Everyday is Valentine’s Day at Snackbox

You love your significant other, right? And you enjoy your evenings and weekends together … but how would you feel if you spent 24 hours a day, seven days a week together? Could you do it?

Eric and I launched Snackbox together back in the fall of 2006 and more times than not, when I tell someone my husband is my business partner, I get the funny eye followed by a series of questions. People are more amazed than not that we could spend all day, every day together. But what makes our relationship successful both on a professional and personal level is that we met at work. We’ve worked together during our entire relationship together and the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

Whether you’re considering the possibility of starting a business with your significant other or just planning to tackle a big project at home, here are some of our tips for keeping things happy:

1. Separation of church and state. Work stays in designated work spaces (for the most part) and life happens elsewhere. We each have our own room that serves as our office space. We can go hours without seeing each other if the day is super busy and we actually talk quite a bit over instant messenger (I know, it’s silly. But it works!)

2. Clearly define each other’s roles. We’re at an advantage because we know each other well. We know each other’s strengths and weaknesses and it’s easy to designate who will do what in each project.

3. Know when it’s time to take a break. So I may have exaggerated a bit when I said we are with each other 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It’s important to get out and do your own thing, especially when you’re working with each other. It gives you both time to yourself and allows you to have your own individual experiences… something to talk about at the dinner table later that evening.

4. Don’t take advantage of the relationship. During business hours, our relationship is that of a creative and an account executive or a CFO and CEO … you get the idea. We’re constantly playing the roles of someone within an agency. After five o’clock (sometimes earlier in the day, sometimes later), we go back to being husband and wife. It’s okay to mix personal and professional during the day, but try to keep them as separate as possible.

5. Be supportive. We’re each other’s biggest cheerleaders and I think that’s why we’ve been so successful. You want to see each other succeed in general and when it comes to your business, you want it even more. Eric knows me well enough to realize when I need a hug and he’s always there to tell me I’m kicking butt. You keep each other level headed and uplifted.

As a married couple working together, I think we have it down to a science. We have a happy marriage and Snackbox has doubled in revenue each year of its existence. We’ve certainly had our share of ups and downs, but it’s all in how you look at it. We’re always working to learn the lessons (and learn them well!) so we can move on and do better the next round (and there is always a next round).

Happy Valentine’s Day SnackFans!