4 Couples Tell What It’s Really Like Having a Spouse as Your Business Partner - #026

Show Notes

With the rise in the number of side hustles and entrepreneur startups,(the Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy reports the numbers of small businesses owned equally by men and women to be 2.5 million in the U.S.), more and more couples are taking the leap of faith and going into business together. We wondered what it’s like having your significant other as your business partner? To find out, Lori Vajda and Nola Boeá asked four couples to share how they divide roles and responsibilities for running their business as well as how they make it work as business partners. Their candid answers are the subject of today’s episode.

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In This Episode You’ll Learn

• From four couples who shared their firsthand experience key insights and the challenges with spouse run businesses.
• How to divide the roles and responsibilities you each like and the ones you don’t, with less friction.
• The secret to jointly operating your business together successfully, may be in knowing this one thing about the two of you.
• The lines between work and personal life can easily become blurred. These couples recommend you do this to ensure a healthy business.

When you’re in business with your significant other, you need to be prepared to spend a lot of time together. As a result, it becomes imperative to ensure the lines of communication are kept open. As Lori and Nola found out from these couples, if you let the business pressures and worries leak into your personal lives, it can cause challenges in the partnership. Success comes from each spouse prioritizing open lines of communication. In this episode four couples share their helpful tips and lessons learned for running a successful business together.

• (3:47.86) According to Jill Keunhnert and Glenn Wright of Lucky Fish Scuba, the key to successfully running a business together may be in having each partner follow this simple prescriptive. 
• (6:24.46) How starting a business from a shared interest or hobby is a better option for creating the lifestyle you both want to lead.
• (8:16:44) Nicole Jonas and Spencer Hapoienu of Insight Out of Chaos, share their two tips for running their successful business and how they ensure the challenges or concerns of the daily operations don’t leak into their marriage.
• (12:57.65) Jean and Vero Doherty of Le Patio in Wilton Manors, Florida, share their key insights for running a successful restaurant.
• (14:57:09) Corrie and Rhabby Domingo, managing partners of TropaZ Fitness in Houston, Texas explain how their shared values and goals make not just for a better business, but also a successful life, partnership

Resources
You can subscribe to Lori and Nola's show, (we love you and want to make it easy) on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Lucky Fish Scuba in Key Largo, Florida - https://www.luckyfishscuba.com/ 

Insight out of Chaos headquartered in Miami, Florida - https://iooc.com/ 

Le Patio, located in Wilton Manors, Florida - https://www.lepatiowiltonmanors.com/ 

TropaZ Fitness in Houston, Texas - https://www.tropazfitness.com/ 
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This episode was supported by: Be-YOU-nique

Transcripts

Jean Doherty: [00:00:00] We can't be in the kitchen together ‘cause we kill one another. 

Lori: [00:00:04] In sickness and in health, till death do us part, is what we agree to in marriage. But what about in business? We wondered what it was like having your significant other is your business partner. So we put the question to the test and crowdsourced our audience for firsthand knowledge and experience about spouses and significant other-run businesses. And we got some great responses and learned a lot. And so will you, in today's episode,

Announcer: [00:00:30] You're listening to the Sticky Brand Lab podcast, where time strapped professionals like you learn how to create a business you love in as little as three hours a week.

Nola: [00:00:43] With the rise in the number of side hustles and entrepreneurs, startups, more and more couples are taking the leap of faith and going into business together. Have you been contemplating the idea of going into business with your significant other? Do you wonder whether working and making money together will be fun and deepen your relationship or add a lot more stress? And just how do successful couples make it work? We wondered the same thing. Hey there, aspiring side hustlers and solo printers, Nola and Lori here with stories from four entrepreneurial couples as they share what it's like being in business with their significant other. But before we share these candid interviews, check to make sure you're subscribed to our podcast on Apple podcasts, Google podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts, this will ensure you never miss a weekly episode as well as help other aspiring side hustlers like you find our podcast and create a profitable business they love. Okay. Now, let's get this business-couple-compatibility episode started.

Lori: [00:01:41] There is an old adage that says family and business should be separate and that people should never work with their spouse. Clearly the couples that responded to our request to tell us what it's like working with your significant other, have a very different viewpoint. Today's episode is filled with vulnerabilities as four couples share how they make their business partnership and relationship work.

