The United States is home to millions of couples who start businesses together. According to a decade-old study by the National Federation of Independent Businesses, husband-wife teams run an estimated 1.2 million companies. Although that number is the most current available data, it is likely higher now. Spouses who work alongside each other are uniquely tasked with constantly juggling the business and family life in order to maintain success both in their professional and personal relationships. Looking to learn more about what it takes to effectively balance the two, we asked 14 husband-wife business teams to weigh in on this very subject.
Thank you to all of the husband and wife teams who participated in this roundup!
Question #1: How did you and your spouse decide to start a business together? Did you conduct research or seek advice prior to startup?
Kandi Hodges & Steve Hodges | 2 Hodges Photography | Facebook
“We both became heavily invested in photography as a hobby. Eventually, we were so invested in photography resources, including equipment and training, as well as passionate about it, that we realized if we were going to continue pursuing photography at that level, then we needed to see if we could turn it into a successful business and build a return on our investment. Some very good friends of ours who happen to be top wedding photographers in our market (JoPhoto) were and continue to be an amazing resource as we continue to build our business.”
Michael Smith & Nancy Smith | Michael Smith Restaurant | Facebook
“It was a foregone conclusion. Nancy is an expert at running the Front of the House (FOH) and I am an expert at running the kitchens. We just did it – we needed to be employed and we knew we would start our restaurant together. It was EAT OR BE EATEN and we were hungry! We both understood the goal and I understood the process. She had never built a business from the ground up before, but she’s a quick study. We simply proceeded to each step along the path of building a business.”
Vinny Esposito & Diane Esposito | Split Second Sound | Facebook
“I had a business prior to meeting my wife. As it grew, she got more involved to help and eventually grew into and developed her own role.”
Josh Wendel & Liz Wendel | I Just Want A Site | Facebook
“We have worked with each other since we first met and we have very complementary skill sets. We did do some research on the industry that we were going into but into working together.”
Brad McCleary & Jen McCleary | Bodies Health & Fitness | Facebook
“I left the corporate gym to start training clients from my home. Once we had our first child, Jen decided she wanted to be at home with our son. She was passionate for nutrition and had already helped a couple of my clients with their meal plans so we decided that’s what she should do and we’d be a team! We did very little research before starting, but we did consult several family members, clients, and friends.”
Daniel Dean & Mendell Dean | Luxe Studios | Facebook
“It has always been my goal to start a business that would enable me to be self-sufficient. I originally set out to create an advertising agency, however, when a friend asked us to shoot their wedding video, we were intrigued. We didn’t set out to work together, rather it just came about out of circumstance. Both of us have full-time jobs (I am a marketer and Mendell is a preschool teacher), so this business is only part-time. Mendell will be going full-time with the business in April 2015. At that point, she will be staying at home with our first child who will be born within the next week or so. What started out as a business idea, morphed into a job specifically created so she could stay at home and raise our kids. We really exceeded our initial goal of just trying to replace her teacher’s pay with the videography business. I have my MBA from UMKC so I’m well-versed in entrepreneurship. I conducted a plethora of research to determine the business feasibility, life span, profitability, etc. The competition was lacking in Kansas City, so it was an easy choice to pursue videography.”
Rose Middleton & Rae Person | RARE Construction, Inc. | Facebook
“We got married in March of 1999 and Rae started the business in May, doing a whole house remodel at the request of one of my design clients. I kept my day job and did all the billing, payroll, and design work at night. By October, he was overwhelmed. I asked if he wanted me to quit my job and help him and he said that was my decision. My sister and brother-in-law had a business together so I talked to her. She said the secret is to have two defined areas of responsibility. You can consult, advise and argue, but the final decision made by the responsible party in his or her area is final – no arguments or grudges. I went for it. I do design and run the office. Rae does remodeling and runs the field.”
