True or false? The couple that works together, stays together. 💓

For eight local startup leaders, it’s proving to be true, although navigating a business and personal relationships doesn’t come without its challenges.

This week, four couples and business partners shared their experiences during Startup Week, and we asked them to give us insight into how they make it all work.

Leaders of startups Vibrant Meals, Text Request, Lanewood Studio and Heed Public Relations answered our questions about how it works to work with your romantic partner.

Is it easier to argue with your significant other compared to a coworker?

What advice do they have for others thinking about going into business with their other half?

How do you keep work and relationship separate—or do you?

Romana and Marco Biscarini, Vibrant Meals

This couple has known each other for a little more than three years. Their parents knew each other in Italy and introduced them when they both found themselves in California at the same time.

Fast facts—the biz:

—Vibrant Meals is a healthy meal prep + delivery business that launched in January 2017. 🥗

—Soon after launching, the duo added a storefront at 601 Cherokee Blvd.

—Romana started out of her kitchen before the business became official. She has a background working as a personal chef for professional athletes. 💪

Quoteworthy

“We never planned to work together—it naturally took that course in a rather short amount of time.” —Marco

Emily and Corey Critser, Lanewood Studio

This couple met at Savannah College of Art & Design in 2009 while working on bachelors of fine arts degrees in film and television. 🎥 They fell in love while working on Corey’s senior thesis film. They did the long-distance thing for a while. 🛫 Later they took a 100-day road trip across the country, in part looking for a great place to start a business. They moved to Chattanooga in 2015.

Fast facts—the biz:

—They founded Lanewood Studio—a commercial photography company—a little more than two years ago.

—They photograph for companies, often working with marketing teams, ad agencies, PR companies and other businesses. 📷

—They often shoot for CityScope Magazine and the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce.

Quoteworthy

“Working together has made us closer than we ever thought we could be. Working together is the passion that fuels our creativity.” —Emily Critser

Natalie and David Martin, Heed Public Relations

This duo met about nine years ago but reconnected five years ago. They’ve both worked in the marketing and PR scene and said they have complementary skills. In their email responses, Natalie followed up David’s comment to add that they also have the “best dog in the world,” and she wondered how David could leave that important bit out. 🐕

Fast facts—the biz:

—Heed PR, which launched publicly in May 2018, aims to help businesses grow and tell its stories.

—Initially, David was the only full-time employee, and the plan was for Natalie to come on by the end of the first year.

—It only took about two months before the duo made plans for her to come on sooner to help with the growing workload.

Quoteworthy

“I think we knew we wanted to [work together] because (aside from simply enjoying being together) we were well aware of how nicely our skill sets jive with one another. I love business development and strategy, while she’s an incredible project manager and operations guru.” —David

Brian and Jamey Elrod, Text Request

The Elrods met at a John Cougar Mellencamp concert at UTC in 1986. They were teenagers and have been “inseparable ever since.” Their relationship has made it through the teenage years and college years, three sons, six corporate moves and four startups, Brian said.

Fast facts—the biz

—Text Request allows customers to text message with businesses.

—It’s the fourth business the Elrods have founded together.

—They are “entrepreneurs at heart.”

Quoteworthy

“Yes, for us, it has always been a conscious decision to create a successful start-up business together and build the American dream.” — Brian

Asked + Answered

Do you try to keep work and home life separate, or at least separate at times?

Romana: “We try to separate work and personal relationship towards the end of our working day but we aren't always successful at it. Marco and I are very passionate and creative people. We have so many ideas running through our heads that we just need to get it out. What we try doing is writing it down and sharing it the next day, which can be a great way of processing ideas with your business partner. So, yes, we try to keep separate times when we talk about work and the one day that helps us the most is our Sunday's together where we can be completely turned off.”

Corey: “Work/life balance is a funny one. Work is often the most interesting thing we do. I think it’s always a good time to talk about the positives and things we’re excited about. The trick is saving the things we need to work on for working hours.”

Brian: I can totally separate home and work, but Jamey cannot. She never separates them. We try to have different functions and we are responsible for those areas—this has proven work for us.

Natalie: “That’s a great question, and it was honestly something I worried about before I came on full-time. I think the key to having a bit of work/home life separation is just to have a conversation where you agree to some terms, whatever those may be. For us, it was that we would have to be open and honest with each other, and sometimes that honesty might be a piece of negative feedback. We both know that it’s fair to say, ‘I know you’re excited about this, but I really don’t have the brain space to talk about it right now,’ every once in a while. On the flip side, we’ve also had date nights that have suddenly turned into killer brainstorming sessions. So, we don’t have any hard and fast rules, but the same general concepts of honesty, communication and respect that we try to implement in our marriage play a huge part in how we balance work and home life.”

What challenges come with working with your significant other? Specific examples of something you've had to overcome together?

Marco: “Turning off from work. I think the key to not letting the business run both our professional lives and our relationship is by creating space at work. If we were the same inside our work environment as we are together, I think the lines of work/life would be blurred, as they have been in the past. We've learned that we need to be intentional about 'turning off' from work, often that means getting out of the city or going out on dates and trying not to discuss work, which is hard when it occupies so much of your daily routine. Our biggest success in this area is having completely dedicated our Sundays to rest, and moving from a home office to an off-site office.”

Jamey: “In a startup, there are challenges and obstacles you have to overcome almost daily, so picking out a specific one is tough. You have to work as a team, and ultimately, figure out what is best for the business. It can get quite heated especially if you are both passionate about your opinion of what is best. However, we find after the heat is cooled, it is best to discuss ways we can make both of our beliefs work for the betterment of the business.”

David: “Based on how society treats gender roles, we deal a lot with people thinking that I started the business and then hired my wife — like she’s just helping me be successful. Maybe it shouldn’t bother me as much as it does, but I want people to be aware that we started Heed PR together and that we are equals in this endeavor.”

Natalie: “^^^^^ YAS.”

What advice would you give to people who are thinking about founding with their spouse or SO?

Romana: “The advice I would give is know your spouse's weakness and strengths and if you're opposite in them. It's the reason I wanted Marco on board because he was so tech-savvy and passionate with products/designs—areas in which I am less apt. I was the mind behind the recipes, and he was the mind behind the operation and logistics. It came together beautifully but we always have our challenges and that's ok. It’s what builds the business and makes it stronger. “

Brian: “Have a rock-solid relationship, it will be tested.”

Jamey: “We love working together. Yes, there are some eye-roll moments every once in a while. But, on the whole, it has been an incredible experience where we feel extremely blessed. Brian and I have always taken on the 'Rocking Chair' theory—We never want to look back one day when we are 80 and say, ‘What if?’

Roll with the obstacles, work through them respectfully, hear each other out, and never go to bed frustrated or mad with your life partner.”

Natalie: “I would say have some real conversations about what your expectations are—for yourself and for your partner and for your business as a whole. Why do you want to have a business together? What will your contribution be, specifically? What do you expect your partner to contribute? Find a goal-planning worksheet online and fill it out together—seriously. It might sound cheesy, but you’ll both be prompted to share wishes and goals that you might otherwise not discuss (or worse, be working toward what you think are shared goals that you find out later are your own). No matter how pure and good your intentions, leaving any of these questions unanswered could lead to lots of misunderstandings and unnecessary stress down the road.”