It might seem like a natural thing to start a business with the person who knows you best, the person who helped you come up with the business idea in the first place, the person you talk to when you’re at your most vulnerable. In short, it might seem like a brilliant idea to go into business with your best friend. But as Ellen Park and Kayla Lee discovered, just because you love someone dearly doesn’t always mean that you’re perfectly suited to work together.

Even though Ellen and Kayla grew up in the same town after both emigrated from Korea as young children, the two friends didn’t actually meet until college, and even then it wasn’t because they attended the same school. Kayla went to a small private college in Michigan whereas Ellen went to the University of Washington. Kayla went on to become a teacher in Chicago; Ellen studied law in San Francisco before becoming a tax attorney.

The two of them could not have taken more separate paths, and yet, through the years they remained the best of friends. When Kayla started to struggle with the challenges of being a teacher with a young child at home and Ellen went back to her ten-hour work days when her daughter was just a few months old the two friends constantly brainstormed what they could do to become their own bosses and take control of their lives.

The magic spark struck one day when Kayla spent over $100 for a one month membership to a tiny, but air-conditioned, play space in Chicago. She was on the phone with Ellen who at the time was pumping breast milk for the infant she only got to see for 30 minutes each day. It didn’t take long for the two of them to realize that not only could they build a better play space, but that it could be their ticket to their dreams of freedom.

Ellen and Kayla spent months researching toddler programs and indoor play spaces. Every time they visited a potential competitor they shared the same thought: “we can do this better.”

So they did.

It took a while. It’s not easy building a company from scratch when you’re still working full time and raising a family. But the two of them worked hard and by 18 months later, Kayla and her family had moved to San Francisco (with a short detour via Ellen’s living room), Ellen had quit her job (24 hours before a full page spread about the launch of their venture appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle), and Peekadoodle Kidsclub was launched.

The 1000 square foot space in Ghirardelli Square was everything they had imagined and more. It was cozy and welcoming. It had a café for moms and nannies to relax in while kids played in the free space area or took classes. It had plenty of classroom space for music, art, and every other preschool and toddler class imaginable. It even had its very own gift shop.

But starting a business isn’t for the faint of heart and it can strain even the best of relationships. Both Kayla and Ellen were now working more than full time and not yet turning a profit. The financial strain and exhaustion led to enough skirmishes that they even considered hiring a relationship coach to help them get through their issues, though they quickly discovered that they just couldn’t afford it. Admitting that there was a problem turned out to be more than half the battle and their longstanding friendship motivated them to keep trying. After two years Peekadoodle Kidsclub finally turned a profit and the strain eased up. The two friends had made it through the hardest part of starting a business.

Their advice to aspiring mompreneurs stems straight from their experience—don’t start anything until you have an amazing support system in place. Once you’ve found the people who are going to carry you through to the end make sure you continue communicating with them. Keeping them informed and aware of what’s coming is going to help them stay strong for you as you give birth to your company.

And while you’re at it, make sure that, if you’re starting a business with a friend, you each have your own personal support system. It’s always good to have someone outside the business to rely on, and yes, to vent to when times get a bit stressful.

by Jessica Rosenberg who is mom to two little girls, social media expert, and an aspiring novelist and freelance writer who blogs daily at www.itsjessicaslife.com and posts frequent reviews at www.roselemonade.blogspot.com.