Unlimited Partnership

Why are more and more couples risking romance to launch a business together? How do the successful ones make it work? Five couples - and one ex-couple - share their stories and strategies.

Kerrie Paige and Jaret Hauge
Divide and conquer
Kerrie Paige and Jaret Hauge
NovaSim
Bellingham, Wash.

Kerrie Paige, a Ph.D. in mathematical analysis, and her business partner Jaret Hauge launched their company while each was in the midst of separation. Perfect business partners, they soon clicked as a romantic match as well. But sharing a home office proved too much: the couple says a new office with soundproof walls has been a godsend. "We're much more productive this way," says Paige.

The company has inspired Paige's 16-year-old son, Alex Paige, who has lived with NovaSim since elementary school. "I think it would be fun to start my own business, choose what I'm interested in, and have my own hours," he says. "And if I got married, I definitely wouldn't mind starting something with a spouse - we'd spend more time together that way. And that would be pretty cool."

Last updated January 10 2008: 10:16 AM ET

Divide and conquer

No shop talk at dinner

Spend time apart

Get professional help

The trust factor

After the breakup

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Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates.