When your partner owns a business
https://www.connectedcouples.app/blog/partner-owns-business-relationship

Original Connected planning aid. Adapt these examples together. This is not a scored or validated assessment.

When one partner owns a business

Make work boundaries concrete

PROTECTED TIME: What time is ours?. Agree work-free windows and how they are signaled.

TRUE INTERRUPTION: What cannot wait?. Name a specific exception, not every work notification.

HOUSEHOLD OWNER: Who owns which task?. Make the handoff explicit rather than assuming availability.

RETURN AND REPAIR: How do we reconnect?. Acknowledge the disruption and agree a return time.

If business spillover becomes routine, renegotiate the boundary together.

Protected time and realistic duration
Example: Thursday dinner, 6:30–8
Our draft: __________________________

What genuinely cannot wait
Example: A safety issue; routine email waits
Our draft: __________________________

How the interruption will be communicated
Example: Explain the issue and give an honest next update time
Our draft: __________________________

Return or replacement commitment
Example: If dinner is lost, choose a replacement before the next day ends
Our draft: __________________________

Voluntary business help and household limits
Example: One agreed admin task; no automatic unpaid on-call role
Our draft: __________________________


| Part of the agreement | Question to answer | Illustrative choice |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Protected time | When can we count on each other's attention? | Wednesday dinner and a Sunday walk |
| True interruption | What can interrupt that time? | A situation requiring immediate action, defined beforehand |
| Household task ownership | Who completes the whole task, including planning? | The owner handles groceries and replenishes household supplies |
| Return and repair | What happens when a plan breaks? | Give an honest update and propose a replacement time |

Our next step: ______________________________
Who has agreed to do it: ____________________
We will revisit this on: ____________________