Mixing Business with Pleasure

For Mickeli & Allison, love definitely came first in their journey. With backgrounds as an architect and a software salesman, this happily married pair didn’t initially feel pulled to the entrepreneurial lifestyle. 

Although Allison came from a family filled with business owners, she was extremely happy in her architecture career at the beginning of their marriage. And it was actually Mickeli who first dipped his toe into the entrepreneurial water.

Fast forward to today, where they’ve gone through the process of launching several businesses and now co-own and run Closers Media—a company that helps business leaders increase their revenue by mastering the art of closing the deal. They also host an incredible podcast, Coffee & Closers.

Through ups and downs in each of their ventures, they’ve remained connected, inventive and learned a lot along the way. One thing is for sure, these two are not afraid to take a chance in business and they always have each other’s back.

Here are a few nuggets they shared when it comes to starting and running your own business...

• 10:03 |  If you’re going to go into a partnership with someone, you need to understand where everyone’s heart is at—not just where everyone’s checkbook or skill set is at.
• 14:47 |  Design thinking applies to more than just design work
• Recognize what comes naturally to you, but also see the things that you can’t do well. Then, find somebody who can do those things for your business and take care of those people.
• 29:37 |  If you are going to build multiple businesses, there needs to be some overlap. Otherwise, make sure that you have your main hustle and your side hustle and don’t mix the two up.
• 41:41 |  Don’t get hung up on the “failures” or the ones that don’t work out. You’re always learning something valuable for the future and pivoting into something better.

To hear more amazing advice and learn about their journey as business owners, parents and people, tune into the podcast now. Trust us, you don’t want to miss this vibrant, hilarious couple! 

More From Our Couple

• Learn more about Mickeli & Allison’s business, Closers Media.
• Tune into Mickeli & Allison’s podcast, Coffee & Closers. 

Reach out!

Mickeli & Allison

Email: [email protected] & [email protected] | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ClosersMediaLLC/  | Twitter: @closersmediallc   | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/coffeeclosers/ 

Mixing Business with Pleasure

Email: [email protected] | Instagram: @mbwp_podcast | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MBWPPodcast/ 

One last thing before you go...

If you’d like to sponsor or advertise with Mixing Business with Pleasure, let’s talk.

For Eric & Nancy, love definitely came before work. These high school sweethearts were just 14 years old when they met before freshman year. 

And while Eric never imagined himself a business owner, Nancy was born into the entrepreneurial lifestyle. Her family runs their own flooring business that Eric actually worked for after graduating high school. He continued there off and on over college breaks before he entered the design world himself.

Meanwhile, Nancy—who had fallen deeply in love both with Eric and with interior design at a young age—went to school and pursued roles with other companies in interior and commercial design before she “came home” to the family business. There she got a glimpse into what it takes to run a company and into the technical side of the flooring biz.

Now, the two run their own full-service residential and commercial flooring company that focuses on serving interior designers and contractors—the best of both worlds in their opinion! (And don’t worry, their business does NOT compete with Nancy’s family business. We checked. 😉)

These two lovers and business owners have been together for 39 years total and married for 32 of those. They graciously divulged a few secrets to their relationship success with us...

• Commit to keeping things fresh and exciting. Never stop “dating.”
• Find traditions (like weekend getaways) that focus on your relationship and quality time together.
• Carve out time together without distractions—even something as simple as sitting outside at the end of the day to enjoy a glass of wine & kid-free conversation.

In addition to building each other up, they have become experts in cultivating and nurturing a team as well. 

After 20 years in their industry, Eric & Nancy felt the need for a cultural change in their own business and dug deep into becoming even better at what they do—for themselves, their team and their clients. Here’s some of the advice they gleaned from that experience...

• Never assume because you’ve been in your business for a long time that you know everything or that there isn’t a better way. Keep learning.
• Consult experts and get outside of yourself when it comes to business advice.
• Come back to your mission statement & vision and update it as you grow.
• Get crystal clear on your own job descriptions along with your team’s job descriptions and how you’re holding them accountable. This way you don’t micromanage.
• Have an open door policy and let your team bring ideas to you. You get better results and it cuts down on drama (which no one has time for!).

This pair also highlighted the importance of making an impact outside of their team through their involvement in “Design for a Difference”—where they help to guide the efforts of interior designers and others in their community as they makeover local non-profit spaces. The work they’re doing for these groups is truly incredible!

Honestly, we could go on and on with the advice, wisdom & kindness we gained from this lovely and loving couple, but we’ll leave it here so you can tune into this week’s episode for yourself. You don’t want to miss it!

