Mary has been offered a retirement package from her work as a flight attendant with Qantas. Her long-term goal has been to buy a day-spa resort on the central coast of New South Wales with her sister Martha, who is a marketing consultant. Mary and Martha do up a business plan. They find an old yet suitable building at Nelson Bay which is on the market for sale. With their husbands (John who is a builder and James who is a plumber) they decide to sell their homes in the Sydney CBD for a fortune and purchase the building to start their day-spa. They think the potential for the business venture is enormous, but expect that additional capital will be required over the next five years for their dreams to be realised.

aDo you think the two families have the necessary skills between them to run such a demanding venture? List the skills that you think are important.

bThe families have decided to set up a partnership. Do you think that this is the right decision, or do you think the company structure would be a better option? Why?