Buying A Franchise: Relationships
MUTUAL BENEFITS Working from home means many couples have spent more time together in the past year. So could you run your own business together? Greg Nathan provides some tips on building a good working relationship with your spouse
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or many people, one of the key attractions of owning their own business is the opportunity it will give them to work together with their spouse and/or family members. For others, working together is the inevitable consequence of the choice made by one partner or the other to follow a certain path. In many trade-based franchises, for example, if the husband is out doing maintenance or installation work, it often falls to the wife to manage the invoicing, the GST and the accounts, among many other things. And whether the business is owned by the husband, or the wife, or by both together, it’s bound to be a regular topic of conversation over dinner and even in the bedroom. These days, smartphones and Zoom meetings mean that it’s not easy to switch off from business, either. Your phone makes you a target anywhere and any time for customers, staff, supervisors, suppliers or anyone else who wants to have a yap with you. Too bad if you are shopping, fishing, watching the rugby, walking with your family, eating your lunch or sleeping (a particular problem with international contacts). So one area which is particularly important in building a successful business is that of family support. Even when only one member of a family is directly involved in the business, they still need support and understanding from the rest of the family. In fact, research by the Franchise Relationships Institute found that family and social support is the second highest indicator of franchisee success. Having people in your corner who want you to succeed is critical.
lack of energy to participate in family activities during time off, which is usually needed to sleep and recharge the batteries. • Other problems in the family such as impending divorce, or serious school or behavioural problems with children, can also become potential barriers to business success because of the time they consume and the negative impact they can have on a person’s energy and focus.
Enterprising couples Where a couple are both involved in a business, the risk of work/ family conflict can actually be greater – but so are the opportunities. In summarising the extensive research in this area Dr Don Edgar, ex-Director of the Australian Institute of Family Studies, says, ‘Being married acts as an inoculation to many of the major physical and mental problems that beset the human race. What stands out from the research is that quality of life is best predicted by one’s relationship with a partner.’ In other words, working in a business with your partner not only provides you with an enhanced opportunity for success; it also potentially enables you to further enjoy the benefits that come from a positive supportive relationship.
Competing for attention A new business can in some ways be like having a new member of the family competing for care and attention. It is possible that the family members not directly involved in the business might feel neglected and become jealous that the business is stealing their partner or parent from them. Children, for instance, can feel angry that their mum or dad is not as available as they used to be. On the other hand, if members of the family are tolerant of the care and attention the business requires, especially in the early stages, it can make a big difference to whether the fledgling business fulfils its potential. In addition to the commitment, time and energy involved in building a business there are the financial risks and sacrifices. For instance, money may initially need to be diverted from the family into the business and the family home mortgaged. If the rest of the family are not supportive or become resentful, it is unlikely that the person responsible for the business will be able to sustain the enthusiasm and commitment necessary for success. It will not be long before this ‘work/family conflict’ starts to become a serious barrier, not only to business success but also to the health and happiness of the family unit.
Problems in the family Studies have shown that factors which make this work/family conflict worse include the following: • One partner is involved in working unusual hours and thus becomes isolated from normal social activities. • Extended regular periods away from home can leave the absent person on the periphery of the family while other family members might feel abandoned and angry. • Enterprising women tend to feel more dissatisfaction than men with the lack of time they have available for family activities. The more children they have, the greater their dissatisfaction. • The stress and long hours involved in running a business can lead to a franchise.co.nz – PUTTING PEOPLE IN BUSINESS
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