Business Couples Secret Sauce

Making a complete career change can be a tricky process but ultimately fulfilling if it's switching to something your passionate about. That’s what Daniele & Orly did when they studied for their Chef and Bakery certificates and started sharing their delicious Sicilian street food. Firstly at local Markets and then through opening their own shop/bakery 
“Sasa Sicilian Artisan Bakery”. Have a listen to find out how they did it!

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Some Secret Sauce highlights from this episode:

#1 

Selling at the markets gives you a little more freedom because you don't have to pay your own rent each week and only go when you want. So if you want to go on holiday for two months, you can. But I believe if you have a product that is a good one,  a shop is best as it allows you to be more in control of what you do.

#2

There's a reason why normally in kitchens, there is one head chef. There was a time when we had to decide who’s the head chef and who’s in charge of the front of house. We had to choose our different roles. It was a very healthy decision for us at the time. That's when our business and relationship changed for the better. Because before that it was pretty tough.

 #3

It’s wise to be quick to change things like processes, or products. When things weren't working and a product or process was taking too much of our time or energy we had to stop making it or adjust the process and move on. 

Tune in to discover how Michael & Gail built a thriving building and interiors business whilst sticking to their core values of Integrity, service, quality, communication, sustainability, team and Innovation. There are some great learnings here of how to play to your strengths as a business couple and keep an eye on the big picture. Grab a cuppa and enjoy!

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Some Secret Sauce highlights from this episode:

#1 

When going into a business as a couple make sure you have the skills in what you're doing. Make sure that at least one person has the specific skills needed and is really passionate about what they're doing? Because everything else will kind of fall into place

#2

When it gets overwhelming remember to take a breather, take a breath and remember your goals and what you're doing it all for. And don't expect to get it right all the time.

 #3

You can’t make all your decisions together as a business couple. You have to figure out who’s going to take the responsibility for a particular project. You can’t have 100% joint decisions on everything. The person with the better insight into the situation is the decision-maker to go with.  You have to trust each other when one or the other gets a good feeling or a bad feeling about something. 

Description

What do you do when you’ve got a great business running under management? If your Maurie & Cathay Dobbin you start another business of course. One that introduces EMS fitness technology to Australians looking to regain their health & happiness. And the best bit: You get twice as fit in half the time. Even Rodger Federer uses it! But that’s not all you’ll find out. Hit the play button and get ready for some great advice on how to be a super successful business couple. 

SPECIAL OFFER! Mention this episode to Maurie, Cathy, or one of the Fastrak team and receive a FREE Fastrak Fitness Session!

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• Website
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Some Secret Sauce highlights from this episode:

#1
Your health is one of the most important things you need to worry about. I plan to live to 100 and so should you!

#2
You need to listen to the other person if they have issues. With the business, you need to take note and not just ignore them. I think that it's really important if one person has got issues, the other partner really needs to listen. Because it's a joint business. You're a team. You can't just make decisions on your own.

 #3
If I can emphasise one thing in a business relationship, and it applies to a personal relationship too, it's communication. Being transparent, being open, being honest, not hiding anything.  Being upfront. Unless you've got a very strong relationship, going into business together, is inevitably going to cause problems. It is a very testing time for any couple to get involved in business together. You need to consider that very carefully.

Bio & History

Maurie and Cathy Dobbin founded Fastrak Fitness in August 2020. We both have a life-long commitment to good health and when we learned about the benefits of EMS we decided to bring it to the Central Coast.

 Maurie is an entrepreneur who has founded a number of companies with a focus on leading-edge technologies. His biography has been published in Volume 2 of Unsung Business Heroes https://unsungbusinessheroes.com.au/maurie-dobbin/. He has also played field hockey for over fifty years and still plays today in the Newcastle Masters competition. During his hockey career, he has played in teams that have won Gold Medals in the European and World Masters Hockey Championships.

 Cathy was a registered nurse for over forty years of specialising in ICU and midwifery. She founded and managed a nursing agency that employed over 200 nurses serving public and private hospitals throughout Sydney. She has many other interests including healthy cooking.

