RICHARD and Judy have done it for years. If you are a family-minded person, who better to go to work with than your nearest and dearest?

Working side by side with your spouse means that you really will be sharing everything, for richer and for poorer, for better and for worse.

But before you write your partner's resignation letter for them and set up your dream family business, it is worth thinking about the pressures and problems that working together can bring.

"Working together does put a tremendous strain on any family relationship, especially if you're partners," warned relationships expert Susan Van Scoyoc.

"You have to make sure your relationship comes first, no matter how the business is doing.

"I have seen people who have thrived working with their partners - but you have to think about it before you start."

Fiona Gordon, who works with husband Nick in their Smithills-based antique timber company Pine Supplies, agrees: "We have been working together for 18 years and are very comfortable together now, but we used to nearly kill each other at first!"

According to occupational psychologist Dr Angela Carter, frustrations quickly surface if partners react differently to stress.

"Different people have different ways of coping, and women tend to verbalise while men just want to switch off and not want to know any more," she said.

But Fiona Gordon explained: "In our case we are equal partners in the business and we each have our own area of expertise, so there is no problem there.

"Also, we have separate jobs within the business; he may be cutting wood while I am taking nails out so we are not actually, physically together all of the time."

The experts also warn about taking the business out of the workplace and into the home.

"In our case we work from our home so it would be impossible to keep work and homelife apart," said Fiona.

"However, as we both enjoy our work, and our partnership, we do not find it a problem. We can't switch off from our work and business, but then we don't particularly want to.

"When you work for yourself you do it 24-7."

However, what works for Nick and Fiona may not work for everyone. "There does need to be allowance to have time away doing something that's just for you, alone," said Susan Van Scoyoc.

"That's especially important for children working with parents - if you're working with parents full-time you may well not want to go round for dinner. It's important to take time out in those circumstances, but also to make sure that social family contact doesn't recede."

Angela Carter added: "Generally, at work there is not an equal power relationship between couples.

"For example, if the man runs the business and his partner is his PA, it's easy to take that balance into your personal relationship. He may carry on treating her in that way at home.

"You need to understand that to stop it from happening."

The problem can be particularly acute when working with your children.

"If a parent isn't careful there's a tendency to treat the child as a parent, rather than as an employer," added Van Scoyoc. "They may tend to be more critical, and praise less.

"Equally, the younger person has to be careful not to take advantage of their position as the boss's child."

It's not all doom and gloom though - there are real benefits to working with family. There is an increased speed of communication - the person closest to you knows the context of your life, and understands the issues you face.

As long as you are careful not to exclude others, you know each other so well it is easy to work together.

And, of course, you get to see your partner virtually all day, every day.

In many new relationships, couples want to spend all their time together. If you can keep that going at work, that is beneficial. If you are working together to achieve your shared dreams and aims, that brings a lot of positives and happiness to a relationship.

Perhaps the most famous working partnership in showbiz is Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan.

Married for 18 years, they recently moved on from This Morning to their own show on Channel 4.

Richard, aged 48, has said having Judy, aged 56, by his side at work is essential to his happiness - but only because they are in love.

"You have to go through a lot and it's only possible if you are with your soulmate."

Dr Carter says rows can often help a working relationship: "If something good comes out of the creative tension that has caused the row and a problem is solved, that's a good thing."