Going into business with your significant other brings special challenges

"How can I miss you when you won't go away?"

                                                          -Dan Hicks
 
Jade and Jason Seibert met, fell in love and got married.   And right about the time they decided to start a family, they started a business- Sublime Yoga and and Wellness in Dunedin.

"We're best friends and we're really happiest when we're together. We get to spend the majority of our time together hanging out and having fun" said Jade.

After seven months in business, Sublime Yoga is thriving and ready to expand.  It's not a stretch to call it a love story and success story in one.

But small business experts like Eileen Rodriguez of the University of South Florida Business Development Center say this kind of arrangement isn't for everyone.

"Just because you love that person doesn't mean it's going to translate well into business arena."

Rodriguez even suggests couples starting a co-owned business have a lawyer draw up a pre-nup.

"Let's say you have a personal divorce. How's that going to affect the actual business? Having that  prenuptial agreement really makes it a lot easier to separate or continue with the business together as some couples do" said Rodriguez.

Jason and Jade have no prenup, but they are doing other things that will help smooth the way.

They carve out an occasional night out apart with their respective friends and they've divided up their duties.  Jason does  the business chores.  Jade handles  the yoga.

"Because we have such different roles in what we do here, I think it helps us in avoiding confrontation" says Jade.

And while there are obvious challenges to couples who spend so much time together under the pressures of  business, marriage and children, there are also obvious advantages.

"It just makes sense. You're passionate about the same things so why not start a business that you completely trust and you're passionate about as well?" said Rodriguez.