Nola: [00:02:06] When Jill Kuehnert met Glenn Wright for the first time, she tried to find a common interest that might just spark a connection. She found it in scuba diving.

Jill K: [00:02:15] We met at a party and started talking about different hobbies that are interesting to do in Asia. We were both living in Singapore at the time. He was working in the golf business, I was working for a corporate communications group, and I said, Oh, golf is interesting. Maybe I should try to play golf. He said, forget it. It's hot. It's expensive. It's hard to get good at it. So then I thought my chances might be over. So I said, Oh, well, what do you do for fun? And he said, I love scuba diving. I think it's the best thing in the world. And I saw an opening for myself there. I said, Oh, scuba diving. That's another thing I thought I might try. Maybe you can help me out and help me get started in that hobby. He did, we've had loads of fun diving all over the world.

Nola: [00:03:02] Okay. In 2018, the two decided to turn their shared interest into a shared business partnership. Lucky Fish Scuba in key Largo, Florida.

Jill K: [00:03:12] Then we moved to the United States about five years ago. And leaving our other careers kind of to the side, we thought about buying into an existing business in South Florida or down here in the keys. And, um, didn't find any existing business that quite fit our vibe of, um, wanting to take our time, wanting to be flexible in where we go, wanting to dive with people who really were interested in showing us the best of it. So we decided to make our own business.

Nola: [00:03:46] As Jill points out, one key to success seems to be in each partner working from their own strengths. This includes taking on complimentary roles and responsibilities that feed those strengths.

Jill K: [00:03:57] His roles, and my role are quite different. Glenn is our captain. He's a PADI certified, Master Scuba Diver Instructor. So he does teaching. He teaches people to scuba dive as well as is very good at guiding people in the water. He is very mechanical, so he takes care of all the boat maintenance, changes the engine filters, and all of that stuff, washes the boat. Um, pretty much anything that has physically to do with the business of diving and the boat. That's Glen's area.

Coming from corporate communications. My area is more on marketing the business on dealing with customers, potential customers, helping making sure all of our administrative ducks are lined up. Um, I do the bookkeeping. I also make the snacks and fold the laundry. Make sure there's clean towels to go on the boat. And, uh, fun stuff like that. So it was just the two of us in the business. We have some part-time dive masters that help us out from time to time. But I think that we have these complimentary roles that are just naturally, you know, in our own strengths. They come from our background that we had before we started the business. Glen's work on the mechanical side. And then the teaching side of scuba diving. My work on communications. And I've also been managing my own independent consulting business for about 10 years now. So I already had quite a bit of experience in that.

Nola: [00:05:40] And what do you do when there's an aspect of the business that you don't particularly enjoy doing? Jill has a simple but powerful awareness that allows her to stay true to her strengths while having good boundaries around what doesn't work for her.

Jill K: [00:05:53] Every time the boat goes out, Glen's on the boat. He's the only captain we have. I am also a PADI certified dive master, so I can lead dive trips, but it's not my favorite thing to do. I enjoy, uh, enjoying scuba diving and not so much the guiding people part of it. So we do have a couple of people that we use from time to time to help us lead trips. But otherwise, it's a hundred percent family business run by us as our couples.

Lori: [00:06:24] I think what I really love about this particular story is first of all, it started as a way for the relationship to get started. Like two single people shared a common interest and hobby in, in scuba diving. Yeah. And then naturally turned it into a business, which is, it's a great idea because you're already doing something that you love.

Nola: [00:06:49] I agree. I think it's fascinating how they were able to determine that this is what they liked. This is what they enjoyed. And there was a certain pace of life that they wanted to maintain, and they were very intentional about how they would fashion their business to support how they wanted to enjoy life together.

Lori: [00:07:10] Yeah, it clearly comes through in, in the way they communicate about Lucky Fish.

So Jill and Glenn turned their shared hobby into a business. And Jill has her consulting outside of that in addition to their shared business, which is very different than our next couple. Like parents, whose relationship seems to revolve around their children. The same can easily happen to business owning couples, Nicole Jonas and Spencer Hapoienu, co-founders of Insight out of Chaos, have been in business for 25 years.

Nicole Jonas: [00:07:48] We are a database marketing company that interprets shopping data to create marketing programs, designed to increase sales and profits for retailers. While we were headquartered in Miami, our clients are all over the country and our staff is all over the world. Every client thinks we named our company. Insight out of Chaos, just for them.

