons of starting a business with your romantic partner.

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The good news (there's more good news than you think!)

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One of the biggest advantages is trust. Partners who are romantic partners already have a foundation of trust in their relationship. The shared values and priorities that make for a successful romantic relationship also provide a solid foundation for a strong business partnership. This pre-existing connection means that businesses run by couples are far removed from the typical drama of “backstabbing partners”—a common fuckup we hear about time and again at Fuckup Nights.

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In addition, according to a survey conducted by The Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of South Florida, working with your partner helps foster a family-like culture and atmosphere, which boosts employee morale. It has been shown that employees who feel a sense of warmth, affection, and connection in their workplace perform better.

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And let's not even get started on flexibility. Couples who run a business together have enough flexibility to adjust their schedules and spend more time together. Having the chance to watch their venture (fingers crossed) grow and thrive together can be very rewarding.

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The not-so-good part

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Remember how we mentioned that spending more time together was a benefit? Well, sometimes it’s not such a good thing…

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The joy of seeing your loved one after a long day at work helps maintain a healthy dynamic. When you live and work with the same person, it’s hard to find those necessary moments of solitude and reflection.

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Furthermore, the lines between personal and professional matters become blurred, and work sometimes becomes the only topic of conversation in the relationship. It can be difficult to be romantic with your partner if they’re reviewing the annual report during dinner. Carol Roth, an entrepreneur who worked with her husband for 10 years, finds that these blurred lines can bring business problems into the personal sphere—and vice versa.

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So, what's it really like to run a business with your partner?

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There are many examples of major businesses run by couples: from Dolce & Gabbana to small businesses around the world. For Julia and Kevin Hartz, co-founders of Eventbrite, the key to “success” lies in ensuring that, even though they work at the same company, each focuses on different things:

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“Like anything else, it’s ultimately a co-founder relationship, so we had to be very mindful of the fact that there was an extra personal dimension to it—we’re a couple… We have a rule of dividing and conquering, and not working on the same thing at the same time. It just so happens that our skills complement each other, which makes things easier.”

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According to the couple, prioritizing the strength of their personal relationship was a wise decision that should be applied to any team of co-founders, whether or not they are in a romantic relationship.

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Natasha Case and Freya Estreller started an ice cream business in 2009. After a successful weekend at the Coachella festival, Coolhaus was officially founded. After five years running the business together, Freya left Coolhaus and founded a company that produces packaged, ready-to-eat jelly shots (great idea, right?). According to Natasha, this change improved their relationship:

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“We’re closer now. It’s exciting to catch up at the end of the day about the latest developments and challenges we’ve encountered in both projects—unlike before, when we both knew everything that was going on.”

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Final verdict

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While many people think that starting a business with your partner is a recipe for failure, we believe that resilience and growth come from how we react to situations, rather than from the situations themselves. Starting a business is going to be a challenge, no matter what other factors are involved. Sometimes, facing these challenges alongside your loved one is the extra motivation we need to get through them. Plus, going through tough times can even strengthen any relationship. At Fuckup Nights familiar with the benefits of sharing failure—and what better way to share it than with someone who’s by your side in life?

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So why not give it a try? What's the worst that could happen? You're probably going to fail anyway.

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In good times and bad, in sickness and in health, until bankruptcy do us part.

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