 There are over five thousand EMS studios around the world but only a handful in Australia. After researching the technology and visiting studios overseas we decided to partner with XBody a world-leading EMS brand. The XBody suits are wireless unlike some other EMS technologies allowing our clients freedom of movement when undertaking exercises.

 Our studio is located in the Life. Style building in Erina within what was once a squash court. We have refurbished it with the vibrant colours associated with the XBody brand and equipped it with the latest EMS technology. Within the studio, we can train up to three clients simultaneously or work individually with a client that has special needs.

How do you move from being co-workers to great friends to a business couple that helps Multi-million and Billion dollar organisations get their internal language aligned. Have a listen to Mark & Terry as they share their story on achieving just that whilst moving halfway across the world to set up in Sydney Australia. Please enjoy!

Learn More:

• Intraversed Website
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 Some highlights from this episode:

It’s crucial that everyone within an organisation be on the same page using the same language otherwise it’s a case of “What you think I said is not what I think you heard”

We’ve evolved through time. We started as a professional services company which required us to be on-site delivering our training. We realised this was not sustainable or scalable and thought: How can we change/productise what we do so we can step away from the business at some point. It’s a work in progress that’s going well.  Terry

Covid has helped us. We were already transitioning our education to be more online but up until that point we were still expected to travel to the client’s site. We’d be in  Melbourne one week and Brisbane the next. Now everything revolves around zoom meetings which is saving us an awful lot of time and money and lets us be more cost-effective for our clients. And we can take care of more clients at the one time. Mark

Between us, I tend to be a little bit too big picture and Terry digs really deep into the detail (which is important) and somewhere we seem to meet in the middle which works. As a working couple, it’s really important to understand this. Mark 

The best thing about being a business couple is also the worst thing. Quite often we are talking or thinking about the business, even in our spare time. But we’re also able to take a bottle of wine out to the deck and sit in the sunshine and have a pleasant time talking about a problem in the business. Mark & Terry

It’s difficult competing against big companies spreading ill-advised solutions. One way we’ve done this is by enrolling in DENT/KPI (an entrepreneurial program). That’s been a game-changer for us. It helped us realise that we can tackle this problem by putting together assets (blogs/brochures etc) to educate our market. 

Any problem can be solved over a glass of wine. Mark

Secret Sauce: 

RESPECT!  Mark

To escape and have some individual time. I play music and Terry reads books and watches movies and has art projects. This works well. We’re not co-dependent. It’s important as a couple to have individual time. Mark

There is a separation between business and personal life. That’s important. If in your personal relationship you can’t tackle a problem together without bringing emotion into it, if you can’t do that and work something through to get a solution you’re not going to be able to do it in your business life. Terry

You need to be able to be transparent, feel free to speak your mind, not be concerned that you’re going to hurt someone’s feelings and be able to take your partner’s point of view on board. Be professional about it. You’ve got to feel free to challenge. 

A robust business couple team needs to be able to have arguments, open debates and disagreements in their workplace and then leave it behind once that conversation is over and you’re on your own time. Terry

Starting a business is like starting a fire. You’ve got to get one going really well before you start another one. Stoke that one fire. Mark

With five years in small business together, Iain and Stacey have developed their own secret sauce that makes it work seamlessly - all in pursuit of the most inspiring 'big picture' goal. We think you'll really enjoy this episode!

Learn More:

• Bridge Mowers & Chainsaws Website
• Facebook

Some highlights from this episode:

"I don’t think there’s a ‘worst thing’ about being a business couple. When I’ve had a bad day, he knows what I’m going through, so when we come home and talk about it he can understand where I’m coming from.” Stacey

“The best thing about being a business couple is working together. When we didn’t work together, I use to call him a hundred times a day!” Stacey

“Our relationship is like best friends. We know everything there is to know. There are no secrets, we know if something’s not right.” Ian

“I’d rather work with him than anyone else. I know he has my back and would never hang me out to dry.” Stacey

“In a big business where there’s lots of people, you’re probably more secure to a degree, but I think small business is a lot easier - yes, you’re doing it all yourself, but you know what’s going on and have control over what’s happening.” Ian

“We’ve thought about leaving the business many times. I think it’s common to get to that point where you want to pack it all up. It’s the big picture that keeps us going.” Iain