Verena Martin & Ruben Gutierrez | VRG Components, Inc. | Facebook
“We did not do research or seek advice before starting VRG Components other than basic legal and tax advice. Ruben has been in the electronic components industry for over 15 years knowing the sales, purchasing, testing, and shipping side of the business inside and out. Verena was already a successful business owner for a few years having been through starting up and running her own business combined with her operations/HR/accounting experience from her past career. Ruben was inspired by Verena’s success to venture on his own. Together, we planned the business strategy and direction, decided who would handle which area of the company, and VRG Components, Inc. was born.”
Caleb Johansen & Tara Johansen | Cork Creative | Facebook
“When we met we immediately realized that we had a ton of the same interests and talents. That is a big part of how our relationship progressed so for us it was a very natural progression. We are always doing research in the industry around us. Networking with local professionals in our industry has been insanely beneficial for us.”
Kathy Newbern & J.S. Fletcher | YourNovel.com | Facebook
“We came up with a great idea and acted on it. We had marketing/promotional experience, excellent writing and editing skills, and a little bit of business knowledge. However, we did not conduct any research or seek any advice to get started.”
Jeff Short & Erica Short | Anecdotally Yours | Facebook
“Our decision to start a business together was a very organic one. Erica started a business as a photographer in 2007. As I began to see her business prosper, I started to daydream about what it would look like to work together. The more I thought about it, the more I was attracted to the idea of being able to spend more time together, have flexible schedules, and one day be able to have a family without the constraints of a rigid 40+ hour work week. I initially considered joining Erica on the photography side of things, but ultimately decided that providing another product (cinematography) would add another source of income, so I decided to begin learning that craft and start my own separate business. That next year, Erica left her career and went full-time with her photography company. We worked out of our home office for another year before I left my day job during the process of merging our two businesses into one. We hired a branding agency to help us with that transition, opened a studio, and we’ve been growing at a healthy rate ever since.”
Austin Holt & Rachel Holt | Salt and Light Photography | Facebook
“Technically, I helped my wife establish this business when we were just good friends – set up her LLC, helped her with marketing, lead generation, strategy, etc., and once we started dating, we began doing photography as a team.”
Josh Eans & Abbey-Jo Eans | Happy Gillis | Facebook
“Shortly after getting married, we went to culinary school together with the goal of one day owning our own restaurant. So when Happy Gillis became available, it was a no-brainer for us to find a way to make it happen. We definitely sought out some advice and did a little research, but at the end of the day we just knew it was the right thing for our family.”
Thomas Dickerson & Chelsea Dickerson | Dickerson Oxton Law Firm | Facebook
“We had an opportunity come along that we felt was too good to pass up. A prospective client offered us a book of business, and at the time, one of us was employed but dissatisfied and the other was looking for work. It seemed like the opportune time to start our own law practice because most people starting a practice don’t have a core client immediately. There was only one catch: we would have to take over the book of business immediately. Since this was the case, we had absolutely no time to conduct research or plan. It was “jump right in” from day one.”
Question #2: What has been the biggest challenge in working with your spouse?
Kandi Hodges & Steve Hodges | 2 Hodges Photography | Facebook
“For Steve, it has been trying to teach me geometry and that my biggest challenge was teaching him the post-processing workflow. I have to say, Steve’s response is quite accurate. Our biggest challenge has been figuring out how to use our strengths to deliver the best product to our clients. Steve is very analytical, has incredible spatial reasoning skills, and his understanding of geometry and physics is top notch. What he loves about photography is that each image can be similar to solving a math problem, and despite my training in lighting, he performs better than me every time. He also learns all of the features of our equipment more quickly than me and knows how to build accessories that may benefit us. I bring a different combination of strengths. I am more of the creative and also have a “day job” in public relations, so handling client communications, marketing, wedding day timelines, blog posts, and even photo processing are all the types of things I had already been doing for years. As you can see, running a wedding photography business is much more than having a love of taking photos. Steve and I quickly realized that for our business to be successful, we were going to have to have better balance between who handles which aspects. This is when Steve began learning the post-processing workflow. Not only is he a fast learner, I think he has helped bring our product to the next level. All of that being said, there are some aspects of a photo shoot that Steve and I both love best, and we have had to learn to balance who gets to do what and when.”