More From Our Couple

• Learn more about Eric & Nancy’s business, Intersource, Inc.
• Learn more about their community outreach with Design for a Difference.

Reach out!

Eric & Nancy Flom

Email: [email protected] | Facebook: https://facebook.com/IntersourceInc  | Twitter: @INTERSOURCEinc

Mixing Business with Pleasure

Email: [email protected] | Instagram: @mbwp_podcast | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MBWPPodcast/ 

One last thing before you go...

If you’d like to sponsor or advertise with Mixing Business with Pleasure, let’s talk.

These two powerhouses fell in love before they fell into business together. But even when Rob & Sherry met on their college track team, they were just as serious about running their race then as they are now - several businesses later.

Today, they continue sprinting forward together as they support each other and countless other founders and entrepreneurs on their paths.

Rob has helped tens of thousands of startup founders through his numerous co-authored books (one with Sherry), 2 podcasts, and dozens of conferences & essays. He’s invested in 36 startups, and has built 7 businesses to six- and seven-figures in revenue...but has only taken investment once. His current projects include TinySeed, MicroConf, and the Startups for the Rest of Us podcast.

Sherry has a PhD in clinical psychology and two masters degrees. She’s the founder of Zen Founder - the antidote to burnout, anxiety and loneliness that so often accompanies the entrepreneurial journey. She currently manages it while hosting a podcast by the same name as well. She’s also written an amazing book called, The Entrepreneur’s Guide to Keeping Your S**t Together. (Trust us, you’re going to want to add it to your Amazon cart now!)

It’s a mind-boggling amount for anyone to juggle - much less successfully scale while also being devoted love partners and incredible parents. Thankfully, they shared some of their success secrets with us! Here are a few to get you started...

• Lean into your support. You need people you can trust.
• Focus on a limited number of projects at a time or things will start to fall off. Nothing quality in your life from business to relationships can operate on auto-pilot.
• Have balance in your life outside of work. It’s healthy to have work projects, but also to spend time invested in family and passion projects or hobbies. 
• Don’t try to fire on all cylinders on everything at once. It will just set you up to become burnt out and frazzled.
• Do things for yourself that are live-giving and that keep you nourished & well.

For even more tips on managing it all with your partner in love, you don’t want to miss our conversation with this phenomenally Zen dynamic duo! It was an honor to host them on our podcast and we know you’ll love them as much as we do.

More From Our Couple

• Learn more about Sherry’s business, Zen Founder and tune into her podcast of the same name.
• Learn more about Rob’s businesses - MicroConf & TinySeed and listen to his podcast, StartUps for the Rest of Us.

Reach out!

Rob & Sherry Walling

Email: [email protected] & [email protected] | Twitter: @zenfounder & @robwalling

Mixing Business with Pleasure

Email: [email protected] | Instagram: @mbwp_podcast | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MBWPPodcast/ 

Aaron was born with the entrepreneurial bug and had always dreamed of being a business owner, but thought in order to make it happen that he needed a revolutionary product or mind-blowing idea. Then, when he found himself in desperate need of a career change, he and Alisha decided to take a leap. They took her side-hustle contracting gig and scaled it big time to become their family business.

They didn’t know how it would go, but they knew from past experiences that they could successfully work together. In fact, they shared with us some of their tried and true tactics for prioritizing each other and their communication.

Here are their tips for other couples considering embarking on their own entrepreneurial journeys:

1. Nothing is off the table for discussion. Communicate about everything.
2. Stay united and together no matter what. Dig deep enough to know that every disagreement can be worked through. At the end of the day, you’re always on the same team.
3. Be quick to say you’re sorry and willing to listen and understand where the other person is coming from.
4. Give each other grace and realize that we’re all a work in progress.

In our discussion, they dive into what it’s been like to parent their kids during COVID-19 quarantines without their normal childcare while still growing their business together. They also share how being present, engaged parents who are in control of their own schedules is an ongoing motivating factor that keeps them going, even on the tough days of business ownership. 

For those of you who are non-profit leaders, there are some great nuggets for you in the second half of this episode. Aaron and Alisha are non-profit gurus and they shed some light on how non-profits should be pivoting and adjusting post-COVID:

1. Slow down and don’t be reactionary.
2. Take stock of your donor base, especially 1st and 2nd tier donors and know where they are and what their commitment is
3. Find ways to lean into what’s happening in the world right now. How have your constituents been impacted by it, and adjust your programming and funding needs accordingly

This is definitely an incredible episode - with an even more incredible couple - that you do not want to miss! 

