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.
Give Each Other Space To Be Great
Courtesy of Dana & Keith Cutler
Dana & Keith Cutler, Judges on Couples Court with the Cutlers, Married 29 years
"Over our 30-year careers — we have always supported the other's opportunities to be great. (Judge Keith stood in the gap while Judge Dana went through the process and leadership track to be President of The Missouri Bar. Judge Dana held down the home while Judge Keith served in leadership in the Young Lawyers Section of The Missouri Bar and as President of the Young Lawyers Section of the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association (KCMBA).) We each recognized that it was important to support each other's leadership opportunities. We recognized that what helped one helped us both.
"If you work together, live together, eat together and sleep together, you need to give yourself and your partner space at times. Have separate hobbies, interests, and (platonic) friends that you can enjoy without the other. Otherwise, you will get on each other's nerves and you will run out of things to share with one another besides work. Private time is not meant to exclude the other, but to make your partner more well-rounded and personally satisfied.
"Financial stress is huge for any couple, but is magnified when you work together. Being self-employed for our entire career and having clients that have not always paid us timely (or at all) made budgeting a challenge. The hard part is not taking that stress out on the other partner, and not blaming them for the lean times. We agreed that we would not blame the other for whatever we were managing or not managing financially at home due to the lean times in our business. If you can survive the financial difficulty that comes with self-employment, your marriage/relationship will be stronger than steel and more resilient that you could ever imagine.
"For us, an unexpected pleasure [of working together] is the sense of legacy involved in the process, especially now that one of our sons is interested in being a lawyer. The thought that he might be able build on the foundation that has been laid by his grandfather and parents and carry it to a third generation is really invigorating."
Recommended Reading:Becoming by Michelle Obama, Dynamic Duos by Richman Julie, You & Your Partner, Inc. by Miriam Hawley
Featured image courtesy of Kevin & Melissa Fredericks
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Rana Campbell is a Princeton University graduate, storyteller, content marketing strategist, and the founder and host of Dreams In Drive - a weekly podcast that teaches you how to take your dreams from PARK to DRIVE. She loves teaching others how to use their life stories to inspire action within oneself and others. Connect with her on Instagram @rainshineluv or @dreamsindrive.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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Tyler James Williams Explains Why His And Quinta Brunson 'Abbott Elementary' Characters Should Remain Friends
While Abbott Elementary fans are hoping that Janine and Gregory end up together, the show’s star has another take. Tyler James Williams plays Gregory on the Emmy award-winning sitcom, and he recently stopped by The Jennifer Hudson Show to share his point of view on his storyline with Janine, which Quinta Brunson plays.
“I hate to say it. I know that everybody’s always mad at me for this. I don’t necessarily want to see them together,” he revealed. “It’s partially an actor’s choice, but also somebody who, like, I read a lot of scripts all the time. I watch a lot of TV, a lot of film. I don’t think that we see displays of platonic love between two people often. I think it’s really easy to go right to they have feelings for each other, therefore they should be together. I like this dynamic of exploring withholding that and just actively loving each other where they are. That I like to see more.”
If you recall, they were co-workers who became friends but were secretly crushing on each other. They’ve had many awkward run-ins during and after school, like the unforgettable club scene where they were dancing nervously with each other in season one, and in season two, they finally kiss. However, it only made things even more awkward, and they decided to just be friends. Tyler further explained why he thinks it’s important to showcase that type of relationship on screen.
“I think it’s time for that. I think TV allows people to see things that could be their lives for the first time, and I think seeing a healthy friendship that is deeply caring about one another in a work atmosphere needs to be shown more than the relationship,” he concluded.
Abbott Elementary comes on every Wednesday at 9 p.m. EST on ABC.
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Feature image by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images