Identifying differing areas of strength can be the key to a couple's business success.

Many people dream of starting a family business, but working with your loved one can get complicated, especially when professional matters overlap with personal issues. Can couples learn to be successful in business while minimizing friction in their relationships?

Richard & Diane Ross believe it can be done, and are a perfect example of a couple that's making it work. Diane began her retail career by selling watches in Boston, while Richard pursued a corporate career in Texas. Today they run the Silly Goose (www.usillygoose.com), a charming Massachusetts toy store, and they live right above the shop. For those hoping to work successfully as couples, they offer these bits of wisdom from their own experience:

• Honor your differences.
  Differences can be very positive, especially in the business world. Richard, for example, has a very different professional background from Diane, and he finds that her unique expertise is essential to their success.
  
• Play off your strengths.
  For Diane, working with her husband is all about identifying their individual strengths and making them mesh. Richard calls this "playing off each other's talents and strengths," and believes it not only benefits their business, but makes them stronger as a couple.
  
• Expect conflict.
  Richard and Diane have their disagreements and conflicts, just like any business partners or co-workers would. Being husband and wife doesn't make business-related friction go away, but it doesn't have to add extra problems, either.
  
• Leave work at work.
  According to Richard, he and Diane keep business conflicts from spreading to their personal relationship by adhering to a strict rule: leave work at work. Once they climb those stairs and go from the shop into their home, they leave their business behind and get on with their personal lives.

For more information on family businesses, check out the following organizations and websites:

Family Business Magazine
www.familybusinessmagazine.com

Fambiz.com
www.fambiz.com

Family Business Strategies
http:cms.ibizresources.com

U.S. Small Business Association:
Starting Your Business
www.sba.gov