All In The Family, Yes…Now What You Need To Do To Keep The Business And Family Life Separate

November 3, 1999 at 6:00pm
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All In The Family, Yes…Now What You Need To Do To Keep The Business And Family Life Separate

Today’s trend in small business is moving back to husband and wife teams or a situation where children, siblings, cousins or other family members are part of the business. On top of that, in many cases,the business is run out of the home.

Such a situation can affect family and home life if you don’t take the necessary steps to keep the business separate from family life. Here are a few pointers on how to create the best atmosphere you can if you’re in business with your relatives. (Hint: It all starts with how you tie your shoes.)

Dress for Business
You and your staff (family) should dress professionally or in accordance to your industry. This is important because it will remind you, your spouse,your children and any other relatives that they are at work. It makes a particularly strong and important impact when the office happens to be your home.

Ten Digits of Separation
If you are working from home, install additional phone lines for your business to separate business calls from personal calls. Now, here’s the tough part and where discipline pays off. Answer only your work number during working hours, and only answer your home number after hours. If you have children checking in after school, have them call the office number. If you’ve got clients calling after hours, check your messages and call back from the business phone.(Really, your family life will be much better for it.)

Working 9-5
Setting business hours and sticking to them is also a key method of separating business from family life. Set your hours of operation (they can be 9-5, 10-6, 8-6, whatever is appropriate) and keep them. You probably won’t be able to totally avoid infringing on personal or family life. Just make sure you treat those extra hours family members might have to put in as overtime. As Marlon Brando said in ‘The Godfather’ movies, “It’s not personal, it’s business.” (Yeah, we know it’s a different context, but hey, it fits.)

Conduct Formal Business Meetings
Structure meetings on marketing, finances or other topics relevant to your business during business hours. It’s just a part of keeping business hours (and a way to avoid having the discussions show up at the dinner table if your spouse or children are on the payroll). This not only keeps business discussions where they belong in the office (even it if is your home) it also gives your mind a little respite from work, too.

Designate Work Areas
If you are working at home, establish work areas that are separate from home life and keep them separate. If, for instance, you have an office in the second bedroom, shut that door after hours. If the office is part of a rec room or another room that is in use after hours, put an oriental screen around your desk area (and unplug the phone?). Your peace of mind and that of your family’s will be well worth it.

The more you run your life in compartments of work and home, the happier you will be. Running your business this way will also enable you to disagree with your business partner (your spouse, children or siblings) and still keep the family together. It is a challenge, but the more structure you put into it, the easier it will be to separate family and business life. And no one will have to swim with the fishes.