Keeping Marriage Healthy While Running a Business With Your Spouse
Statistics suggest that entrepreneurial couples have a higher rate of divorce than other married people; however, there are steps couples can take to avoid this trouble and keep their marriage healthy. We had the pleasure of interviewing Christina Sledge on how she and her husband Edward keep things healthy after 22 successful years of marriage.
What advice would you give couples who also run a business together?
Christina: It is very important to have open and honest discussions about your roles in the business. This practice will help determine how to divide and conquer the work.
When your roles are clearly defined it helps minimize confusion and disagreements. For example, my husband focuses on the creative side while I focus on the business side. We also think it is important to concentrate on your strengths.
How do you separate business time from personal time?
Christina: We think it is important to have a healthy balance between work time and personal time. We set boundaries around work and our marriage by sticking to a schedule. When work is over, our focus shifts to our marriage and family. We plan for date nights and time alone as much as possible.
Did you have any reservations about sharing your personal story with the world? What was that experience like for the both of you?
Christina: Initially, I was very reluctant to share our story because I tend to be a very private person. However, my husband highlighted the reasons why our story could help others in similar situations or backgrounds. I felt better about it when we started receiving positive reviews and feedback that our story was inspiring. My husband on the other hand is a historian and social scientist and was ready to share our story. He likes talking with people about real life and welcomes the opportunity to share his experiences with others.
What are some of the business obstacles you have had to overcome?
Christina: After publishing our first book we struggled with marketing and promoting it. Since it was our first time, we encountered a few starts and stops with finding the right marketing strategy. We decided to reach out to other independent authors and small business owners that we respected to obtain their guidance. We tried using other people’s approaches but, quickly realized that it didn’t fit us. We realized the key was applying strategies that were relevant and made sense for us.
How do you define success?
Christina: We believe success is achieving the goals that we set for ourselves while also being satisfied with the outcome. However, there have been times that we reached successful outcomes that were unplanned. We learned over time that our ideas of success change over time as we change.
What would you say has been your biggest accomplishment so far in 2022?
Christina: Following our planned project schedule for the year. We have hit every milestone and are staying on track. This is our second year in business, and we learned many efficiencies for improving our time to market. We also are proud of our ability to be flexible and resilient.
Who do you feel is your target audience for the books that you write?
Christina: Our target audience is adult readers aged 25–60. Anyone that enjoys a compelling page-turner will enjoy our books. Our books range across multiple genres: non-Fiction memoirs, thrillers, mystery, romance, suspense, essays, and cookbooks. We have something for everyone.
Tell us about your upcoming projects.
Christina: Our next book is scheduled for release on April 29, 2022, titled, Andre’s Confessions — The Desire Family Saga: Part Two. We also have two more books, and a short film scheduled for release this year.
For more information on our upcoming projects visit our website: https://www.sledgehousemedia.com/ or follow us on Instagram and Facebook: @sledgehousemedia and Twitter: house_sledge