Michael Smith & Nancy Smith | Michael Smith Restaurant | Facebook
“It’s been eight years and we generally don’t have any challenges. The challenges are not personal, the challenge is how to grow our business in a very tough market. Our success is analogous to movies: there are blockbuster movies and there are critically acclaimed movies – we are the latter. I am far more high-strung than she is, but we generally see eye to eye. We communicate all day long, we both respect each other’s roles, and we cross over as necessary, but communication is very important.”
Vinny Esposito & Diane Esposito | Split Second Sound | Facebook
“Separating home life and business! A lot of our friends and discussions of what we are doing intersect and those are moving lines.”
Josh Wendel & Liz Wendel | I Just Want A Site | Facebook
“Separating work life from real life. It is very easy to keep talking about work on nights and weekends. We set a rule: unless it is an emergency, we do not talk about work on the weekends.”
Brad McCleary & Jen McCleary | Bodies Health & Fitness | Facebook
“Our business is our life. I’m never able to stop thinking about it and that’s hard for Jen because she wants to escape it sometimes. I can’t forget it when I get home and so that’s hard to balance with having a wife and kids that I want to show attention to.”
Daniel Dean & Mendell Dean | Luxe Studios | Facebook
“Trying to get her to care about the business. Honestly, she wants to be a homemaker, a great mother and wife. She views our business as a job and not a passion like myself. She hasn’t invested in the business with much of her time, but at some point aspires to do so. She didn’t necessarily choose this as her work-from-home job. It chose her.”
Rose Middleton & Rae Person | RARE Construction, Inc. | Facebook
“Not enough time off together outside work. Maintaining house, family and work leaves you exhausted. We try to take mini vacations to recharge the relationship. Also, arguments at home or at work spill over into the other areas. Most often exhibited in defensiveness and tone of voice, attitudes during all discussions can affect employee morale if not well-hidden.”
Verena Martin & Ruben Gutierrez | VRG Components, Inc. | Facebook
“Interestingly, neither one of us perceives working with each other as very challenging. We have opposite strengths and weaknesses, so we complement each other well in running and managing the business while not stepping on each other’s toes.”
Caleb Johansen & Tara Johansen | Cork Creative | Facebook
“Whenever two people are trying to balance their work life with their home life in the creative industry, there are definitely going to be growing pains. When it comes down to it, you have to step back, allow your partner to follow their vision. Being tactful with your feedback and taking ego out of the equation are important lessons that we are still learning.”
Kathy Newbern & J.S. Fletcher | YourNovel.com | Facebook
“Knowing when to get outside help. We both come from “small shop” backgrounds where we controlled what got done and when. As the business grew, we had to find others to do tasks we either did not have the skills for (computer programming) or time for (researching the web and expanding social media).”
Jeff Short & Erica Short | Anecdotally Yours | Facebook
“We have been pleasantly surprised that working together seems to be a somewhat natural fit for us. Both of us are pretty level-headed, so we tend to manage working together relatively well. It seems like the especially difficult aspects of running a business together happen in three major ways: First, now that we’re parents, we share many of the burdens of parenthood – sometimes transitioning between mom/dad and businessman/woman isn’t particularly easy, so we do encounter tension when we have to step out of one roll and allow the other to step into it. Although we have the flexibility to not always have a rigid 40-hour work week, we often end up working much more than that sporadically throughout a week, so that lack of consistency is definitely a challenge. Second, we sometimes have creative differences on large-scale directional decisions for our business. We rarely argue about the creative aspects of our products themselves, but rather about things like ‘what should our website say about us?’ or what the correct balance between corporate and noncorporate work is. In the long run, we usually end up cooling off, apologizing to one another, and finding a healthy compromise. Third, as creatives working together under one company, there is a lot of stress knowing that our well-being is completely tied to whether or not people connect with our work and decide to hire us. We are all in – if our business fails, there is no backup plan, so we constantly work hard and live with the knowledge that we can’t take business for granted.”
