Empowering two can be an enriching but also challenging experience when the business partner is also the spouse.
Conventional turmoil for entrepreneurs-whether first-time or not-such as separating personal and business finances and the tireless pursuit of balance between personal life and work, become even more latent, requiring clear communication, emotional maturity and objectives alignment-but this time, two.
The search for this balance was also a challenge for Leticia Fontoura and Pedro Centurião, couple of Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul.
In Leticia’s view, who has been running a language school next to her husband for seven years, the resolution of these problems begins with the clear definition of papers. “Only one of the two can be the CEO, the real leadership of the business,” he says.
“It is possible to divide the functions, but there must only be one leader, that person who has most of the responsibilities. There is no way to have two chiefs in the same village,” he says.
The search for different professional experiences during college led Gaucho to invest in the career of teacher for years.
From the city of Santa Maria, known university and educational hub in the south of the country, she taught English language for adults in private schools. A sudden resignation, however, made a new desire aroused in Leticia: to have a business of its own.
Unite the vocation for teaching with the dream of entrepreneurship arose with the search for more independence and financial need. “I had one of the worst months of my life. It was hard financially, and especially because I was not playing any useful role,” says Leticia.
It was through a business of his own, he believed that he would also find more autonomy, flexibility and also the chance to develop his own method of teaching, far from the limitations and standards that need to be followed in large language franchise networks or schools.
“I went through a traumatic selection process for a language franchise. I realized that I would hardly have space in the market without having my own business. It was a real break, and when I decided that I would create a job for me myself,” he recalls.
Thus was born, in 2017, the North languagesEnglish school. The initiative began after a structured business plan with Sebrae. The initial focus was on vocational education, serving people interested in receiving English courses within their own corporate environments. The model, however, did not take off.
Revamped, the school started to offer private classes in a small coworking in the city from 2018.
“North was a company of me and I, and had over 20 students – which is an impressive number for a single private teacher. I monopolized that coworking,” he jokes.
The target audience also expanded at the time: Leticia began to teach English to children and adolescents.
In the same period, his then boyfriend – also English teacher – decided to join the business. Together, the couple rented a 25 square meter commercial space, turning it into two classrooms.
From the partnership came positive results in the short term, and soon the business had to grow. The expansion to a larger commercial space, which would eventually become the headquarters of North Languages, demanded the hiring of a team and a robust investment in lease structural reforms in 2019.
But it was in March 2020 that the pandemic brought a hard blow: many students canceled classes. The rupture made the couple adapt to the remote education and, along with the permission to resume face classes in August, North became one of the only schools to serve in both models.
From there, the business grew again – folding the number of students until December. “It was a key turn, we became known and sought,” says Leticia.
The pace of growth has been maintained since then. From 2020 to 2024, the number of classrooms jumped from four to nine. In 2025 alone, the business already earned half a million reais.
Today, North has 11 teachers (including Leticia and Pedro), as well as an administrative official.
“For me there is a difference between being an entrepreneur and entrepreneur. I live the CNPJ, and I am happy to still teach and be in operational. The entrepreneur lives the CNPJ 24 hours a day, so I identify as an entrepreneur,” he jokes.
Tips for undertaking two
In addition to the definition of attributions, managing a two business also imposes challenges related to routine and conflict management. Overcoming them involves establishing well-defined routines and mutual respect, defends Leticia.
“There is a lot of talk about sharing time between work and personal life. I don’t think this is a rule for everyone. We love to sit on the couch and talk about work at night, even after a long day. Everything is related to understanding what works for each couple,” he says.
Regarding respect, she highlights the need to understand that, even in the couple, there are different profiles for each entrepreneur, whether more strategic or more operational.
“It is not necessary that the two have exactly the same profile and entrepreneurial vocation. Even this difference in profiles is something that complements,” he says.
By Maria Clara Dias
