Work-Family Balance and Perceived Business Outcomes among Copreneurial and Noncopreneurial Small Business Owners

Using data from the 2019 Small Business Values Survey (SBVS), we investigated differences between copreneur (n = 195) and noncopreneur (n = 303) small business owners in the United States. Specifically, we looked at differences in work-family balance characteristics, business characteristics, and owner characteristics between copreneur and noncopreneur small business owners. We found that copreneurs were significantly more likely than noncopreneurs to report conflicts about decisions related to their work and family lives, and were also more likely to report negative work-to-family spillover and negative family-to-work spillover. However, using a logistic regression, we found that copreneurs were more likely than noncopreneurs to report perceiving the business as successful and profitable. Looking at a subsample of only copreneurs, we found that various work-family balance characteristics, business characteristics, and owner characteristics were significantly associated with the likelihood of perceiving the business as successful or profitable.