Work, love and play can coexist married-and-in-business couples are living proof.
Work, love and play can coexist married-and-in-business couples are living proof.
A BEAUTIFUL PARTNERSHIP
Manon Allano, 29, and Sebastien Allano, 32, are a French expatriate couple who came to Singapore last year to expand Manon’s family business, Estheclinic. The aesthetic clinic was set up 15 years ago and has eight branches in their home country. While this is Sebastien’s first time living in Asia, Manon worked in Shanghai for six months previously. She wanted to come back to Asia because she liked the culture. And when the chance to expand her family business came up, she grabbed it. Allano left his job at Microsoft to set up the branch with Manon. “It’s not only a new work experience for me, but also a new life experience, moving to a new country,” he says.
More Couple Time
The couple say going into business has allowed them more time with each other, which Sebastien’s previous job didn’t allow. “It was also difficult to find common topics to talk about because Manon didn’t really understand my work,” Sebastien adds. “It was too technical,” says Manon. “For me, the best part of working together is being able to share this feeling of success.”
At Work, The Company Comes First
The couple do disagree about work, but Sebastien says they always come to a compromise, although it isn’t always easy. “We have different strengths so we split the work according to that and focus on what we want to achieve for the company,” he adds. Manon says that they strive to communicate clearly. “We listen to what each other has to say to ensure that there is common ground.”
What To Do When Entering Into A Business Together
• Make a clear and detailed plan. “You should set out all the steps you have to take in order to achieve your goals,” says Manon. “Things will not always go according to plan, but doing so helps you anticipate and manage potential problems that may come up.”
• Think bigger. “Initially, we were looking for a small unit for our start-up here as it’s a new market for us,” says Manon. “But we really liked one of the bigger ones we viewed. So we discussed it and made a decision to go bigger in terms of scale, which led to greater success for us, too.”
• Trust each other. Says Sebastien: “Manon and I have complementary skill sets – I wouldn’t have been able to do this without her.”
THE DYNAMIC DUO
Phyllis Chua, 37, and Ng Wei Lieh, 41, set up Spinacas, a salad delivery service with a licensed kitchen in the Chinatown area. The couple went on a two-month trip to Europe after Phyllis left her architect job. While there, they practised carb cycling, where they would eat carbohydrates only on weekends. “But it was difficult to find the light salads we had in Europe here in Singapore,” says Wei Lieh. So Phyllis started making her own. She delivered them to friends, who in turn, recommended them to their friends. And Spinacas was born. Wei Lieh continues to work in his full-time job designing printers, and helps Phyllis on weekends. “While she runs the kitchen, I take care of all the digital marketing and administrative work,” he says.
Manage Your Expectations
Phyllis says it’s very different knowing someone as a life partner versus a working partner. “Wei Lieh is very organised while I’m not, so it’s a constant challenge we face working together,” she elaborates. “Also, by the time I get home and want to talk about ideas for the company, Phyllis is too tired out from being in the kitchen all day and doesn’t want to talk about work anymore,” says Wei Lieh. The couple have now managed to work out a schedule to get around this: After Wei Lieh gets home, they have dinner then go for a jog to help Phyllis decompress, after which they discuss the business.
Understand Your Communication Styles
The couple attribute part of their business success to their effective communication styles. “We don’t carry the unpleasantness we have at work over to our personal life,” says Phyllis. “We table our disagreements and come back to them several hours later.”
What To Do When Entering Into A Business Together
• Set boundaries. “Be disciplined about work, as well as rest,” says Wei Lieh. “You also have to separate work and personal communication because it can be quite different. As the tone you use may be different, your partner may not take well to being spoken to in a certain way.”
THE PERFECT FIT
Yvonne Tan, 28, and Vincent Goh, 35, who have two kids aged six and three, founded Ministry of Retail, an online store selling clothes from Korea, in 2009. At that time, Yvonne was in her final year in university and was actively organising sprees – where she collated orders from different people and bought clothes in bulk from an online retailer. Vincent saw that Yvonne was spending so much time answering e-mails and organising sprees that he suggested they start a business together.
Yvonne was hesitant – her relationship with a friend soured because of a failed business venture and she didn’t want to jeopardise her relationship with Vincent, who was then her boyfriend. “But I asked her: ‘If you think we cannot work on this business together, what makes you think we can work together in the future?’ That convinced her,” he says. They started with a home office and moved to an office space in One-North last year.
The Good...
The couple believe in work-life integration and even their sourcing trips are like “mini holidays”, says Vincent – they first meet their suppliers then spend a nice evening at a cafe together. “There are also days when I may take a few hours off in the afternoon to take care of the kids, then return to work in the evening,” says Yvonne.
…And The Bad
In the early years, their many disagreements about work spilt over to their home life, where they’d give each other the silent treatment. “Sometimes, you just want to win the argument. But we’ve learnt that it’s best to take a step back and calm down before coming back to the issue,” says Vincent.
What To Expect When Entering Into A Business Together
• Things will not be rosy. “Be prepared for the conflicts that may arise out of this partnership,” says Yvonne. Vincent adds: “Starting a business together is the best way to understand each other and build a relationship. It’s even more challenging as a couple because you have to face each other even after work.”
• Find an impar tial adviser. The couple have a mentor they consult when they disagree about business direction. Vincent says it is good to have someone impartial to go to during these times. SH
