Successful Partnerships Aren't Just for Dancing

by Rick White, President 180BIZ                                                                (Estimated Read Time 4 minutes)

In this episode, I want to talk about working with your spouse. I think this is an important subject to talk about because about 70% of the coaching that I do is with couples. I’ll talk from the male perspective because that's what I'm familiar with.

For years I've heard the saying “Partners are for dancing.”

And it's pretty easy to see when you look back on the number of partnerships that have been started in our industry and understand how few of them have succeeded.  Most crash and burn. I've seen marriages broken and friendships ruined over a partnership. But it doesn't have to be that way. It took me a long time to learn that.      

I must be honest with you, I'm a two-by-four guy.

I don't always get things that sometimes I should. So my poor wife has a “Go to heaven free card” because I was not a good collaborator.  I'm still working on it. But in the beginning, it was “My way or the highway!” And you know, for a little while, she took it, and then she stepped away for a couple of years. And today she's the CEO of our company. 

It can be a challenge to work with your spouse.

It can be frustrating to work with your spouse. But it can be one of the most rewarding experiences that you'll ever have. I've learned some things while working with my wife as well as coaching men and women that are working together every single day. And let's face it. This is a typical scenario. A guy starts a shop and he quickly becomes overwhelmed. So, his wife comes in to help. One of the biggest mistakes he makes is thinking that his wife is there to do the bookkeeping or answer the phone. It can be so much more than that. How many of you can give me a horror story that you've heard from a partnership that just crashed and burned, whether it was husband and wife, or two techs that started a shop?

They start with all these dreams of grandeur and how cool it's gonna be. This is the dream phase. After the dream phase comes the disillusionment phase. This is where you say, “Holy crap, this is not as good as it was. I thought it would be better than this. It's not fun anymore. We're not making the money and we're at each other's throats.” But, it doesn't have to be that way. As a working couple, figure it out so that you can thrive as partners.  

When you share a joy, it's multiplied.  

When you get to tell the story of the win or something really cool that happens, you get to relive it again through the telling of it to somebody else getting them involved and getting them excited about it. It makes a huge difference. I think it's one of the key reasons why we have relationships. Because as we share these stories of challenge and overcoming and triumph, it just makes us feel better. It makes us feel significant. It makes us feel like we matter and that we made a difference and that we overcame. So when you're able to share a joy, it's magnified.

And then on the flip side, when you share a sorrow or you a challenge, it's halved. Instead of one set of shoulders carrying it, there are two sets of shoulders carrying it. That's one of the first key great things that happen when working with your spouse.  So, what's the second thing?

You can keep each other pumped up.

When you are working with a team and it's only you, you must show up every single day, every single time to make it happen. But when you have a spouse working with you, you can feed off each other. You can get each other motivated and excited. It's contagious and spreads to the entire team.

Another advantage of working with your spouse or a partner is that you both have blind spots. And when you have someone so close to you that can help you see it, and you recognize that they're coming from a great place.  They're coming to help you get better. 

Please understand business and business growth. They are the most immediate self-improvement tool you'll ever have. For your business to grow, you must grow. 

Thanks for being here. God bless. Stay safe, have fun, and go make some money.

Take care. Thank you so much.

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