“Our secret sauce for couples in business together is lots of laughter, lots of taking the piss out of each other - and, if you need to, being able to say how you feel without any repercussions.” Stacey 

“I find it really helpful listening to other people who are in small business. We’ve all got similar ways, but it’s an opportunity to keep learning.” Iain

“Trust your gut, and trust your partner. Just know you can.” Stacey

“When it comes to running your own small business, you should always be learning. It’s not just the pretty stuff, it’s the stuff behind the scenes too.” Iain

“When you register your ABN, people will come out of the woodwork trying to sell you things. It can be overwhelming - take a break, let them know they can email you the details, and take a look at it later with your partner.” Iain

“Never go to bed angry at each other, because the very next day, you wake up right next to them.” Iain

A bit more about Iain & Stacey:

Iain and Stacey have been married for 17 years. Iain did his apprenticeship at Bridge Mowers with the previous owner, he then went on & worked with other companies & eventually came back to Bridge Mowers in 2014 with the vision to at some stage purchase the shop when Steve was ready to retire. Stacey’s background is 30 years of dentistry which was a job she loved. She loved the patients, caring for people and the surgical aspect of what she did but after 30 years her body couldn't do it anymore. Her back, neck & shoulders just couldn't do it anymore. Once Iain returned to Bridge Mowers, Steve was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Steve wanted Iain to take on the shop as he knew that together, Iain & Stacey would nurture it as he had. On January 23rd 2015, they officially took over Bridge Mowers. Stacey worked both jobs until such time that it was clear she needed to be at Bridge full time, 1st May 2015.

Hayley and Jo have had one of the most intense first years in business we can think of! Opening just 11 months ago, they've seen their brand new bakery through busy school holidays, Christmas period, the bushfires and Covid... and they've come out thriving! Tune in and hear how they've overcome every challenge that's been thrown their way.

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• Burnt Honey Bakery Website
• Facebook
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Some highlights from this episode:

“Community is vital. When we closed during Covid, we wouldn’t have survived if we hadn’t connected with our community. It’s just as important as keeping costs low.” Hayley

“Our roles were clear from the get-go. They’re very different, but they’re evenly split and very clear. It was a natural thing.” Jo

“The best thing about being a business couple is always having someone to talk to about the business, and them be completely understanding. We can always debrief. If something makes me anxious or upset, she can calm me because she knows the business.” Jo

“For us, it was vital that we stuck to our guns about what was important and what wasn’t as to how we were going to operate and how we were going to affect the planet and the people around us. It was important to make sure we were on the same page with that.” Hayley

“There’s no real grey areas about what we do and don’t want to do.” Hayley

“It was important that we believed in the same things. We had already put that to the test, living with each other for 5 years.” Jo 

“Having different roles also helps us, we don’t overlap. We’re each very good at what we do, and can manage our own areas.” Jo

“We’re very supportive of each other, we make sure we have those open discussions. Jo

A bit more about Hayley and Jo:

Joanna hails from the Northern Beaches of Sydney and learned to make coffee shortly after she learned to walk. She a deft hand with a group handle and has the quick wit to match. Her favourite customers are those who bring their own cup, even is it’s a novelty size M&M promotional mug as one cheeky customer brought on our opening day. 

Hayley is a true Central Custodian, returned to the area after learning to make killer bread and pastries in Sydney and London (BlackStar Pastry, Dominique Ansel Bakery and Honey & Co.). It may seem at times that she’s too hard on herself about what she produces but her super-power is her drive for perfection within the realm of practicality. She has an extreme distaste for faff.

Hayley and Jo met while working at Black Star Pastry in 2014 and married in 2016, shortly before travelling Europe and the UK to soak up as much bakery inspiration as their minds, Instagram account and tummies could handle. Much of what they took in has found its way to the little bakery at Copa, which opened on November 16th, 2019 to a heartwarmingly enthusiastic welcome from the local community.

Thomas and Melanie Unwin are living the Business Couples dream running their Gosford-based marketing business, Mogrify! They've put considerable effort into building a productive, positive work environment for themselves and their team members, with work-life balance at the core. We hope you enjoy!

