‘90s FAMILY : TIPS FOR SUCCESS

Zack and Laura Jenkinson’s often-bumpy two-year journey may provide a road map for other couples setting up small businesses with shared parental and job responsibilities. With the benefit of hindsight, Laura offers this advice:

* Minimize debt. They capitalized their business largely by taking out a low-cost credit union loan, supplementing this with cash advances on their credit cards. They learned, however, that it’s harder to repay loans when only one spouse is on the job. Ultimately, Laura said, it’s preferable to start up a business with fewer fixtures--and fewer money worries--than trying to get everything up and running from the start.

* Set limits. Try to talk about work only during work hours, scheduling time together during which work may not be discussed. Otherwise, she said, “From the moment you wake up, you won’t have a personal life. It’s all about work.”

* Think long-term. Keep in mind why you’ve set up your business as you have, and what your values are. Otherwise, your initial intentions will get lost during the first setback.