You’ve probably heard people saying that couples could never work together. Sure, at times, there may be friction and challenges along the way, but imagine sharing both a life and a business together —that’s sweeter, more fun, more intentional, more secure, and double the power!
About a year and a half ago, my husband retired after a long career in law enforcement, and I needed to hire someone. He wanted to get out of doing what he was doing after so many years. This seemed like a perfect fit, so we dove into this new venture of working together. And so far, it has been awesome.
Today, Laura and Richard Behney join the conversation to talk all about having a successful and healthy marriage – and possibly one where you’re working next to your spouse on a regular basis. Married for 30 years, Laura and Richard have become the experts on “couplepreneurship.” Through their brand, The Couplepreneur Life, Laura and Richard coach husbands and wives who own businesses together to help them bring back passion, unity, and adventure into their lives.
Here are some power takeaways from today’s conversation:
- Prioritizing marriage and reducing conflicts through planning meetings
- The birth of the Couplepreneur Life
- Why couples can always work together
- Teaching emotional intelligence in men
- Mistakes they’ve made and corrected as a couple
Episode Highlights:
[04:32] Prioritizing Your Marriage as a Couplepreneur
When you’re running a business as a couple, you’ve got to put your marriage first in order for things to work in your business. Prioritize your marriage and the rest will just fall into place. Planning your dates and your time together forces you to focus on each other and get excited about date night just like you did when you were boyfriend and girlfriend.
[10:23] Ways to Reduce Conflicts
Go schedule planning meetings every week. Go somewhere outside of the office where you can relax and then talk about big-picture stuff. Whether that’s strategy, what happened last week, or your targets, going over those kinds of things can change your business tremendously.
[16:28] Finding the Power in Working as a Couple
When you’re in business as a couple, it’s no longer just “my” business, but it’s “our” business. It’s no longer “me” but a “we.” There’s power in shared experiences because you are sharing each other’s day. By working together, you’re bringing in both your passions together and it feels more intimate and more secure because you’re fighting the fight – together.
[25:25] Some Tips for a Successful Couplepreneur Life
If you’re in business as a couple, never allow a third person, such as a key employee, to get in the way of your marriage, your business, and your authority. Another common mistake among couplepreneurs is not hiring soon enough. Couples may feel they can do everything on their own or they feel like nobody’s going to be able to measure up to the way they’re doing things. But you’ve got to invest in people to help you with the business.
Resources Mentioned:
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