The Podcast Tool Kit 

• Learn more about Aaron & Alisha’s business, Three Rivers Consulting, where they help organizations (both nonprofits and for-profit businesses) build financial integrity, operational excellence, organizational strength, and sustainable growth.

Reach out!

Aaron & Alisha Soule

Email: [email protected] & [email protected] 

Mixing Business with Pleasure

Email: [email protected] | Instagram: @mbwp_podcast | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MBWPPodcast/ 

One last thing before you go...

If you’d like to sponsor or advertise with Mixing Business with Pleasure, let’s talk.

Type A chaos-lovers Jason and Shelly Dailey are college sweethearts turned serial entrepreneurs who own not one, but two businesses together - a digital marketing agency and a distillery. Join us today as we pour a glass, take a deep breath, and dig into the secrets of their success.

Initially attracted to each other’s drive and passion, Jason and Shelly were lovers before becoming co-business owners. However, their desire to seek adventure and entrepreneurial spirit were always present. 

With digital marketing finesse hardwired into his DNA, Jason established his full-service agency, Brandography, in 2008 - the same year he and Shelly got married and bought their home. Shelly was unofficially a part of the team from day 1, but officially jumped on board in 2012.

Through each transition and evolution of Brandography, the pair has ebbed and flowed into the roles that best support each other when and where it’s needed.

Then in 2015, they also joined the vibrant Twin Cities distilling and brewing scene when a new client to Brandography approached Jason to help him launch a whiskey brand and distillery. Shelly passionately dove into the project with Studio Distilling officially opening its doors to the public in 2018. She remains a key partner in the business and has helped guide it through endless excitement and challenges even recently as they’ve pivoted to also help create hand sanitizer during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some of the key ingredients to this couple’s recipe for success when put in the pressure cooker of balancing work and love include...

• Go back to the basics of respect in business. Treat the other person how you want to be treated.
• There are times you need to separate your roles and know when to treat each other as co-workers (and when not to). Boundaries are crucial.
• Always be each other’s biggest supporters, but also recognize each other’s strengths and let one or the other person take the lead based on that. Give each other the bandwidth to do what they need to do.
• Find the balance that works for you and go with it. Continue to swim downstream rather than trying to swim up.

For even more tips, tricks, and laughs from this amazing couple, listen to the episode now (whiskey optional, but encouraged).

The Podcast Tool Kit 

• Learn more about Brandography for a full spectrum of digital marketing services.
• Learn more about Studio Distilling and be sure to pay them a visit the next time you're in the Twin Cities area.

Reach out!

Jason & Shelly Dailey

Email: [email protected] | Instagram: @studiodistilling | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Brandography & https://www.facebook.com/StudioDistilling/ 

Our  Podcast

Email: [email protected] | Instagram: @mbwp_podcast | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MBWPPodcast/ 

One last thing before you go...

If you’d like to sponsor or advertise with Mixing Business with Pleasure, let’s talk.

If you’d like to share how you’re mixing business with pleasure in your own life and be featured on our podcast, complete this form.

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Chris Martinez saw successful agencies providing the all-you-can-have subscription model by outsourcing creative talent. He built DUDE Agency in Tijuana Mexico, which provides website development services mostly as a whitelabel to other agencies. 

Their "origin story" is very interesting. Chris was a client of the company Oyuki first worked for and when they first met Chris was smitten. Oyuki on the other hand wanted nothing to do with him. Chris persisted and next thing you know they are living together, helping each other through some difficult situations and getting engaged.

Chris talks about how he pivoted from having an outsourced team in the Philippines to moving to Tijuana and staring a new team there.

Oyuki talks about her father and several other family members passing away in a short period of time and on top of that their dog had to be put down. Chris and Oyuki both talk about how going to therapy was their saving grace.

Chris also talks about how loosing his father to cancer at a young age helped him to help Oyuki through her loss and grieving.

The most entertaining thing about this episode is listening to Chris and Oyuki both talk about the cultural differences between US and Mexico, both in terms of work culture and relationships. The talk about the male machismo and the "gringo tax".

They talk about initially not wanting to work together because they didn't want work to ruin their relationship. However, they got over it, and Oyuki has now become a partner in the business. She is now in charge of both HR and Finance, while Chris has bought out his other partner and remains the CEO.

Chris and Oyuki talk about how they work together - who leads and who plays a supporting role in various situations - Chris is the boss at work while Oyuki is the boss at home. More specifically at work, they talk about focusing on what each person is best at, on what they strong suits are. It took Chris a while to realize that he wasn't very good at things like HR, Accounting, etc. and he has brought in a skilled executive team, including Oyuki, to focus on those things he isn't good at.