Lori: [00:08:08] Without good boundaries. The lines between work marriage and personal life can become blurred and all too often blended, how do you run a successful business and now let the challenges or concerns from the daily operations leak into your marriage? Well, for Nicole and Spencer, it came down to two important details.

Nicole Jonas: [00:08:29] Early on, we created two so-called rules that have worked well for maintaining our harmony of living and working together. First, we keep meal time and relaxation before sleep time clear from intense work conversation. Whether the topic is challenging or uplifting, this has given us time during the day that does not revolve around work. Second, each of us covers for the other when enjoying personal interests outside of work. This way, we have a better chance for total relaxation to happen, knowing that the other one is keeping an eye on the business.

Nola: [00:09:07] I think it's fascinating how they made it a point to make like a distinct cutoff between work and personal. How they found that, that balance of taking care of the business and taking care of their personal time, and then protecting those specific times together.

Lori: [00:09:24] Well, they really protected specific. So mealtime and bedtime, they made sure that mealtime was protected and going into sleep, they wouldn't be thinking and having to focus on the business so they could relax. The big question that I have is, given how long this business has been around, how long did it take them to get to that point where they realized this is healthy for our relationship and for our business.

Nola: [00:09:52] That's a good question. Yeah. I'm curious as well. and I'm wondering if they actually had a conversation and said, okay, this is what we're going to do. Or if they found out that this is what they were doing. Doing and then decided, you know what? This is working. Let's protect it.

Lori: [00:10:06] Good question. Really good.

Nola: [00:10:08] either way. It works. Right?

Lori: [00:10:11] Yeah, for sure.

Nola: [00:10:12] When we come back, we're going to hear from two more couples, who've been in business together for a long time to get their thoughts and insights into running a successful partner owned company.

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Lori: [00:11:01] Welcome back to Sticky Brand Lab, where we show you how to turn your knowledge, passion, and great idea into an income stream, so you can create a business and lifestyle you're excited about.  Jean and Vero Doherty have been a couple for more than 33 years and have been business partners for much of that time, since 1996, when they opened their first restaurant in France. Their current business venture is Le Patio. A restaurant located in Wilton Manors, Florida. The small quaint place with a beautiful outdoor patio and a teeny tiny kitchen is an inviting, warm and welcoming place. So how did two chefs who love to cook, laugh and have fun with their customers share the responsibilities for running a restaurant?

Jean Doherty: [00:11:50] Well, Vero, is on her own doing most of the shopping, for the ingredients. She drops them off. I'm in the kitchen. We can't be in the kitchen together cause we kill one another. So, um, I'm down in the kitchen, cooking, she comes along and drops off the ingredients, looks after the, um, cleaning the tables and all that kind of good stuff. Cause she's a Virgo, so everything has to be perfect. And then I leave.  uh, I come back home. I look after paying bills, sending stuff to the accountant, uh, social media, all that good stuff. while she does the lunch shift, between, 11:30 and two, then we have lunch together.  we reopened the at 5:30 um, at that stage, then work together for the evening. I look after the front of the house, she's in the back of the house. If you like, doing the, doing the cooking, we usually go out for a drink together then after our shift, we, you know, just go over what went on during that night and how it went.

Lori: [00:12:57] For Nicole and Spencer making time to not focus on the business is an important part of their personal relationship. But for Jean and Vero talking about business is part of their shared passion and a desire to always be improving.

Jean Doherty: [00:13:14] We always find different not to talk about, work because we, we really love what we do. So every time we're on vacation or, anywhere we could be, especially in a restaurant we're always talking about, the food and the place and how it could have been placed in differently or, uh, how we could make it different or, you know, w we're just constantly together. And even when we're not together, I miss her.

Nola: [00:13:46] I wonder how long it took for them to figure out that they cannot share the same kitchen at the same time.

Lori: [00:14:00] I was going to say. Fly on the wall. But given that that's a restaurant, you definitely don't want to be. You want to be a spoon hanging on the mirror. Yeah. Yeah. You're, you're right. That's a good point. Also, uh, they've divided up their responsibilities and yet they have real shared time together.

