Coentrepreneurial Couples: A Literature Review on Boundaries and Transitions Among Copreneurs

Abstract

Couple-owned businesses are a rapidly growing segment of family businesses. They are also fascinating examples of the interaction and interdependence of personal relationship and business partnership, or love and work. Inasmuch as many home-based family businesses are the products of husband-wife team efforts, there is an opportunity to examine the recursive interaction between love and work that coentrepreneurial couples represent. This article reviews the research literature on coentrepreneurial couples, or copreneurs, to illustrate how these couples manage the boundaries and transitions of personal relationship and business partnership. The literature is sparse that focuses specifically on the copreneurial relationship. However, valuable insights can be drawn from the research of dual-career couples, executives, and family businesses in general. And these insights can be turned into questions and hypotheses for future research on copreneurs.