What is your favorite money-saving strategy?

The subject of couples who work together is near and dear to my heart, especially those who throw love and risk and money into one pot and choose the entrepreneurial route together. After all, I worked with my significant other for over five years, before turning our business into an international non-profit. 

While working together for the same company has its risks (losing your job at the same time) and benefits (seeing each other often, knowing the same people), running a business together can really make or break a relationship. 

Issues around how much money to risk on a venture, how much time to spend together, and bringing business into the bedroom are common problems, and it often seems that when the business begins to struggle, the relationship struggles as well. Communication and clarity of purpose become paramount, as is knowing when to leave work behind to just “be” with each other.

Add to this potent mix the question: Who’s in charge here? Power struggles can take their toll on both the business and the relationship. Sometimes it’s best to simply make one of you the boss. This couple seems to have found happiness when the husband went to work for the wife. I found their story inspiring. 

What do you think? Can couples work together successfully? Are there some ventures that are more conducive to romance and business co-existing? If you’re in a business with your significant other, how do you make it work? Would you want to work with your lover?