Becoming business partners can be a risky move for some couples, but for those who get the chemistry right, it can make good business sense.
One third of family-owned businesses are run by husband-wife teams, and Richmond abounds with married business partners.
“A lot of the issues are the same. Distribution of income, availability of funding and cash flow,” said Charles Gallagher, director of the Virginia Family Business Forum at VCU.
Gallagher said that before deciding to go into business together, couples should weigh the possible issues.
“There are a lot of obstacles and sacrifices in the first few years of business,” he said. “You have to be open to discuss issues before they become issues. … The advice I would give is to sit down and talk to professionals and get the road plan before they set out on the journey.”
B.J. and Jennifer Kocen (pictured above) know firsthand the ups and downs that come with starting a business. In their case, that meant working part-time jobs when the recession did a number on their gallery business.
“It was stressful when the economy was really bad in 2008,” said Jennifer. The couple started the Glave Kocen Gallery on W. Main Street a year earlier.
Their sales and foot traffic were way down, so during that time they switched off working at the gallery with side jobs for a year.
“One of us stayed at the gallery, while the other worked another job,” said Jennifer.
The couple’s business came back strong in 2009, with a 40 percent increase in sales, and has continued to grow.
Like other married business partners around town, the Kocens have found that balance and communication are keys to success in both.
“If you can’t work with your partner, who else can you trust?” said B.J., 38.
“I can’t imagine being married and not knowing the other side of their life,” added Jennifer, 45.
The Kocens rely on their different strengths to keep the business running smoothly.
“I like to say he’s the face of the gallery and I’m the quiet, subdued one behind the scenes,” said Jennifer.
Jennifer handles the financials, the website and other duties, while B.J. works with the customers and handles public relations.
As for disputes in the working environment, B.J. said they’re rare but happen on occasion.
“Sometimes Jennifer is stubborn, and I can have a short temper,” he said.
“We’re not perfect. Somebody will blow up, so we try and take a day or two then we’re ready to talk about it later.”
Another local couple, Champe and Roger Granger, figured out pretty quickly what worked and what didn’t when they decided to open their first Grease Monkey in 2003.
“It’s not good for us to be at the shop at the same time. We both wanted to run the show,” said Champe, 48.
To make things go a little smoother, they alternated working at the shop at different times. Now the couple has been married for 21 years, in business for seven, and are still happy about their decision to join forces.
“It works for us,” said Champe.
Roger said they each have different strengths that make them successful: “She’s more strategic and focused on the big picture; I’m more detail-oriented.”
And for these two, there is little separation between home and work.
“There’s a lot of business talk, but that’s what we like,” said Champe.
Champe and Roger have invested $300,000 into their businesses, including an online interior design business that they launched in the fall and a second Grease Monkey location that will open next month in the Fan.
Despite the many possible pitfalls, some couples don’t think twice about what could go wrong if they go into business together. Not Todd and Jennifer Whitlock.
Although they’ve been in business for seven years now, it wasn’t something the married couple of 12 years was in favor of from the get-go.
“We pushed against it. I’d rather be married. I didn’t think we could be around each other,” said Jennifer, 41.
The couple run The HelpDesk Company, an IT support business for small companies and nonprofits, and in the beginning working together was an adjustment.
“We’re both very dominate personalities,” said Todd, 43.
“It took a while to learn to let go of the power,” said Jennifer.
They were both in the IT field and met when Todd applied for a job at the company where Jennifer was the recruiter in 1995.
“It was a no-brainer to hire him, but I couldn’t stand him,” said Jennifer.
Three years later, the two were married and Todd branched out on his own with a business partner to create ProSys, LLC, the company that would become the Help Desk in 2004.
Todd ran the business by himself for a while until he decided to bring Jennifer on in August to help out.
Now the couple say they are five times closer.
Todd and Jennifer have grown the business to eight employees and had double-digit growth every year except one.
“It’s natural to be working with her now,” said Todd. That’s not to say every day is perfect for these two.
“You need breaks sometimes. There’s definitely nights where I watch TV in one room and he watches it in another,” said Jennifer.
“We have healthy standoffs; we don’t clash any more or any less than anyone else,” said Todd.
But it’s not all business all the time.
“At 5:00, you have to shut the business off,” Todd said.
Becoming business partners can be a risky move for some couples, but for those who get the chemistry right, it can make good business sense.
One third of family-owned businesses are run by husband-wife teams, and Richmond abounds with married business partners.
