It is a common rule to never mix your business with your personal life. But when you’re with someone you love, there is the likelihood for you both to share the same dreams and aspirations. Like-minded people usually get into relationships. But that doesn’t mean people in relationships should start businesses together. Here are a few reasons why you should never go into business with your romantic partner.

1. You see too much of each other

An average relationship between two people usually has one person leaving early to work a regular 9 to 5 job. There are hours on end spent apart. You get to be excited to go home to someone and tell them about your day. But if you live, work and sleep with one person, you might get tired of them. Your passion for your partner can reduce because they’re around too much.

2. You might stop viewing things objectively

Running a business with your romantic partner might stop you from viewing things objectively. Every hard business decision you have to make will be tainted by your emotional connection with your partner. Instead of thinking of what is best for your business, you will first consider your relationship. That is undue pressure, and the two concerns should not coexist.

3. You will find it hard to keep them accountable

If you are in business with someone you love, you might find it hard to keep them accountable. You can’t call them out on their bad business decisions without the fear of hurting their feelings. It can be difficult for you to express your displeasure or point out mistakes so they won’t feel bad. This might lead to you bottle up your feelings about things. When you bottle up things, they are bound to blow up later.

4. It can break down trust

Business can be a very dispassionate and unfeeling venture and sometimes requires drastic actions. Money matters are very sensitive and mixing that with matters of the heart can lead to trust issues. People usually go into business with the fear of being taken advantage of. When you go into that mindset with someone you are supposed to be vulnerable with, things get messy.

This is not to say that business ventures cannot succeed if the founders are also partners in love. There are just things to watch out for to protect your heart and your business at the same time.

For more on relationships, check out our article on dating on a budget.