The Business of Love: 9 Best Practices for Improving the Bottom Line of Your Relationship

Reviewed by Stephanie Rollins for Reader Views (11/06) Dr. John Curtis has a background in both business consulting and marriage therapy. I suppose it is inevitable that he would combine the two into a recipe for marital success. Dr. John Curtis penned "The Business of Love" to save the most important business venture anyone will ever delve into--marriage. If you do not think that marriage is a business, try getting divorced. I believe that you will see things differently. Why does Dr. Curtis believe that marriage is a business venture? Dr. Curtis views each individual as a sole proprietorship. They have functioned on their own for many years. When they marry, they merge into a couple or a consolidated company. Dr. Curtis points to the unity candle that is used in weddings symbolizing the joining of the couple. Anyone who has studied business knows that mergers create complications in cultures. Sometimes it is the small things that grate on a spouse's nerves. Does one person let the laundry pile up on the bathroom floor while the other loathes that horrible habit? Maybe one spouse expects all the canned goods to be faced the same direction. The other spouse may consider that to be over-the-top. Dr. Curtis teaches his readers to discover what their expectations as a couple are before they become a couple; however, this book will help couples who did not do so. He teaches that everything needs to be laid out. Couples must discuss topics from religion to bill-paying. He also encourages couple and couples-to-be to discuss sex. Even if you have refrained from sex until marriage, it must be discussed. Dr. Curtis approaches the start-up of marriage as a start-up of a small business. The first question you are supposed to ask yourself when starting a small business is, "What business are we in?" This leads to the formation of the vision statement, mission statement and objectives. For those who have not studied business, "The Business of Love" details each step. For those who have studied business, the application of business planning to marriage will seem like a no-brainer, but how many of us really have utilized this brilliant plan? "The Business of Love" has many lists of topics to discuss with your significant other. Some of the items may not be relevant now. For instance, maybe you do not have children yet, so you may not think that those questions are relevant. Think about them anyway. Even those of us who do not plan for parenthood are surprised by it sometimes. Vision statements, mission statements, and objectives are subject to change. Look over them from time to time. Alter them accordingly. From time to time look over the checklists in "The Business of Love." This is not a book to read and give away. Keep it and expect to reread it throughout your dynamic relationship. Dr. John Curtis brilliantly wrote "The Business of Love" to help all couples--married or not, male or female. Read "The Business of

"The Business of Love: 9 Best Practices for Improving the Bottom Line of Your Relationship" is a self help book that applies successful business practices to marriage relationships. To approach marriage as a business joint venture may be radical, but due to the percentage of marriages that fail, perhaps this revolutionary new outlook is justified. Appealing to the success-driven members of generations X and Y, "The Business of Love" is reassuring in its practicality and specificity. The nine best practices include creating a vision of your relationship, developing your relationship's objectives, funding the partnership, branding and marketing your relationship, growing the relationship: mergers, job descriptions for couples, relationship feedback for partners, compensation and benefits, and meetings and retreats. A plethora of tables and graphs and illustrations are used to demonstrate the sound business principles that are applied in "The Business of Love." In all, Dr. Curtis' background as an organizational development consultant, business trainer and researcher has been put to innovative use. Billed as a practical book to help normal men and women with normal challenges, "The Business of Love" promises to decrease the failure rate of marriages (50% of all first marriages fail), based on sound business concepts proven to work.

This book is the beginning for any couple - be they beginning a relationship, or so deeply troubled and don't know where to turn - this is the map. It provides a structured and gentle way to begin the necessary discussions to create or "recreate" relationships. When a couple is at this place where things are such a mess that they can't see the forest for the trees - this not only glimpses the forest it gives you that quiet place for both of you to find - a respite, a common ground in a non-threatening and safe approach to begin again, or to begin to build your best relationship ever. Well done, John. Ann Kobs Abbott Wheaton,IL

I selected "The Business of Love" because the title intrigued me. How could it be? Using business terms like vision, objectives, funding, branding and marketing, mergers and acquisitions, job descriptions, feedback, compensation and benefits...and all related to love? Well, strap yourself in and take the ride! The book is nothing short of amazing! Dr. Curtis takes traditional business concepts and applies them to relationships, and everything meshes beautifully. The book is well written, thought provoking and timely. Thank you Dr. Curtis!

The book was enjoyable to read and helped give me the "Traditional guy" approach to a healthy, loving relationship. Most guys would not get through half of the book. They believe that everything in their relationship/marriage is as good as it could be and it does not need improvement, when really it is a function of the guy not wanting to step out of his comfort zone to improve the relationship. The "fear" of going into the unknown keeps the guy from making changes. Sad! When two people have a healthy relationship, they "communicate" freely and with confidence, to each other, their needs and desires. This is only a small percentage of the relationships, where both partners evolve in their relationship as time marches on. The book will help both partners communicate with one another better, by having more structure in how they share their feelings about the various aspects of their relationship, instead of going through the status quo. This was a wonderful read for me. If men will take the time to look in the mirror, (and also read your book) and try to be better at communicating with their loved ones, I would bet that the number of failed relationships is greatly reduce