They talked about how bringing Oyuki in as a partner initially caused some strife with other leadership team, but when they went through a restructure, everything ended up working much better.

Tim and Bea Bonte from Hook Agency joined us to talk about how they build their agency.

Hook Agency focuses on providing Web design, development and SEO services to the construction, contractor and home services industry.

Tim and Bea's relationship started with love. They met while Tim was still playing in a band. Tim then went on to work for a variety of digital agencies, consulting on the side, and then turning his side hustle into a full-time gig with Hook Agency.

Tim hired Bea and they have since built a team of over 10 full-time employees, moved into a larger office (just a few weeks prior to COVID) and have built a culture that people love.

Tim and Bea very clearly break down what each of their responsibilities are. Tim is the CEO, driving the direction and vision of the agency, while also getting involved with marketing and client strategy. Bea is the Chief of Client Experience and Culture. Her job is to ensure that both external clients and partners and the internal team are happy and satisfied.

The two have a lot of integrity, which shows when they talk about how they will turn down business when clients or prospects want to do something that they don't agree will be effective at driving real revenue impact.

We talked about how bad clients can really negatively impact agency culture and how we all need to focus on being good human beings first and business owners second.

Tim talked about how him and his team are able to produce a high volume of quality content, which has helped them build their brand presence:

1. Lower the bar
2. Find the little things that people care about (e.g. headline and subtitles for videos)
3. Get the team to take part in content creation - give yourself and your team permission to suck

Coming up with company values - they need to be what you hire and fire both employees and clients based on:

1. Scrappy
2. Humble
3. Results-Driven

How to resolve work disagreements - "don't fight in front of the kids"

How to create a balance by understanding what each partner wants to do. Tim likes to work, and Bea understands this and allows him to work as much as he wants as long as he isn't getting too frustrated, at which point she tells him to take a break.

How to put the relationship first: Be sure to call out what your spouse/partner has done both in the business and in the relationship. Appreciate how they have grown as a person

Welcome to mixing business with pleasure, a podcast about loving your work and working with your love. We are your hosts, Gaby Israel Grinberg and Mike Grinberg.
 
When Mike and I set out to create a podcast, the idea of interviewing couples that also work and own a business together was a no brainer. We came up with the idea for Mixing Business with Pleasure back in 2017. We wanted to scratch your own itch. We want it to connect with other entrepreneurs like us. We want it to validate some of our feelings and questions about working with a spouse. We wanted to meet interesting people.
 
And in case it wasn't obvious, we are a husband and wife entrepreneurial team. We have a digital marketing agency called Proofpoint marketing.

We started the agency back in 2017 and it has been a long road to where we are today. We've learned a lot about each other along the way, and both our business and our relationship is stronger for it. It hasn't been without its bumps in the road, though. And we have found that the husband and wife, entrepreneur relationship brings with it, unique challenges that most entrepreneurs don't face. 
Being an entrepreneur can often be a lonely and isolating journey. Doing it with your spouse can surprisingly make it even more so. I mean, you can't really go complain about your business partner to someone else. And business coaching can often feel like a therapy session. It's no surprise that when most people we meet find out we were in a business together, we get a response that sounds something like "I could never work with my wife or husband."
   
It took an enormous, and unexpected outside pressure for us to muster up the courage to move forward with the Mixing Business with Pleasure podcast. But I'm really glad we did. 

What started as a very small kernel of an idea has blossomed into a mission to uncover stories, make connections, and very soon to nurture a community of other couples who work together. Over the past three months, we've recorded many episodes and met some incredible couples who are really proving the business and pleasure do mix well together.

Our mission is to help couples in business by uncovering the inspiring stories of those who have successfully built a business with their life partner and foster community, where couples can connect, converse and celebrate each other's successes. While learning from each other's challenges. 

Here's what you can expect from this podcast. Real stories from real couples who are running thriving businesses together. You'll learn about their successes and their failures. You'll learn how they juggle work, marriage, parenting, and everything in between. And most importantly, you will get actionable tips which you can apply to both your business and your relationship so that you too can successfully mix business with pleasure. 

You can also expect to hear a mix of corny jokes. Mostly from Gaby. Mike and I taking jabs at one another. And. Last but not least you're going to get a chance to meet some amazing couples who have done wonderful things not only in their business but also for themselves in their marriage for their family their community their employees and the greater good at large.

We'll be releasing new episodes every Tuesday. 
We hope you tune in.