Fellow Copreneurs,

Did you know divorce rates tend to increase during times of recession, unemployment, etc.? According to Legal Zoom, during a brief recession in 1997, the number of divorces rose 16.9 percent, and 255 couples were divorcing every day during that year . What does supporting your mate mean to you these tough economic times?  And what coping strategies do you suggest to other couples?

Tags: Bizzyness, Copreneur, Couples, Economics, recession, Relationships
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Hello fellow copreneurs and entrepreneurs. We just wanted to take a minute to let you know about a few new things we are working on here at Bizzyness. You may have noticed that we haven’t had much time to post as regularly as we would like and for that we would like to say… we’re sorry. Please forgive us we’re just a little bizzy right now. We are in the process of designing a new site that will have more features including; more resources for members, a custom membership section, an extensive library and a new refreshing look. We are slated for a late November launch but we will keep you posted.

In addition to the website we are also going to start on a series of articles centered around some of the issues, problems or challenges many haven’t thought of. We are going to open up about; developing an exit strategy, our 3 step process to capturing new ideas, and how to create a low cost marketing plan for your self run business. That’s just a few ideas, and we hope to get those ideas to you soon. In the mean time we just wanted to thank you for your patience, and we look forward to your feedback.

Thanks,
Akuba & Justin

Tags: Bizzyness, Copreneur, exit strategy, new website, small business marketing
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Akuba: Everything was perfect…guest were confirmed, cards and t-shirts printed, presentation was ready and here we were less than forty-eight hours from our Bizzyness launch party having a heated discussion…an argument if you will. Now arguments are a normal and necessary part of relationships, but there are boundaries and expectations that must be put into place to keep issues in perspective. The mistake I found myself making in this particular situation was not keeping this argument in perspective. About an hour or two into our discussion, frustrated and tired, I asked Justin if we should postpone the event because we couldn’t find a middle ground in our discussion. He answered my question with the same question in which my response was: “Business is Business.” Because that was my response, I believe it to be the right answer, but what made me attach my personal life to my business life? I took our personal relationship and merged it with our business relationship. After all they both go hand in hand because the same two people make up both relationships right? Wrong.

The truth is the way I went about things was the absolute wrong approach. As a result of this ‘pre-game’ situation, I learned that it is imperative to remember that I can not maintain the same expectations for Justin in two completely opposite environments. The key is maintaining a work-life balance. The other day, I read about one couple (lets call them Susie and Mike) whose reference of the other depends on their environment. For instance after a long day at work, Susie can come home and complain to ‘home Mike’ about how much a jerk ‘work Mike’ was to her that day. It does wonders for separating work from home and emphasizes how the same person can have an entirely different temperament depending on their environment. I will try this approach out and let you know how it goes.
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Tags: Bizzyness, Business, copreneurs, Couplepreneurs, Love, Relationships, Work Life Balance
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One of the things that I love most about Justin is his entrepreneurial spirit. He, like my self, doesn’t want to be confined to a cubicle the rest of his working days. That’s why I knew the day that he told me he was quitting his job was inevitable. The decision to finally do so came after months of 50-60 hour work weeks, the resignation of a close colleague, working weekends, and an episode where a common cold lasted for almost a month simply because he was unable to take time off from work to recuperate. By the way, the list goes on…

I will admit that my first thoughts were about how this would affect us financially. Personally, I want to complete my Masters and not to mention it’s almost time for me to buy a new car. When it comes to our relationship, there have been discussions of starting our lives and buying a home together. I wondered how would we be able to take all the trips, start all the businesses, afford to get married and live the lifestyle we wanted to live based off of one income for an unknown period of time?

I jotted down an exhaustive list of ways in which one could be a more supportive partner including things I have already done. The reality is there aren’t any “best practices” when it comes to showing your support. What works for one person may not work for another. I want to turn the question around to you. If you’re in a relationship where you had to support your mate as they transitioned into entrepreneurship, how did you handle it and what is some advice that you would give to others?

Tags: Bizzyness, Copreneur, Couplepreneur, Couples in business, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurial, Mate, Spouse, Support
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