Learn More:

• Mogrify Website
• Twitter
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Some highlights from this episode:

 “Since the early days, we’ve always set out to eventually have a 4-day work week. A work-life balance in our lives and everyone who works for us. We made this conscious decision when we hired our first person.” Melanie

“We did a lot of work around the creation of the different seats in our business for the team, for instance, do we have the right people in the right seats, and if not we need to clarify and move people around. We spent probably six months of really working on the business rather than in the business.” Melanie

“If there are things that Tom isn’t doing or can’t do, doesn’t want to do, they’re probably things that I like and vice versa.” Melanie

“There’ll be times when one of us has a strong opinion, so it feels like that person is in charge of that decision because they have a stronger passion for it, but in reality we’re both in charge and we need to make decisions together.” Thomas

“If Tom isn’t doing something, either because he doesn’t want to or he thinks he’s not good at it, I’ll do it and vice versa. We’ve always been able to pick up each other’s weaknesses and leave each other to our strengths. That’s because we’re a couple. There’s no other reason why. That’s why we can’t hire someone else into a role that takes on both our responsibilities - we’ve tried, and it doesn’t work.” Melanie 

“I love working with Tom. We debate, we argue, we get through our issues like every other business owners, but we always get through it. We’ve always wanted to work together. That’s the big benefit for me, to get to hang out with Tom.” Melanie

“You feel different about your business when it’s growing compared to when you’re maintaining it. With this welling up of positive feelings about the business, there’s also this flip side - if something goes wrong, you feel that more too.” Thomas

“If our ultimate happiness was impacted really negatively by this business, that would be enough for us to pull the plug. So long as we’re feeling happy - not wealth - feeling connected to our team and our clients, that we’re not sacrificing, we're in a good place.” Melanie

“It’s like that quote - happy people are not those who have the most, but those who need the least.” Thomas

If you're partial to a very nice glass of wine, you're going to love this episode! Tim and Naomi McMullen are a business couple running Borambola Wines in Gundagai, on a property that has an enormously rich history - so much so, they're wines are often based on one of the remarkable stories the property has seen... everything from bushrangers to visiting royalty! Pour yourself a glass, sit back and enjoy this inspirational couple sharing their tips to business success.

SPECIAL OFFER! Mention this episode at the Borambola Wines cellar door and receive a free Wine Tasting Tour courtesy of Tim and Naomi!

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• Borambola Wines Website
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Some highlights from this episode:

“Knowing that I can park all the events and marketing side of the business with Naomi, and knowing that she’ll organise all of that in an amazing way that I could never do, allows me to go off and be hands on in the vines. It takes off a lot of pressure.” Tim

“Mostly it’s positive, we do work really well together and we’re both really busy all the time. We each do our thing and then try to come together, discuss what we’ve achieved and where we want to go. We can see the growth and the success, which makes it a positive experience” Naomi

“We don’t really argue about the business - sometimes we have different opinions, and then we both have to compromise to know where each of us are coming from and determine what will work best” Naomi

“We both have an appreciation of the work that we do. I’m more in love with my wife now than I ever have. It’s about admiration and respect.” Tim

“It’s helped to grow us closer together, and know that we can achieve many challenges together, work through it and come out the other side happy and successful in business together.” Naomi

“Part of our secret sauce is to really engage yourself in your local community and the people around you, or even your competitors, and building your brand, area and self within your community. We found that through building our relationships through the hoteliers and restaurants, we’re getting that local support.” Naomi

“Having strengths that we keep working towards - that’s the secret to our success. If we had lots of cross-over of skills, we would spend too much time discussing how best to do things.“ Tim

A bit more about Tim and Naomi:

Tim is the Managing Director of Borambola Wines. Tim planted the first vine (Chardonnay) in 1995 and finally began living out his passion for the wine industry.
Borambola Wines is a family owned business specialising in 100% locally grown wines in Gundagai, NSW wine growing region. Borambola also produces a Hoppy Lager Beer and Craft Apple Cider under the Tuckerbox brand. Borambola Wines has received numerous awards at various regional shows, and recently won the 2019 NSW Business Chamber State Winner - Excellence in Export. 