“A lot of the issues are the same. Distribution of income, availability of funding and cash flow,” said Charles Gallagher, director of the Virginia Family Business Forum at VCU.
Gallagher said that before deciding to go into business together, couples should weigh the possible issues.
“There are a lot of obstacles and sacrifices in the first few years of business,” he said. “You have to be open to discuss issues before they become issues. … The advice I would give is to sit down and talk to professionals and get the road plan before they set out on the journey.”
B.J. and Jennifer Kocen (pictured above) know firsthand the ups and downs that come with starting a business. In their case, that meant working part-time jobs when the recession did a number on their gallery business.
“It was stressful when the economy was really bad in 2008,” said Jennifer. The couple started the Glave Kocen Gallery on W. Main Street a year earlier.
Their sales and foot traffic were way down, so during that time they switched off working at the gallery with side jobs for a year.
“One of us stayed at the gallery, while the other worked another job,” said Jennifer.
The couple’s business came back strong in 2009, with a 40 percent increase in sales, and has continued to grow.
Like other married business partners around town, the Kocens have found that balance and communication are keys to success in both.
“If you can’t work with your partner, who else can you trust?” said B.J., 38.
“I can’t imagine being married and not knowing the other side of their life,” added Jennifer, 45.
The Kocens rely on their different strengths to keep the business running smoothly.
“I like to say he’s the face of the gallery and I’m the quiet, subdued one behind the scenes,” said Jennifer.
Jennifer handles the financials, the website and other duties, while B.J. works with the customers and handles public relations.
As for disputes in the working environment, B.J. said they’re rare but happen on occasion.
“Sometimes Jennifer is stubborn, and I can have a short temper,” he said.
“We’re not perfect. Somebody will blow up, so we try and take a day or two then we’re ready to talk about it later.”
Another local couple, Champe and Roger Granger, figured out pretty quickly what worked and what didn’t when they decided to open their first Grease Monkey in 2003.
“It’s not good for us to be at the shop at the same time. We both wanted to run the show,” said Champe, 48.
To make things go a little smoother, they alternated working at the shop at different times. Now the couple has been married for 21 years, in business for seven, and are still happy about their decision to join forces.
“It works for us,” said Champe.
Roger said they each have different strengths that make them successful: “She’s more strategic and focused on the big picture; I’m more detail-oriented.”
And for these two, there is little separation between home and work.
“There’s a lot of business talk, but that’s what we like,” said Champe.
Champe and Roger have invested $300,000 into their businesses, including an online interior design business that they launched in the fall and a second Grease Monkey location that will open next month in the Fan.
Despite the many possible pitfalls, some couples don’t think twice about what could go wrong if they go into business together. Not Todd and Jennifer Whitlock.
Although they’ve been in business for seven years now, it wasn’t something the married couple of 12 years was in favor of from the get-go.
“We pushed against it. I’d rather be married. I didn’t think we could be around each other,” said Jennifer, 41.
The couple run The HelpDesk Company, an IT support business for small companies and nonprofits, and in the beginning working together was an adjustment.
“We’re both very dominate personalities,” said Todd, 43.
“It took a while to learn to let go of the power,” said Jennifer.
They were both in the IT field and met when Todd applied for a job at the company where Jennifer was the recruiter in 1995.
“It was a no-brainer to hire him, but I couldn’t stand him,” said Jennifer.
Three years later, the two were married and Todd branched out on his own with a business partner to create ProSys, LLC, the company that would become the Help Desk in 2004.
Todd ran the business by himself for a while until he decided to bring Jennifer on in August to help out.
Now the couple say they are five times closer.
Todd and Jennifer have grown the business to eight employees and had double-digit growth every year except one.
“It’s natural to be working with her now,” said Todd. That’s not to say every day is perfect for these two.
“You need breaks sometimes. There’s definitely nights where I watch TV in one room and he watches it in another,” said Jennifer.
“We have healthy standoffs; we don’t clash any more or any less than anyone else,” said Todd.
But it’s not all business all the time.
“At 5:00, you have to shut the business off,” Todd said.
Hats off to all these couples! Enjoyed reading about their successes! Thanks for the positive article!
Working with your spouse or significant other is one of the worst things you can do… Everyone needs the ball and chain cut for 8 hours out of the day. Otherwise you’ll eventually drive each other crazy.
We have four married couples within our team of 17. Violence breaks out only occasionally.
Another great story by Amy David! I’ve got to think that as more people can’t find full-time jobs that more couples will start businesses together. Hearing other couples’ stories really helps!