While entrepreneurial couples' motives are as individual as their relationships, one thing all successful couples need is a firm foundation. You have to love spending time together.
Some couples thrive on being in each other's company.
For Susan and Jerry Hatchett, success as business partners followed naturally from success in marriage. Bumps exist in every marriage, but they need to be worked out at home, not in the business. To help smooth the road to entrepreneurship, couples should write a business plan, says Patricia Frishkoff, founder and director of the Austin Family Business Program at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. In addition to traditional components like a marketing plan and financial forecasts, the plan should also outline your expectations in terms of your relationship. Putting plans and goals in writing worked for Ann and John Christensen, founders of Christensen Designs in Manteca, California.