If you want to build something great with your life partner, outside of your personal relationship, we have some awesome tips to help you find the best franchise brands for couples.

The great news is that franchise systems are a great way for couples to segue into business ownership, even when both persons have very different work backgrounds. That’s because each system, MaidPro included, has a franchise manual that clearly outlines processes for each separate aspect of the business. This means you and your partner know up front what must be done and can easily divide responsibilities to avoid conflicts over work down the road.

Having said that, we should disclose that when searching for franchise brands for couples, the brand that’s right for you and your partner might not necessarily be a good fit for the couple who live next door. And some franchise brands are certainly more suited for couples than others.

3 Must-Haves in Your Quest for Franchise Brands for Couples

In general, when you and your significant other are looking for a franchise system that you’ll both love, search for a brand that:

1) takes advantages of each of your strengths, skills and experience;

2) logically separates different aspects of the business so you can both share and balance all the necessary responsibilities; and

3) allows you enough flexibility and free time to have a quality life together outside of work.

When looking at franchise brands for couples, also think about the potential stress each type of business may potentially bring with it—because stress can easily spill over into home life. For example, running a busy restaurant can be extremely stressful, while running a postal store or a housecleaning service, by nature, should be less stressful.

Likewise, consider the hours you’ll need to work or be available for certain types of businesses. If you run a retail kiosk, for instance, you’ll need to work on weekends and evenings when shoppers are out in full force. However, if you run a business that’s more appointment-based, you and your partner may both be able to have weekends off.

Also, remember to be flexible of what you expect from yourself and your partner, and change things up when needed. You may set out planning to love working in one area of the business, and surprise yourself by loving something entirely different. Bill and Marilyn Collier, one of our many successful MaidPro franchising couples, are a perfect example. They’ve run their MaidPro franchise in Alabama for a decade, learning over time that they not only really enjoy working together, but that they each found enjoyed unexpected aspects of the business. She ended up loving the people end of the business, even though her background was in finance, and he ended up loving the behind the scenes work, even though his background had previously involved more interaction with people.

One last thing to remember: don’t forget to set some boundaries between work and your personal life, another key to achieving success in both areas.