Austin Holt & Rachel Holt | Salt and Light Photography | Facebook
“My wife and I get along really well and really enjoy working together. I would say the only challenge we face is separating our work and personal life. Being that we both work from home, it’s easy to talk about work throughout the entire day. Especially since the birth of our daughter last August, we stop talking about work after 5:00 p.m. so that we can enjoy truly, uninterrupted family time, unless we have a work event or meeting to attend.”
Josh Eans & Abbey-Jo Eans | Happy Gillis | Facebook
“It can be hard to separate ‘work time’ from ‘personal time.’ It’s challenging to turn it off and just try to unplug and spend some quality time together. We are still learning how to find the right balance.”
Thomas Dickerson & Chelsea Dickerson | Dickerson Oxton Law Firm | Facebook
“The biggest challenge is actually keeping work at work. When you are so invested in your business and you spend so much time together, it can be difficult to separate work from your personal life. Even after a long week – on Friday night – we find that we are talking about different cases we have, strategy, and the business side of the practice. If you can keep work at work, it goes a long way to keeping your business and your relationship healthy.”
Question #3: What has been most rewarding about working with your spouse?
Kandi Hodges & Steve Hodges | 2 Hodges Photography | Facebook
“For me, the most rewarding aspect has been that Steve and I are better at communicating than we used to be. Let’s face it – creatives and analytics speak in different languages. We don’t always grasp what the other is saying. We have come a long way and of course it carries over into our personal lives as husband and wife, and as parents. For Steve, the most rewarding aspect is that we spend extra time together doing something we enjoy. Also, when other people like what we do, it’s a win-win.”
Michael Smith & Nancy Smith | Michael Smith Restaurant | Facebook
“I have been working and going home with someone in my family for 40 years. It is just so natural to me and I love being with someone that has knowledge and access to all aspects of my life. I can get personal and business work done all day long. Being successful TOGETHER is wonderful.”
Vinny Esposito & Diane Esposito | Split Second Sound | Facebook
“You get to share the rewards of success together and spending more time together.”
Josh Wendel & Liz Wendel | I Just Want A Site | Facebook
“We get to spend a ton of time together. We also get to help build each other up and help bring out the best in each other.”
Brad McCleary & Jen McCleary | Bodies Health & Fitness | Facebook
“For better or worse, we get to experience it all together! We are a team and we win or lose together. I love that and I wouldn’t want it any other way. I think it’s strange when a husband and wife have different careers/places they go and spend the majority of their time. In my eyes, it’s like having separate lives.”
Daniel Dean & Mendell Dean | Luxe Studios | Facebook
“Being able to spend time together is great. We can both work on a project and equally celebrate our accomplishments. We are both tough on each other on quality of work and production value, but we help each other when we need it. Being married is a great conversation starter with couples, as we are more easily able to build relationships with our clients, who are most often couples themselves (as opposed to corporate clients).”
Rose Middleton & Rae Person | RARE Construction, Inc. | Facebook
“We both love what we do. We work well together meshing our ideas and concepts and approach to the work. The same things that make it difficult make it rewarding. You don’t have to answer to two “bosses:” one at home and two more if you both work outside the home. We share our successes and rewards pretty equally. Best was when the kids were growing up and we could get away from work to do all the family stuff required because we controlled our own time.”
Verena Martin & Ruben Gutierrez | VRG Components, Inc. | Facebook
“Starting up a new business after just having had a new baby didn’t leave much time for our personal relationship. Because of that, being in business together allows us to spend more time together while working on our company’s success with our family’s future in mind.”
Caleb Johansen & Tara Johansen | Cork Creative | Facebook
“The growth in our marriage that we’ve experienced has directly propelled us to so many new opportunities creatively. We have goals as a couple that we have been able to achieve because of our work.”
