I was coming off some very good years: several hit songs, touring with famous folks and making money through music. Julie and I were at a coffee shop and I was talking about my plan to go independent and start my own publishing company. Julie quickly volunteered that she’d like to be my song-plugger and work in the publishing biz with me. Without hesitation, I said yes and away we went. Like any business, the glamorous side of song publishing is small in proportion to the day-to-day nitty gritty, in-the-trenches detail and just plain unexciting work one has to do to succeed. No matter how hard I tried to make it seem as if Julie and I were equal partners, I was the one with the knowledge and experience in the music business. And so Julie felt like an employee, being constantly handed a to-do-list from her employer-husband. Uh oh….
I can’t quite remember how long Julie and I worked together with my publishing company, but we decided it was not the best thing for our marriage. A couple of years later Julie created a fantastic and successful business called The Wild Muffin. Guess what, we fell back into our married to business relationship, only in reverse. It was Julie’s business, but I had some skills she needed that I could offer gratis, as a spouse. Long story short; for the better part of eleven years, Julie and I have been working together in some fashion. All that changed recently when Julie sold her business. We’re very happy.
Working together hasn’t been all bad. Julie and I have a greater appreciation for each others’ unique skills and talents. We have a deep respect for each other, through our appreciation of competencies and successes we might not have been aware of if we hadn’t worked together. But ultimately for us, it wasn’t a great thing to do. On this we always agreed! We both come from a long line of family business owners. My parents created Abigail Kirsch Culinary Relationships and Julie’s parents created The Midtown Family Restaurant. I remember growing up – if we were all going out for a family dinner my mother would say to my father, “Bobby, I am not talking about the business at dinner.” That usually lasted about ten minutes, until after we’d all ordered!
Julie and I seem to do best together when we’re sharing only the business of family, that of being friends, lovers and parents. But I have friends who thrive in business relationships with their spouse. Do you work with a spouse or life partner? Do you have memories of growing up in a family business? I’d love for you to share your thoughts about family business. I hope you’ll comment below and add to the conversation!
What’s your experience with family business?
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Have you worked in business with your spouse?
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What’s good about it?
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What’s bad about it?
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Do you seek outside help to resolve conflicts when they arise?
My parents in business – Julie’s parent’s restaurant – Julie and I in the business of family
Billy Kirsch