Hi there,
Building a business with your spouse can be one of the most rewarding things you ever do, but it also asks more of a relationship than most people expect. It takes trust, clarity, patience, and the ability to protect the partnership while chasing something ambitious together.
In this issue, I’m sharing a few thoughtful pieces on what it really looks like when love and work start moving in the same direction, plus a book that offers practical lessons from a couple who built a business side by side over many years.
🗳️ Previous Edition’s poll result
Last week, I asked: If you and your spouse are working together daily running your business, what are your biggest challenges?
Based on the results of the survey we posted in our last newsletter, 33% of you said that you and your spouse/partner could not agree on termination decisions.
My response to that after working together with Patty after 25 years and still not always agreeing on who to terminate is as follows:
Are we terming someone that can be replaced for lesser money, and we have a replacement in mind (Y/N)?
Will the action of this termination cause a negative impact among the other employees (Y/N)?
Have you considered asked others what their opinion of this employee are?
Is it because this employee causes friction between the both of us ~ that's a big one and a no-brainer ~ YOUR FIRED!
We just cannot afford the salary ~ again a no-brainer.
We feel bad because this employee has been with us for so long - then make it easier with a reasonable severance package that keeps them on payroll for X weeks.
I am including a copy of the SEPARATION AGREEMENT that we use at Ardor every time we have to terminate someone - other than for cause.
Feel free to download it and make it your own. And remember small business owners have to make terminations, and like new hires, they are part of the business and are necessary, and do not always have to be 100% correct. It's ok to make BAD DECISIONS, just not too often.
📰 Upcoming in this issue
When Marriage Stops Competing With Ambition 💍
When Love and Business Start Pulling in the Same Direction ❤️
Building a Business Shouldn’t Cost You Your Marriage 💍
📈 Trending news
When Marriage Stops Competing With Ambition 💍 read the full 1,020-word article here
Article published: November 22, 2025
Reading “New Here? This Is What Married & Working Together Is All About” from Married & Working Together, I was struck by how this article refuses the old idea that love and ambition are natural rivals.
This article presents the newsletter as a guide for couples who want to build not just a relationship, but a shared life shaped by teamwork, clarity, growth, and meaningful work.
What intrigued me most is that this article does not sell perfection; it offers frameworks, stories, and practical tools for couples trying to balance careers, money, parenting, business, and connection without drifting into resentment.
I came away thinking this article is really an invitation to see marriage as a source of momentum—something that can strengthen ambition instead of asking people to shrink it.
Key Takeaways
🤝 The article reframes marriage as teamwork: It speaks to couples who want alignment, not a constant tug-of-war.
🧭 Practicality is part of the promise: Frameworks, scripts, rituals, and templates are positioned as tools couples can use right away.
💼 Work is treated as relationship territory: The article argues careers, money, planning, and ambition all shape partnership health.
🚀 Its message is deeply aspirational: Love and ambition are presented not as tradeoffs, but as forces that can make each other stronger.
When Love and Business Start Pulling in the Same Direction ❤️ read the full 1,150-word article here
Article published: February 12, 2025
Reading “Living together and running a business: Tips for success for couplepreneurs” from Enterprise Nation, I was struck by how this article makes working with a spouse feel less like a romantic gamble and more like a serious, fast-growing business model.
This article reveals that couple-run businesses thrive not on chemistry alone, but on planning, financial clarity, resilience, and sharply defined roles.
What intrigued me most is how this article captures the paradox at the heart of couplepreneurship: the work can be deeply joyful and deeply lonely at the same time, stretching both the business and the relationship.
I came away thinking this article is really about discipline disguised as devotion—showing that the couples who last are the ones who treat trust, boundaries, and communication as business assets.
Key Takeaways
💼 Couplepreneurship is bigger than it looks: The article frames it as an under-valued but growing force across sectors and generations.
🧾 Money clarity matters early: Several couples stress funding plans and personal spending agreements before the pressure sets in.
🧭 Defined roles protect the relationship: Clear responsibilities help keep disagreements focused on work, not emotion or identity.
🫶 Love alone is not the system: Trust, listening, resilience, and time away from the business are presented as essential tools.
Building a Business Shouldn’t Cost You Your Marriage 💍 read the full 870-word article here
Article published: April 16, 2026
Reading “How Entrepreneurs Can Protect Their Marriage While Building a Business” from In It Together, I was struck by how this article opens not with theory, but with a confession: outward success can quietly coexist with deep relational neglect.
This article argues that entrepreneurship strains marriage not only through long hours, but through repeated moments of emotional absence—those small missed bids for connection that slowly erode closeness.
What intrigued me most is how this article blends research with lived experience, using the Gottmans’ framework, love languages, Enneagram stress patterns, and weekly rituals to make marital protection feel practical rather than sentimental.
I came away thinking this article delivers a bracing message to founders: if you can systemize your business, you can also protect the relationship that makes the rest of the ambition worth it.
Key Takeaways
💔 Success can hide disconnection: The article’s emotional hinge is a spouse feeling married to the company, not the entrepreneur.
🧠 Missed connection is the real danger: It highlights “turning away” from small bids as a major predictor of marital breakdown.
🛠️ The fixes are surprisingly concrete: Six-second kisses, weekly check-ins, and stress-pattern awareness turn care into repeatable practice.
📈 Marriage is framed as an asset: The article cites research suggesting stronger relationships can support better entrepreneurial performance and earnings.
Why It Matters
The common thread through all of this is simple: thriving together does not happen by accident. The couples who build well together tend to treat communication, boundaries, and shared vision as part of the business itself, not as something to figure out later.
If that is the kind of partnership you want to build, I hope this issue gave you a few ideas worth carrying into your next conversation.
Michael Lamia
Author, Married and Working Together
Passionate about building businesses together with the ones we love the most.
P.S. If you and your partner have ever talked about building something together, Married and Working Together is a practical guide worth checking out. It shares the real story, lessons, and first steps behind turning a simple idea into a business you can actually grow side by side. Grab the book on Amazon here.