Partners In Life And Business — I Started A Company With My Husband And It’s Amazing!
Last Saturday, I took off to San Francisco for yet another extended business trip. I left behind my co-founder Marko, who also happens to be my husband.
On our way home the night before my flight, we talked about how fortunate we were to be running the company together even if it’s hard to be apart for long. However, we both wouldn’t change a thing!
Yet, many people still question if and how it’s possible to balance living together and running a company as couple. All I can say is that’s it’s very much possible!
Besides, I believe if you can get through the hurdles of founding and running a company with your spouse, you can overcome anything that life throws at you. In my experience, this definitely creates a stronger bond of marriage.
Our journey with Marko started almost 7 years ago, from which the last 4 years we’ve spent building Testlio.
At the very beginning, we actually hid the fact that we were a couple. When we went to the Angelhack hackathon in 2013, we did so by pretending to be just buddies! Marko was not even planning on coming to the hackathon with me. He didn’t believe in this ‘couple working together’ thing either. He was always of the opinion that you should keep your work and love life separated. Fortunately a few days before the event, he realized that idea had real potential and felt it’d be wrong to let me do it alone. So instead of having to team up with strangers, I had Marko. I’m really glad he changed his mind!
The reason we didn’t talk about our relationship at first was because it always seemed like a ‘bad’ thing. Something that would invalidate the work we were putting in. We didn’t have many role models to draw inspiration from either.
But I’m glad we trusted our hearts in the end and didn’t let this stop us from pursuing our goal. Because at the end of the day, your team is your strongest asset. Especially when you start a company and have to figure everything out all at once.
Going into the hackathon we hadn’t yet recognized this simple truth, so we didn’t mention anything personal in the presentation. But when you’re building a company you absolutely need someone by your side whom you can really trust and rely on, regardless of the situation. The right team is everything.
So, how do we make it work? Marko and I have always gotten along very well. If you have common values and ambitions in life, you will have a very strong baseline for successful relationships with people that share these same beliefs. Someone once wrote that your working relationship can only be as strong as your personal relationship — and I think it’s very true.
Here are my top 5 reasons why we’ve been able to make it work in and out of the office.
- Support, Empower and Listen To Each Other
One of the most important factors for an harmonious relationship is to always be there for each other — and this can only come from your love and respect for one another. There are countless moments where myself or Marko are feeling down but we never let the other cope with their problems alone. During hard times, you need to be able to listen and inject positive vibes into your significant other. That helps a lot. Never undermine your other half, never. Respect them. Be kind. Always. If you ever have any disagreements, don’t be negative. I’m happy when Marko is happy and that’s all that matters. Everything else we will figure out together. - Accept That Work Becomes a Very Big Part of Your Life
When you start your company together, you will have to accept that you will talk about work a lot. It becomes a huge part of your life.
Before Testlio, whenever Marko came home after work, he never shared his burdens with me. But rather he always wanted to protect me from the stress of entrepreneurship. Now the situation has changed. We’re in it together.
We understand that more often than not we have to give up on some of our previous comforts — whether it’s a nice apartment, long vacations, a car, etc. Of course, this impacts your lifestyle overall but don’t let the absence of these small perks affect your relationship. Believe me it’s worth it in the long run! - Don’t Forget To Take Time For Yourself
You need to take time off from work and sometimes, focus on yourself and yourself only. As I wrote in my last blogpost, for me it’s time spent with my horse Rockefeller. For Marko it’s running.
If you want to be the best you can be, self-care is essential — we all need to unwind and recharge our batteries.
Time for yourself can be a great boost for creativity as well. - Enjoy Every Minute Of It
I recently read an article on quitting and it made a great point that despite the fact that building a company is really hard, complaining and making excuses is not a way out. As Jim Rohn said: “If you really want to do something, you’ll find a way. If you don’t, you’ll find an excuse.”
Sometimes you struggle and feel like quitting, but you still keep on going because ultimately you love what you do. And what could be better than embarking on this great adventure with someone you love? Every obstacle we face is for a better future. - Just Do It
Going back to a time before the hackathon and the launch of Testlio, we never set any expectations for working together. We didn’t analyze the goods and bads — we just went ahead and did what we had to do to launch Testlio. There will always be some potential investors or employees out there who will not believe in you or the viability of your relationship but that’s OK. Don’t let their doubts stop you. When you have found the right partner, you can make anything happen.
Ours is a love story built from the ground up and when it comes to the business, we are in it together. No matter what, we’re always there for each other.
I figure if people spend a third of their adult-life working and trying to fulfill their dreams, then why not do it together with your loved one? I’m sure there are still people out there who think that we’ll fail and eventually our love will fade, but to put it bluntly — I don’t give a f*ck. As long as Marko and I believe in the same values, we have no choice but to succeed.
