Quantcast
Business With Bae: 8 Couples Share The Keys To Building An Empire Together
Business

Business With Bae: 8 Couples Share The Keys To Building An Empire Together

Let's take it to an infamous line in Jay-z and Beyonce classic '03 Bonnie & Clyde:


"Cause mami's a rider and I'm a roller

Put us together – how they gon' stop both us?

Whatever she lacks, I'm right over her shoulder

When I'm off track, mami is keepin' me focused"

What does it take to put the power in the term "power couple"? How do you build an empire with the one you love?

We chatted with eight couples to learn the secrets to successfully running a business with a partner. While there may be technical logistics that should be considered before entering a relationship with your significant other, not every arrangement is a recipe for disaster. These couples share how they manage their business while working together, strategies for overcoming common challenges, and the best (and often underappreciated) aspects of working with the one you love.

Note: responses have been condensed for brevity and clarity.

Prioritize Work/Life Balance

Courtesy of Kahran & Regis Bethencourt

Kahran & Regis Bethencourt, Owners of Creative Soul Photography, Married 7 years (together for 15 years)

"The biggest part of having a successful business partnership has been having our own individual strengths and responsibilities. It allows each person to have their own separate 'lane' and individual sense of responsibility and ownership. We also try to do regular check-ins every few months to figure out which things we're doing that do not make us happy. If one person is unhappy, it makes running our business that much more difficult, so we try to constantly revise and re-evaluate to make sure we address any issues in our business and relationship.

"The biggest challenge, however, is work/life balance, as it seems there's never enough of that to go around. When working together, work automatically becomes a major part of our home life so we try to do little things to make sure we are still connecting as a couple. Luckily, both of us are pretty simple when it comes to that, so just having a quick date night after a shoot or taking a few hours to Netflix and chill gives us the time we need to take a break from work life.

"Our relationship started as a year and a half cross-country long distance relationship. We genuinely enjoy each other's company and have always wanted to work together. The idea of one of us going back to the desk keeps us working harder to make our business work when things get tough."

Recommended Reading:A Creative Professional's Guide to Money by Ilise Benum; Make Your Mark: The Creative's Guide to Building a Business by Jocelyn K. Glei

Featured image courtesy of Kevin & Melissa Fredericks

ALSO ON XONECOLE
Exclusive: Gabrielle Union On Radical Transparency, Being Diagnosed With Perimenopause And Embracing What’s Next

Whenever Gabrielle Union graces the movie screen, she immediately commands attention. From her unforgettable scenes in films like Bring It On and Two Can Play That Game to her most recent film, in which she stars and produces Netflix’s The Perfect Find, there’s no denying that she is that girl.

Off-screen, she uses that power for good by sharing her trials and tribulations with other women in hopes of helping those who may be going through the same things or preventing them from experiencing them altogether. Recently, the Flawless by Gabrielle Union founder partnered with Clearblue to speak at the launch of their Menopause Stage Indicator, where she also shared her experience with being perimenopausal.

KEEP READINGShow less
From Cardi B To Mary J. Blige, Meet The Woman Behind Your Favorite Celebrity's Glam Team

What would you do if you just got laid off from your corporate job and you had a serendipitous encounter with someone who gave you the opportunity of a lifetime? Tamara Taylor was faced with that decision in 2013 after she was let go from her sales profit and operations coach job in the restaurant industry and met a then-up-and-coming stylist, Law Roach, on a flight to L.A. She and Roach struck up a conversation, and he shared how he was looking for someone to run his business and was impressed by her skills. While she took his business card, she was unsure if it would lead to anything. But, boy, was she wrong. Two weeks later, after packing up her home to move back to her hometown of Chicago, she called Roach; he asked if they could meet the following day, and the rest is herstory.

KEEP READINGShow less
LATEST POSTS