Today is my 26th wedding anniversary. 35 years ago, I met Jonathan at college play auditions. I asked him out on a date that night, although he couldn’t act his way out of a wet paper bag.

During much of the dating years, we lived apart in different cities and countries. We were broke restaurant owners at one point, living in his mother’s basement. For ~15 years, we spent only 3 days/week at home together as consultants on the road. We’ve traveled the world. We’ve supported each other through family traumas. We’ve led separate, yet very together, lives.

I’ve always thought that life-partner relationships are quite like a corporation. A corporation must conduct itself ethically, profitably and sustainably to serve its purpose and grow its value over the long term. A corporation must navigate challenges in the up times and down times to maximize shareholder value. A corporation must serve its purpose as an entity, while respecting the individuals making up that entity.

Like a corporation, relationships need a vision, mission, and core values. They need a desired culture, success metrics, and frequent communication.

At our anniversary dinner tonight, aka our annual board meeting, we’ll talk about the Darsey-Peters strategic plan for 2022. Nurturing a relationship, like running a corporation, takes hard work to keep the stock on the rise.

P.S. When you elope, you don’t get great wedding pictures, as evidenced here.