Kathy Newbern & J.S. Fletcher | YourNovel.com | Facebook
“Our business is about love. We write personalized romance novels that take any couple on a romantic adventure within the pages of their own books (yes, personalized with info about the starring couple like their names, eye and hair colors, best friends, where they live, where they work, favorite music, how long they have been a couple; 26 bits of info total). Writing about love with the one you love in a business all about love and sending that love all over the world – that is a great job description.”
Jeff Short & Erica Short | Anecdotally Yours | Facebook
“The rewards of working together absolutely outweigh the challenges. We love that we have the freedom as a married couple and as parents to live a different kind of life than we grew up with. We are constantly in awe that we get to do what we do together on our own terms. We’ve been able to travel the world together while telling beautiful stories with our cameras.”
Austin Holt & Rachel Holt | Salt and Light Photography | Facebook
“We make a great team and we’ve grown in huge ways together; both personally, and professionally.”
Josh Eans & Abbey-Jo Eans | Happy Gillis | Facebook
“The most rewarding thing is that we get to pursue our dreams together. And, at the end of the day, we also still get to be a family. Our lives are no longer fragmented out, we are all in it together.”
Thomas Dickerson & Chelsea Dickerson | Dickerson Oxton Law Firm | Facebook
“When you work apart, imagine how much of your life is spent away from your spouse. We get to work together every day and share common experiences, battles, triumphs, and everything in between. At the end of our careers, we will be able to say that we went through all of this together.”
Question #4: What is the secret to balancing marriage and business in your relationship?
Kandi Hodges & Steve Hodges | 2 Hodges Photography | Facebook
“Keep it fun. If it’s not fun, there’s not enough balance. Because we are also parents and both have other full-time jobs, we are tremendously blessed to have a lot of support from both sides of our family so that we can truly do it all. If we did not have the family support, there is no doubt we would not have balance. And maybe we’re unique, but taking engagement photos or shooting a wedding feels like a date to us. Balance is actually something we discuss a lot so that we can keep tabs on if we feel like one aspect is taking over another too much. It’s unreasonable to expect things to not get a little out of balance from time to time, so the key then is making sure we have plans in place to balance things back out.”
Michael Smith & Nancy Smith | Michael Smith Restaurant | Facebook
“Trust, communication, patience, and remaining humble. Nancy is my best friend. I have to say that the more experience I have and the older I get, the easier it is to let the little things fall by the wayside. I trust that she can get the job done and that’s huge.”
Vinny Esposito & Diane Esposito | Split Second Sound | Facebook
“There is none, plain and simple. We’ve gone to a business coach and others to help us along the way. The longer in it, the more unique issues will arise and each situation is different and requires special handling. But anything worthwhile takes work. It’s going to be more work than having an employee.”
Josh Wendel & Liz Wendel | I Just Want A Site | Facebook
“When you have a business disagreement, it has nothing to do with your personal relationship. You need to consciously make sure you take time for both. The other thing is unconditional love. I love my wife whether she likes my ideas or not.”
Brad McCleary & Jen McCleary | Bodies Health & Fitness | Facebook
“We both have the same goals for our family. Our faith is the most important thing and we based our family values off of it. So when we both work to accomplish the same goals with the same values, we’re not only on the same page, but decisions and directions all get easier.”
Daniel Dean & Mendell Dean | Luxe Studios | Facebook
“Trust and communication. With trust, we can each focus on doing what we do best and not feel the need to micromanage each other. I handle sales and she handles video editing. With communication, we are both very upfront with each other about pending deadlines, equipment we buy, priorities, etc. This would seem like it comes naturally, but it doesn’t. I have a wealth of business experience and business degrees but they don’t alleviate me from my responsibilities to my business partner and wife. Spending a couple thousand dollars of hard earned money on marketing may be what is right in the long term, but may not be what is feasible in the short term. Mendell being more grounded helps us make better financial decisions and alleviates the pressure on me to make all of the decisions.”