Naomi is the Chief Marketing Officer of Borambola Wines. Naomi has a background in marketing and events having worked in the travel industry for over 20 years.
Naomi manages the functions, weddings, and events at the Cellar Door, and co-ordinates all aspects of the marketing and social media plan for Borambola Wines and Tuckerbox.
Naomi is also community orientated, and is the past President of the local group, Women in Business Wagga Wagga Inc. She is currently studying to be a Vinyasa Yoga teacher, with her goal to run Yoga & Wine Retreats at the vineyard.

This week we're in Griffith, NSW speaking with Greg and Carol Collier, a couple who have been in business together for 50 years! Their time working together spans a variety of different businesses and with such an impressive tenure, it's no wonder they had so many stories, tips and words of wisdom to share. 

Learn More:

• Collier Trennery Website
• Facebook

Some highlights from this episode:

“I think the reason why it probably works - and I might be old fashioned, but - Greg’s the head of the household. We’ll discuss something, but he has the final say.” Greg

“I’ve been really blessed with Carol. She’s allowed me to make decisions, and I’ve sometimes done that without consulting her, but Carol has the confidence to know that I’m able to do that and she would always stand by me. There’s never any condemnation if things go wrong.” Greg

“I think sometimes business has to be balanced with your personal social life. Maybe we haven’t done that very well - we often work seven days a week. I think it’s something young people have to understand, there needs to be a balance between the two. Not to allow themselves to get into a rut.” Greg

“Greg’s a sprinter, I’m more of a stayer. I’m a more traditional person. There’s a difference between us, but we still mesh together.” Carol

“For those couples starting out in business, the relationship has to be very strong. They also need to be evenly yolked. One can have skills in one area and the other can have skills in another, but it needs to be even.” Greg

“Follow your passion, no matter what that is. Whether it’s a retail store, a farm, whatever it is - if that’s your passion, go for it and grab it.” Greg

“If you’ve got sufficient finance and knowledge, go for it, and be as one. Think along the same lines so one can help the other.” Carol  

“It’s important to do a SWAT analysis and understand your weaknesses and your strengths. If you’re realistic in understanding your weaknesses, there’s always someone out there you can bring in to sure that up.” Greg

“At the end of the day, you have to ask yourself the question - why am I in business? Is it only to produce money? If so, it’s not going to be very satisfying. But if the business becomes the vehicle for another passion in your life, everything falls into place.” Greg

Chef Daniel and his lovely wife Jennifer are one of the busiest business couples we know! With so many projects on the go, they have buckets of useful tips to share. This really is a couple not to be missed - hear them explain how they found their incredible rhythm and built their successful businesses.

Learn more:

• At Baker St Cafe Website
• Fork & Knife Catering Website
• Chef Daniel Website
• Chef Daniel Facebook
• LinkedIn
• Instagram

Some highlights from this episode:

"Our success doesn't just happen with good food. It doesn't just happen with good marketing strategies. It's all about a good team. We've been married for nine years, and we still like each other." Chef Daniel

"I think we slowly transitioned into whatever suited us better. There was no actual I'll do this, and you do that." Jennifer 

"Sometimes we need to check ourselves. Say, 'ok, we need to switch off' - and that's not for one of us, it's both of us." Chef Daniel

"When it comes to helping each other switch off, I think time will teach you - but more importantly, communication will teach you." Chef Daniel

"Working together has brought us closer. If Jennifer's not around me, it feels weird." Chef Daniel

"I find it interesting when people ask, 'how are you guys still married and still in business?' I respond with, it's a respect thing. It's respecting marriage, but it's also respecting business. In business, she's my business partner. What she says about something happening in the business is her checking me. There's a reason why she's bringing it up. It's not her picking on me like a wife would - no, she has a valid point, and that point needs to be processed." Chef Daniel

"In the restaurant, if he says something, I say, 'Yes, Chef'. The respect goes both ways." Jennifer  

"There's some people who work together and the man wants to be the 'head', whereas Danny's like, 'ok - which way are we going? How can we do this together?' It may seem like he's trying to take the lead, but we're both here together working towards the same cause." Jennifer

"People say, now you've worked for yourself you won't be able to work for someone again. Well no, I can easily and happily work for someone else - the one thing I can't do is work for someone else without Jennifer next to me, and vice versa." Chef Daniel