Together from the start (up)

Their routine job wasn’t giving them the desired satisfaction anymore. Prateek Rallan loved kids and Tanvi Sharma loved photography. So they decided to quit their well-paying jobs and merge their interests to start ‘Bundle of Joy’ — a team of natural light professional photographers who specialise in the art of newborn, kids, maternity and family portraiture.

The venture, they admit, satiated Rallan’s entrepreneurial craving, while allowing Sharma to follow her passion professionally. “We are a couple first and co-founders later, and that is why, we took the decision of getting married during the initial phase of the start-up when it wasn’t making any money. Luckily, we had a very supportive family who believed in us and our abilities,” the duo, who tied the knot in April 2015, tells Metrolife.

They then divided their portfolios and while Rallan got involved in the venture full-time, Sharma got back to a routine job and supported the start-up part time to provide the necessary stability to the family.

With many couple-run startups making it big, three thriving “copreneurs” tell Metrolife what makes them click.

“With married co-founders, there is much more at stake than the health of a business. Too often, start-ups fail even before they begin because co-founders are not equally committed. But just like the age-old adage goes, ‘marriage is an institution based on trust’, married co-founders fall back on trust. Also, marriage comes with its share of financial commitments,” says Atul Pratap Singh who co-founded Delhi-based PR agency V-spark Communications with his better half, Kanika Chhabra.

Sharing a success mantra, Chhabra says having the same set of goals, vision and ideas helps as it becomes easy to discuss and improvise without any inhibitions. “Two minds are always better than one. Whether for a decision as small as buying curtains or as big as mergers and acquisitions, we have a lot to talk about all the time,” she says.

But does such a business model give enough space to them as individuals? “Having to face each other all the time and everywhere is not that troublesome. We know we have a cushion, we can easily vent out, share stories and create moments. After all we got married to do that,” say husband-wife duo Singh and Chhabra. 

However, balancing family formalities and client expectations can be tumultuous. But the duo say that a deep understanding by virtue of being “best friends for so long” helps sail through. “We divide our work - whether it is home or office. At times, when I am busy with work he cooks. And he does that really well,” avers Chhabra.

Testifying to the constant ebb and flow of highs and lows, 27-year-old Rallan says, “Working as an employee for an organisation is way different than being a co-founder of your company. The best part is that you are directly impacted by both the upside and downside of each decision you take. As cliché as it may sound, you literally give birth to your venture and become protective of it like a parent.”

But, how do they manage personal issues tripping over to the professional space or vice-versa? While Sharma says it becomes “tricky” sometimes because one is not really able to “switch off” and maintain a boundary between work and personal life, co-founders Gunjan and Pranjali Indrayan of Tripoetic — a travel based start-up specialising in curated travel itinerary and customised vacations, have worked out a solution.

“We often work late nights and on weekends; so separating professional and personal lives has not been easy. But we often take breaks by going out for lunches and meeting friends and family,” says Noida-based Gunjan, who has been married for six years.

While the nature of their business gives the Indrayans a window to take vacations, Singh mentions they try and capitalise on long weekends or on less work days.

“While the company would like to have one of us around always, we have a team that lets us take long vacations, and it really helps,” says Singh, referring to their mandatory wedding anniversary holidays.