Most business partners go their separate ways at the end of the day, but Melanie Adams and Jon Bjarni Baldursson tuck each other into the same bed.
For 15 years, the husband-wife duo have balanced their business venture — a design brand called Alrún Nordic Jewelry — with their personal life. The Reykjavík, Iceland-based company designs symbolic jewelry influenced by inspirational Nordic words.
Spouse business partners are found across a variety of industries. Bill and Melinda Gates are one famous example. To ensure their philanthropic foundation runs smoothly, the couple said taking time apart from each other encourages business and relationship success, reports Fast Company. Or, former Boston-based Harvard Medical School dean and endocrinologist Jeffrey Flier, MD, and his wife, Eleftheria Maratos-Flier, MD, also an endocrinologist in the Harvard program for neuroscience, who have collaborated on research for neuroendocrine control of body weight. The couple said the best part of working in the same field is that they understand each other's challenges, according to boston.com.
But what is the key to the Ms. Adams and Mr. Baldursson's success? Like many business partners, the pair cites solid communication as their foundation. In fact, their relationship arguably enhances their business partnership, since Ms. Adams and Mr. Baldursson might understand each other's communication styles better than anyone else.
"I think it is really important to be prepared to listen to each, no matter if you are agreeing or not agreeing," Ms. Adams says. "It's really important to set your ego aside, and take people straight across, and respect their opinions, and then you can work from a common ground."
Ms. Adams explains how, when she wanted to shift the company's focus in a different creative direction, her husband was respectful and supportive. Part of this trust rests on the different skill sets the two bring to the venture. The couple partially attributes Alrún Nordic Jewelry's accomplishments to this complementary nature: Mr. Baldursson brings the business experience, while Ms. Adams supplies the creative force.
At the end of the day, it's about "respect[ing] the other person's expertise," Ms. Adams says. Sharing this common outlook has ensured Alrún Nordic Jewelry's success, even as running a business proves challenging.
"I'm not sure that it's for everybody," she says. "For us, it seems to work because we have a common vision."
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