Copyright ©1996, ProMotion, inc.
www@acloserlook.com
One thing for sure in this age of computer technology-more people are working at home. A computer specialist describes his typical workday this way: he gets up, goes to the kitchen for a cup of coffee, goes down the hall to his office, and starts work in his bathrobe. Such may be the norm as we enter the next century.
Thanks in part to this technology, working out of the home and working in smaller units is becoming more than a trend. The fastest growing segment of the U.S. economy is family-run businesses. They produce 60% of American gross national product and account for the employment of 40 million people. Many of these businesses are husband and wife teams, which has raised a whole new segment of considerations for the business world.
Cameron and Donna Partow address this situation in How to Work with the One You Love and Live to Tell About It. The Partows have worked together in their family business, Partow Communications, for eight years. From their experience with both the joys and difficulties, they provide readers with a five-point plan to evaluate a couple's potential for working together:
Every facet of operating a business calls for a different kind of attention when it is owned by husband and wife, communication, efficiency, accountability, to name a few. The Partows discuss all with level-headed understanding and from the vantage point of Christian faith. They highly recommend having a business plan to keep couples on track-and to have something to point to rather than each other.
After offering ways of analyzing the personalities of each partner, they discuss coping with the conflict that is sure to arise. One of the most helpful things in the book is a chart listing responsibilities in any business. The Partows recommend these be chosen or assigned to one or the other married partners, not left for both to "share."
And they discuss a matter that sometimes troubles Christian couples working together: Can a Christian wife be the boss? Although they clearly acknowledge the biblical mandate that the husband is head of the household, they don't believe that automatically means he should be head of the business. They recognize a number of different kinds of situations that call for different answers such as a husband joining a business which a wife had previously started and heads. The solution lies in recognizing and accepting the way God has created each person-what talents and temperaments He has given each person to fulfill a specific purpose for His kingdom.
How to Work with the One You Love includes questions under the heading "For Reflection and Discussion" at the end of each chapter. These are good for either individual or couple use. A very helpful and thorough list of resources, including associations, books, cassettes, magazines and pamphlets, is at the back of the book. If you are thinking of working with your spouse in a business as well as at home, reading this book should be your first step.
It is also helpful for couples who work together in the same company but don't own it, who volunteer on the same committees, or who simply put up wallpaper together (the ultimate test of a marriage according to Erma Bombeck!).
The Partows live in Arizona. Donna is the author of No More Lone Ranger Moms and Homemade Business as well as the President of the Association of Homebased Entrepreneurs and a popular guest on radio and talk shows.
Copyright ©1996, ProMotion, inc.
www@acloserlook.com