Steve and Allison Summerday, owners of Sunnerday’s Awning Care and Shipshape Canvas Care.

Allison and Steve Summerday say having a husband-wife business and a marriage at the same time can be tricky. But the couple, who own Summerday’s Awning Care and Shipshape Canvas Care, have found the way to separate the two — with time.

In a non-family business, the only relationship you have is the working one. “In a family, you almost have to announce, ‘I’m talking to you as a business partner,’” Allison says.

On the other hand, having a strong team can contribute to the success. “You have a common vision and you are both working toward it together,” Steve says. “No one is going to take care of your business like you are.”

As a big picture, they see the challenges of a family-based business pretty much the same as any other enterprise. “As a family business, the challenges are not any different; every company, whether large or small, wants to be successful,” Steve says.

Summerday’s Awning Care’s success became evident through the years. Steve, who started the company 10 year ago, before the two met, used to sell his new service door to door. He knew nothing about awning care and learned how to use the products from their vendors. Now, they have more than 350 customers with 500 or so buildings, and vendors often call on Steve for his advice.

The business, which is based out of their home on Raft Island, near Gig Harbor, serves both commercial and residential clients with awning restoration, cleaning and maintenance. A converted tool shed serves as the office in the back yard, and they have a shop in the Tacoma area.

They say their biggest job is to educate customers that by maintaining their awnings, they can greatly extend their service life instead of having to replace an expensive product.

“You can take an old awning and clean it, and for $300 to $400, give it another five years or more,” Steve says.

“Our niche is trying to save people from having to replace them,” Allison adds.

Until five years ago, they did all the work themselves, and now have six part-time and full-time employees. Steve supervises the technicians, does estimates and training, and Allison supervises the administrative aspects.

The business was doing so well, they ventured into a new one a year ago: Shipshape Canvas Care. With Steve not having to be as involved hands-on with the awning business, he can focus his efforts on growing the customer base for Shipshape, which maintains and restores marine canvas.

“There is a need there,” Steve says. “People have called us in the past, which is what ignited the idea.”

Steve, who moved to Idaho from New York City before landing in Seattle and eventually Gig Harbor, says he was “very loose” in his early days with the business operation. A former owner of a carpet cleaning business, he lives “very much in the moment,” while Allison likes to look ahead.

“We’ve become business people by running a business,” Allison says. “Our clash of personalities helps keep an edge…in the business, but at the same time the values, morals and vision are the same.