Rose Middleton & Rae Person | RARE Construction, Inc. | Facebook
“Hard work. Argue, get over it and forget it in both arenas – no fair bringing up past mistakes. Take time for your relationship by having regular dates and get away from everything including family on a regular basis. Remember that RESPECT is just as important as love because you can’t have one without the other. Keep a rainy day fund in both personal and business finances. Make sure you are not irreplaceable. Buy key man insurance policies – the more financially secure you are before you start, the better.”
Verena Martin & Ruben Gutierrez | VRG Components, Inc. | Facebook
“We still have to fine tune those skills ourselves, but listening and communicating while being patient with each other is the key and trying to avoid talking too much business at home or in the presence of our son. We are pretty good in being open to each other’s ideas about the business. We have always been good at coming quickly to an agreement, whether it is about business or personal matters.”
Caleb Johansen & Tara Johansen | Cork Creative | Facebook
“Chalkboard wall. I am a morning person and a verbal processor. Tara is a night owl and the intellectual mastermind behind everything we do. Each morning, I wake up and write out all my thoughts and ideas on the wall. Tara has her coffee and then sorts through all the ramblings to eliminate all the crap.”
Kathy Newbern & J.S. Fletcher | YourNovel.com | Facebook
“Communication is a must. Also, giving each other space, respecting each other, supporting each other’s wants and needs, making moments to remember and remembering to cherish each day as if it were your last on Earth.”
Jeff Short & Erica Short | Anecdotally Yours | Facebook
“I think the secret to balancing marriage and business in our relationship is summed up by a phrase that we often say to one another: ‘Same team!’ Hearing that reminds us that we should focus on what is best for our marriage and our family, which sometimes means placing our egos aside and finding a compromise. It’s such a simple statement, but it makes us remember that with so many external pressures, we have to stick together to make it through.”
Austin Holt & Rachel Holt | Salt and Light Photography | Facebook
“The secret to balancing marriage and business is to set clear expectations for each other, to always encourage each other, and remember that we’re on the same team.”
Josh Eans & Abbey-Jo Eans | Happy Gillis | Facebook
“We are still trying to figure that out. We make it a point to try to take a long weekend every couple of months, to spend some time together and clear our heads. At the end of the day, we love to work together – so much of it is blurred together that it becomes one!”
Thomas Dickerson & Chelsea Dickerson | Dickerson Oxton Law Firm | Facebook
“You have to make time for each other that doesn’t involve work and doesn’t involve talking about work. There needs to be a line in the sand and a division between the two.”
Question #5: What is the best piece of advice you would give to a married couple that is interested in starting a business together?
Kandi Hodges & Steve Hodges | 2 Hodges Photography | Facebook
“Couples need to make sure they both want to do it instead of pushing one or the other into the business. That’s the key – you can’t drag one around. Running a business together is a huge commitment, and we enjoy almost every aspect of our business. Since it is such a big part of our lives and is the topic of a lot of our conversations, if one of us was not fully committed, it simply would not work.”
Michael Smith & Nancy Smith | Michael Smith Restaurant | Facebook
“Define clear cut roles in the company; communicate compulsively, trust each other (after all, both are experts in their field), and set aside alone time to center yourself. Have fun and learn to laugh at mistakes.”
Vinny Esposito & Diane Esposito | Split Second Sound | Facebook
“Know your role within the relationship and with the business. Try to avoid stepping on toes and respect when you talk business, to make it personal.”
Josh Wendel & Liz Wendel | I Just Want A Site | Facebook
“It is not for everyone. Separate offices – no one can be in the same room with someone all of the time and not want to kill each other after a week. After one week, I moved my office to the basement and Liz stayed upstairs. Set expectations (work and life) for each other early. As a couple, don’t be afraid to ask for help from others. Never give up on something you believe in.”
