The 3 key points you need to thrive as a couple in business
Wondering whether you should start your business with your partner? Or maybe bring your partner into your current business?
Well, I guess there’s no right answer but we’re sharing the 3 points that are working for us! And we come back to these 3 key points all the time.
TBH, we didn’t think too deeply when we started Toartle… we went full-hearted together… and yes, we’ve learned a lot! It’s been a bumpy ride, and the birth of our son has made it a little more challenging.
We’ve made mistakes, learned from one another, learned about oneself, crossed boundaries, put new ones… and still learning!
This is what entrepreneurship is for us… an evolving and continuous learning journey.
Is working with your partner different to having work colleagues?
Is it better to do it solo?
Is it worth it?
Yes. Nope. I hope so!
I would not have chosen another way. So, here’s our 3 key points to help you thrive!
1 — Connect with Your 'Why' and Make it Your North Star ⭐️
We started this entrepreneurial journey wanting to explore an unconventional lifestyle that would allowed us the opportunity to travel (so that we could spend time with our families also – as they are in opposite hemispheres).
Our initial aim was for our business to enable location freedom. This then expanded into a trifold Freedom – location, financial, and time freedom. Additionally, we aimed to support small businesses in making a positive impact in the world.
We wanted our business to adapt to our lifestyle. And not the other way around.
During challenging times along the journey, we always revisit our ‘why’ and our long-term vision for our family.
At times there are some sacrifices that we’ve made, and again, thinking about the long term vision and our “why” helps us put all in perspective and shift from “sacrifice” mentality to “I am making choices that will take me to where i want to be” mindset.
Like planting seeds 😊.
Even on daily basis, when the line between work-life balance blurs – we return to our “why”. Being an entrepreneur means that your work is integrated into your life, and therefore there is no such thing as balance.
For example having work discussions via WhatsApp while EN, our son, is sleeping in my arms or finding difficult to disconnect on the weekends. However, these may be necessary choices aligned with your long-term vision. Of course, setting boundaries is essential, but they differ significantly from a 9-to-5 job where you can switch off at 5.
So connect with your WHY. The why behind your business and life. Here are some questions we like to answer to find your why (you can also read this blog post to see how this is crucial for your brand alignment):
- Why do you do what you do?
- Why does your business exist?
- Why should anyone care?
For us, our north star, is always about WHY we started the biz…
We’ve developed this into two “why’s”. Our Small Why is to be able to have the lifestyle we’ve dreamt of, and our Big WHY is to help other entrepreneurs increase their impact — following our passion for sustainable and ethical business — and to leave a positive impact for the next generation.
2 — Allow Individual Flourishing and Don't Cancel Each Other Out
Individual development and growth are crucial. Without them, anyone will feel stagnant, and obviously, that’s not a place you want to be in — stagnation is the antithesis of progress!
You want your partner to be fully invested in the business, right?
So create a dynamic partnership (flexible, action orientated, collaborative, supportive) ensuring you both contribute equally to the conceptualisation and sharing of ideas.
We find that our business thrives through collaboration, when there’s a balance of perspectives and contributions.
Avoiding situations where one person’s ideas overshadow or cancel’s the other person’s ideas…
Always with mutual respect…
This helps us feel we’ve both made a great input.
Done now is better than perfect later.
It’s way easier to criticise someone else’s work than to come up with ideas in the first place!
Be mindful not to cancel or dismiss your partner’s initiative in coming up with ideas. Also, allowing one person to take “ownership” when something is ready or finished.
3 — Leave behind the ego journey as "We Are in the Same Team"
This point may seem to contradict point two, but they go hand in hand. It’s not just an ego-driven individual journey. You two are in this together, so it’s a team effort!
For us, this looks like coming back to this when we argue or disagree.
“Hey, we’re on the same team, let’s take a deep breath and come back to an agreement, leaving behind the “ego”. Reflecting on the options shared and the goals ahead.
Understand and accept that each of us thinks slightly differently — work flows, information processing, decision-making, etc. I tend to juggle different projects and am spontaneous (yes, I’m soo a manifesting generator), while Rob is more analytical and works best when focusing intensely on one project.
We both have to leave behind the need to control, perfectionism, and the notion that what you’re doing impacts how I look, and have a mindset of moving forward, learning, and bravely taking the next steps.
✺ Wrapping up
When you find yourself running a business with your partner have these 3 key points in mind:
- Never lose sight of your ‘why’,
- Give each other space to shine individually. When you both bring your unique strengths to the table, magic happens,
- You’re in this together, no matter what.
You’re building more than just a business, you’re creating a lifestyle and future together!
Discover your Inner Fire as couple in business, and how this helps you set apart from your competitors.
Book a BrandImpact Game Plan now or have a chat with us to see whether we are a good fit to work together.
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