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My wife....do I hear an echo?......this started an idea trend..... is my partner in our theatre. When we go home we talk movies. Get the Sunday paper and talk movies. Etc. Etc. We're pretty good at not fighting about it....very very good if you compare it to when my insane Ukrainian former wife who I ran a restaurant with dodging knives and cheesecakes that were very yummy but difficult to digest at 90mph.... anyway.... it works. I've been in other partnerships that were disasters. HOw many of you are in family run or partnerships and how does it work for you?

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Mike Hurley
www.bigscreenbiz.com

That's a good question Mike. We have a limited liability company with a small group of investors (8 I believe) my business partner and I are the managing members or general partners. One of our investors is also my life-partner, which sometimes makes for stressful situations when the business partner and the partner-partner don't see eye to eye and I'm the guy in the middle. Most of the time it works out pretty well. Anytime you have a partnership you are bound to have some disagreements. Occasionally, my business partner thinks I do idiotic things like a 5 show a day schedule over Labor Day weekend as opposed to our usual 4 shows a day. But sometimes, like that example, it works, business goes up and we all will get a little more money at the end of the year. It all comes down to balance and trust and learning as you go. Like Paul Hawken said in Growing A Business, "Relax, take your time...work, practice, and learn."

We are a husband and wife partnership also. Most of the time it works well as we mostly stick to our own areas of interest and expertise. We work out our differences on topics that we both think are important like film booking and concession sales. We knew that this would probably work because we had managed to build 2 houses together before we took on the challenge of this theater - yes we hammered our own nails there too. Actually it is great to bounce your ideas and observances off on someone that you trust implicitly. They won't laugh at you and can help you think through things.

What I like about my wife is that I know she's on my side.......even when nuts.... and that she will always give more than anyone. Our business is atble because we are. Having been through a family business and a marriage going down at the same time: it's hell!

[This message has been edited by Mike (edited September 18, 2001).]

When my wife and I started the business she said;"We can do this. If we can't we'll go down together." How many partnerships between friends and the like are willing to go that far? I think husband and wife partnerships work harder to make it work.