Jaswinder | guard | Chattha | Amrik | New York City

Both 67 years old, the Chatthas have been in practice together for 30 years. They first met 43 years ago when their families wanted to see if they would make a good marriage match. A good match indeed. After finishing their studies, the duo decided to open a practice together because "our professional careers had a complementary component, and we believed we could succeed since we knew our business partner pretty well," says Jaswinder. But it's their complementary personalities that really make the business work, she says. "My husband is very open and trusting of people until they prove him wrong. I, on the other hand, require people to earn my trust before I let my guard down. We sort of have a yin/yang approach to dealing with people."

Defined business roles have helped the Chatthas avoid any confusion over their responsibilities in the workplace. But two Chatthas in one office isn't always easy for the patients. "Our patients will sometimes get confused and book appointments with the wrong Dr. Chattha," says Amrik.

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best practices
best practices
when we asked couples for their best business advice, the tips poured in. here are some of our favorites.

"make sure you are both getting the level of satisfaction you want from the business. have a meeting at least once a year where you say, 'do you still want to do this?' " - bill berry and tim mcdonough, berry & company public relations, new york city

"[you] don't need to come home and fight over whose turn it is to fold the laundry or mow the lawn. hire as much help as you can. it may require some belt-tightening, but your sanity, and your marriage, are worth it." - mike and mary jo mccurley, divorce lawyers with mccurley, orsinger, mccurley, nelson & downing, dallas