Couples take the plunge as business partners

It sounds ideal. But what many don't realize is that the lifestyle comes with a price, says Terry Alkire, a management professor at Central Washington University.

"You have inventory, payroll, you have to keep customers happy," he notes about the various responsibilities. "In many ways, entering into a business is no different than entering into a marriage. You should do a prenup."

For two Yakima couples -- Nate and Sue Sabari and Jason and Summer Miller -- failure isn't an option. The Sabaris own The Pine Shop at 302 S. First St. in Yakima, while the Millers are inventors. Through trial and error, each couple has found its own way of achieving success.

"We're people who tend to bite off more than what we can chew, but we can handle it," Sue says. "We do really well working together."

Nate and Sue Sabari lived in a Volkswagen bus, whiling away their days exploring Costa Rica and the San Juan Islands. They had no kids, no home, no real responsibilities.

Then Ron Sabari called, asking if his son would take over his furniture store. Suddenly, the Sabaris' carefree existence came to a screeching halt.

"We are the type of people who jump in with both feet, so we did," Sue, 33, says about buying The Pine Shop nearly four years ago. "This is not what I thought I'd be doing. I thought I'd be teaching and spending our summers working in my garden."

After moving back to Yakima, the couple spent a year and a half testing the waters before buying the business. Their biggest concern was not working together; it was working with Ron.

As predicted, the three butted heads. Nate and Sue talked about changing the store hours, and Ron didn't approve. They wanted to work with woods other than pine, and Ron didn't like that, either.

Ron started the business nearly 30 years ago. He didn't want to run it any longer, but he wasn't ready to retire. Letting Nate and Sue take the reigns was difficult, he says.

"I had a problem letting go," he admits, adding that he's since come to appreciate their ideas. "What they have done with what I had is great. They've made a living and a future out of this business."

From the beginning, the Sabaris assigned themselves job descriptions. Nate, a jack of all trades, spends most days building custom- and stock-designed furniture in the workshop. Sue sticks to bookkeeping in the office. Neither one tells the other what to do, and that arrangement works for them, Sue says.

Their lives became more complicated 17 months ago, when their son Harper was born. Now, while Nate works at the store about 60 hours a week, Sue sticks to a more modest schedule of 20 hours. Harper spends this time scaling furniture, taking naps and "helping" his dad sweep sawdust in the shop.

"Harper is climbing and falling, and I still need to get work done," Sue says. "Sometimes I think it's nuts."

The advantage of owning their own business -- which has one employee -- is that they make the rules, Nate says.

"I like the fact that I can be down here and have my family here at the same time," says the 32-year-old Nate. "If I want to close my doors, I can close my doors. If I want to go on vacation, I can."

That's not to say the two don't have their challenges. If the business doesn't do well, they'll be the last ones paid. The responsibility can be scary, Nate says.

"There are no breaks," he says. "Christmas, you still get bills. New Year's, you still get bills."

Another issue is learning how to separate their home and work lives -- and not snapping at one another if they're in a bad mood.

"If you have a cruddy day, it comes home with you," Nate says. "If there's something wrong, we walk away from each other and hash it out later. We communicate, share why we're frustrated. You can't dwell on it."

Sue agrees, saying they're not the type to hold grudges.

"Let's just take care of it, be done with it and move on," she says about resolving their differences. "We definitely have those days where life gets complicated."

The Sabaris credit their success to having clear communication with one another, developing a business plan and establishing short- and long-range goals. They keep an active social life away from work, and they always make family their top priority.

"Some people live to work, others work to live," Nate says. "Figure out what you want to do and stick with it."

Even when their business was destroyed by a fire two years ago, the Sabaris rallied. They never learned how the blaze started, but because of insurance, they had the means to rebuild. Afterward, they began taking Mondays off and making furniture out of all types of wood.

Not once did they let the fire become an excuse for quitting.

