If you are planning to start a home-based business with your spouse, it combine your family and business activities all in one roof. However, it take some advanced planning, preparation, and a great deal of trust and communication to make this business work.

For instance, if your partner turns into a power struggler, you can put both your business and marriage at risk. However, if neither one of you wants to take the lead, your business may become a money-losing hobby.

In order to make your marriage strong even in this professional setting, you need to follow these steps.

Divide your rules and responsibilities - It is important to do so in order to avoid stepping one each other's toes even though both of you may possess the skills to do the work. Decide which of you would take the role of a "front of house" wherein sales and business development, proposals, and job estimates are handled; or the "back of house" who acts as the day-to-day operator and also takes care of bookkeeping, payroll, and general office duties.

Develop a way to air differences and resolve disputes - Good communication is essential to any marriage, and it can also be applied to business relationships. You and your spouse need to learn how to compromise on minor issues and prevent them to snowball into an unresolvable problem.

Put a child-care plan - Bringing business to home doesn't mean you have full time to take care of your child, especially if he or she likes to run around your office demanding for your attention. One good way to resolve this problem is to alternate child-care responsibilities between each other, while another option would be finding a part-time or full-time babysitter or daycare.

Both of you should have enough room to work - You and your spouse should determine how the lay-out of your office should be, especially if one of you detest certain disturbances.

Agree on an exit strategy - Sit down with your spouse early into the business and decide where you want the company to go. While it may not be necessary to have a lawyer draft an agreement, it can be good on determining buyout provisions and the like.