Brad McCleary & Jen McCleary | Bodies Health & Fitness | Facebook
“You will be tried and tested but always remember what’s important. You have to be a team, first and foremost. If you are a team, not only will nothing be able to tear you apart, you will be stronger than either one of you could have ever been on your own. Also, remember to take time and get away together. That’s how you realize and remember what’s important.”
Daniel Dean & Mendell Dean | Luxe Studios | Facebook
“Talk to a successful entrepreneur and figure out what their work-life balance looks like. Most people start a business to make more money, which they hope will equate to more financial security, better quality of life, etc. Starting out, the complete opposite will be true. Regardless of what eventual success your business may have, the initial building phase is quite treacherous. You will find yourself spending enormous amounts of time and money on a business idea that may or may not work out. You both have to be 100% committed or else it will not work. The most successful entrepreneurs fail time after time, learn from their mistakes and eventually, they will have an idea that will be successful. Don’t quit your day job until you have enough money to meet your needs. Having no revenue from your business as your job will force you to make desperate decisions. It is best to not put yourself in that position. Lastly, make sure that whichever business endeavor you pursue, it is important to both of you. The more work you do for your business that is enjoyable, the more your business won’t feel like work.”
Rose Middleton & Rae Person | RARE Construction, Inc. | Facebook
“Know thyself, know each other. If you are compatible and able to forgive, you can make it. If you aren’t BOTH 110% dedicated to doing this, don’t do it.”
Verena Martin & Ruben Gutierrez | VRG Components, Inc. | Facebook
“Know your strengths and weaknesses in regards to your personality as well as how they apply to your business. Think about how you would handle disagreements about the company’s direction, business decisions, etc. Do your research if this is the first business you are starting (requirements, licenses – state/city, legal, tax, etc.).”
Caleb Johansen & Tara Johansen | Cork Creative | Facebook
“It won’t always go your way. Keep encouraging one another. Take the time to connect on things outside of the business. It’s easy to get wrapped up in the to-do lists and budgets. You have to take the time to go for a walk, or go to a dance class.”
Kathy Newbern & J.S. Fletcher | YourNovel.com | Facebook
“If you love each other, you can do anything. Play to each other’s individual strengths.”
Jeff Short & Erica Short | Anecdotally Yours | Facebook
“Diversify your offerings. The following advice is specific to our industry, but I assume could be paralleled in most other industries. I think the strength of our business is that we can offer two very related services (photography and cinematography) well. I do not think our business would be nearly as strong if we offered one service or the other. Photography and cinematography are extremely closely related, which allows us to create consistent, collaborative media pieces that have continuity with each other. When a client wants a new campaign, they know that in working with us, their photographs will complement the visuals contained within videos we produce for them, and vice versa. That kind of collaboration isn’t always possible between two companies doing separate photography and cinema projects. Beyond that, the cross-referrals between photography and cinema clients has strengthened our brand immensely. We are constantly meeting people for one service or the other who then say things like ‘Oh, I didn’t know you did that too! Let’s talk about this other project.'”
Austin Holt & Rachel Holt | Salt and Light Photography | Facebook
“Make sure you’re both aligned with the principal purpose and mission of the business. Set clear expectations for each team member’s role and responsibilities in the business, and establish clear boundaries between work and personal activities. Realize that you both have room to grow, and will be there to support each other regardless of how you may feel from day to day.”
Josh Eans & Abbey-Jo Eans | Happy Gillis | Facebook
“Make sure you really like each other!”
Thomas Dickerson & Chelsea Dickerson | Dickerson Oxton Law Firm | Facebook
“We would recommend to seriously analyze whether you have the chemistry and working relationship to make a business work. For us, we had the opportunity to attend law school together. We went to the same classes, talked about the same problems, participated in competitions together, studied together, etc. Transitioning into working together, for us, was not that different from working together in school. If you don’t have a similar common experience, you need to be sure your work personalities are compatible, and that you have the same goals and expectations.”