"I don't have any regrets," Nate says. "I think we're pretty happy with what we've accomplished."

Summer and Jason Miller never questioned the logic of becoming business partners. By working together, they knew they could accomplish anything.

"You have to want it," Summer, 24, says about being self-employed. "You need to believe in yourself. If you don't, you will fail."

The Millers, parents to a 4-year-old boy and a 2-year-old girl, have been married for about five years and have worked together for even longer. First, they bought and managed rental properties between the Tri-Cities and Yakima.

Now they're inventors.

The couple creates products that solve problems and improves products already on the market. They've made everything from educational tools and exercise machines to board games and child safety equipment.

After conducting their research, perfecting their products and making pitches to companies nationwide, they typically sell the rights to their inventions -- preventing them from revealing what they've specifically made.

Their line of work can be daunting and frustrating, the couple admits. But they've learned not to take rejection personally.

"Sometimes the industry isn't ready for what we have. Sometimes we get laughed at," Summer says. "You just don't stop. You can't really care."

Jason, 31, has experience in consulting and accounting. Summer began working at age 11 by buying and selling horses. She now owns a franchise of the ServiceMaster Diamond Pro cleaning company -- something she does apart from working with her husband.

The Millers make a strong team because they give each other balance, they say. While Jason is book smart and money savvy, Summer is street smart and good with people.

Besides that, the two want the same things out of life.

"When we met, we had the same general goal -- to become rich, to be successful in everything we do," Summer says. "We wanted to have a stable and large income and to have fun. Everyone should do that."

One invention they still own is the Sleeping Reader, a six-month reading comprehensive program. Developed in 2005, it consists of four CDs repeatedly played to people while they sleep. The invention is designed for children and adults learning a second language.

Summer spent three years creating the program. The idea was inspired by personal experience and by wanting to provide her children with a scholastic edge.

"When I was young, I bought materials on tape and listened to them while I was sleeping," Summer says. "They're no substitution for going to class, but they helped me out. I did it all the time."

The Millers have sold 32 of their ideas and are perfecting many more. They work from home, and hired a nanny to help look after their son and daughter. They still eat dinner with their kids every night, and plan to teach their children how to become entrepreneurs themselves.

"I plan for my son to have his own business at age 8," Summer says. "I want my children to know making money is easy, that nothing is impossible."

To push themselves, the Millers conduct experiments. They found a house in Seattle they couldn't afford and bought it anyway. They stay in expensive hotels, go on impromptu vacations and write checks with insufficient funds in the bank.

And always, they say, the money comes in.

"The universe will always come to you if you tell it what you need," Jason says. "You have to believe you'll get it. The more you push, the more you'll get."

Taking the plunge

To successfully run a small business, preparation is key. Here are a few things couples should consider before quitting the jobs they have:

* Develop a plan of specific tasks, goals and objectives to achieve.

* Understand the marketplace -- and the viability of your idea -- by talking to trusted advisers.

* Draft a business plan that includes profit-and-loss projections. By creating benchmarks, you can better evaluate the progress you're making at any given time.

* Should you incorporate or run a business as a sole proprietorship? Consult with an accountant and attorney who specialize in business startups to determine which structure will work for you.

* Your tax situation may change. Plan for income taxes, self-employment taxes and payroll taxes. Set aside reserves for these liabilities, if needed.

* Set a budget for your business and personal life.

* Keep your legal documents in order, such as by putting in writing who stands to inherit the business.

* Figure out the cost of insurance before leaving your employer. This includes health, life, home, business and disability insurance.

* Create job descriptions for one another and divide the responsibilities accordingly.

* Create an exit plan if you break up. The contingency plan should outline how the business can be bought out.

Source, Terry Alkire, management professor at Central Washington University, and "From Couple to Business Partners," published Nov. 30, 2007, by Debra Neiman at entrepreneur.com.

* Erin Snelgrove can be reached at 577-7684 or esnelgrove@yakimaherald.com.

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