Nola: [00:14:23] They do. Yeah. And because they both love cooking. I think it's great that they both gave each other a shift to do the cooking, you know, and and it's really, it's interesting that that, because it's such a love and such a passion that even their time together outside of the restaurant is, is fun. It's not just, okay, we gotta get this business to do. It's like, Oh, we can do that. We can do that. You know? Oh, they're doing it all wrong. We can do it so much better. I mean, I can just hear them having this conversation over drinks after, after running the restaurant. So

Lori: [00:14:56] Yeah. Agreed.

Nola: [00:14:58] When you've been together a long time, like Jean and Vero have you get to know what's important to each other. Over time. You each align your goals and values, not just for the purpose of building your business, but to build your life together.

And that's certainly true for our next guests. Um, healthy lifestyle enthusiasts and boutique fitness owners, Corrie and Rhabby Domingo.  As managing partners of TropaZ Fitness in Houston, Texas, the couple divided many aspects of running the business along the strengths and interests of each.

Corrie Domingo: [00:15:27] So I would say a Rhabby and I both have our own strengths that we offer, to the business. I'll speak for myself first. So I am more on the marketing side and, also do the social media side of the business. So I make sure that, you know, I answer emails, I post interesting topics and of course, make sure that we're up-to-date with their class schedules and send out our e-blasts and include like great articles about health and fitness and about healthy lifestyle that we actually promote, in our studio. And here's, Rhabby, he can talk about what he actually does.

Rhabby Domingo: [00:16:08] And normally what I do best is devise the exercise and training programs for the studio, as well as, doing most of the, uh, financial stuff of the studio, having been a regional auditor from a previous company before. So, I handle most of the financials and then also devise, uh, training programs and, nutritional programs for, everybody at the studio who needs one. 

Nola: [00:16:39] And what about the business responsibilities neither of them like?

Rhabby Domingo: [00:16:44] all the rest in between we divide like, we actually just, uh, help what needs to be done. We get it done.

Corrie Domingo: [00:16:52] Yeah. Um, even the cleaning. So we both, we both do it yeah. As well. And, uh, we just make sure that, you know, we handled the business accordingly.

Nola: [00:17:02] Okay. There's something amazing about working with a partner who believes and shares your same creative passion and desire to manifest it in the world.

Corrie Domingo: [00:17:12] The main goal here is to really shed light and be the light. So the people that we meet and it's a very non-intimidating atmosphere. We're like a family here. And, uh, we treat everybody, very special, they're not just a number or a student in a, we make sure that they feel that they belong to this community. And we love what we do. We've been doing this forever. So, um, and that's, that's it, our major thing is just to be fit and, take care of each other.

Nola: [00:17:44] Aaaawwww!

Lori: [00:17:47] Don't you just feel like you're part of their family, just listening to them.

Nola: [00:17:50] I do when she said, I mean, we're just there to be a light to everybody we meet. I'm like, yes, shine your light on me.

Lori: [00:18:04] It's true. I mean, it, that feeling that you get listening to them and you think, okay, this is going to be what it's like being in their business. And I want to be a, I want to be a part of that.

Nola: [00:18:15] Absolutely. And I'm sure that's why they've been in business as long as they have.

Lori: [00:18:20] I think that, in all four of our couples, as we were listening to them, you got a sense of the relationship and the business. And you could easily see why it works for each of them in very distinct ways.

Nola: [00:18:37] Isn't that fascinating?

Lori: [00:18:39] It is. Yeah. And even though it was very distinct ways, if there's a common thread that ties these couples and their successful approach to business together, I would say it's this: Each of the partners share similar values and they use those values to guide their business decisions. Because they want the same things, they work together to achieve those goals in both business and in life.

Nola: [00:19:05] Yes. And while being in business with your partner may not work for every couple. As we've learned from these four couples, a business, like a couple is a team. Teamwork makes the shared dream work.
Be sure to come back next Tuesday and every Tuesday for another informative, inspiring and motivating episode. And remember: action creates results.  So tap into your desire to create a business and brand you love by taking 1% action every day. Small steps, big effects.

Lori: [00:19:39] Do you have questions about creating a personal brand, side hustle or small business? Sign up for one of our clarity sessions. For more information, contact us at stickybrandlab.com/contact.

Out-take:
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Nola: [00:19:55] When Jill Kuehnert met Glenn Wright for the first time…

Lori: [00:20:03] You cannot blame it on the lemon juice this time.