Married with businesses
When people hear I own and operate two businesses with my husband the most common response is they wouldn’t make it past the first day.
Working with your spouse is not for everyone, but it is certainly for us.
Of course, we didn’t know our lives would turn out this way. When we met in the year 2000, I had a 10-year career in social work and Steve had started his own construction company two years prior. He had “some tools, a truck and a dog.”
Several years later I was feeling emotionally drained with my work and Steve’s construction company was taking off. He casually suggested I put in notice and join him in the company business. His bookkeeper was bouncing checks and he was struggling to return calls in a timely manner. I had no experience in either but thought the worst that can happen is I would be the one to bounce checks and not return calls! It was one of the scariest leaps of faith of my life and I would make the same choice again.
Flash forward to today and our construction company has a fleet of trucks and trailers, a full crew, and some amazing projects under its belt.
Could that have sustained us until retirement? Perhaps… but we had time and energy and enthusiasm for more. And we wanted to be proactive in planning a future that would give Steve’s body a break before it needed it.
So, in 2015 we started a craft distillery. We have no employees and big plans. We will be opening a tasting room later this year with a commercial kitchen and rotating guest chefs. This addition will mean long days and rare time off but we are excited for the challenge.
How does working together work for us?
We both have distinctly different roles. I run the distillery full time and Steve runs the construction company. Of course, there is cross over. I do all of the bookkeeping, calls and scheduling for the construction co. Steve keeps the distillery running smoothly and assists with all of the heavy lifting. Having different roles mean we aren’t together 8 hours a day. In fact, it is so rare our paths cross in a day that we get quite giddy when they do!
We relish each other’s opinion. Every day we individually go to work and decide what to do. But we consistently ask the other what ideas they have. Steve gives input on the next batch of spirits; I make suggestions about the construction schedule. We are in this together and the ideas both of us provide are integral to our success.
We appreciate each other daily. I couldn’t live this life or have my dream job without Steve’s support and encouragement. We are each other’s biggest fans. A consistent thank you ensures that we don’t take each other for granted.
We have an unconditional
We appreciate each other daily. I couldn’t live this life or have my dream job without Steve’s support and encouragement. We are each other’s biggest fans. A consistent thank you ensures that we don’t take each other for granted.
trust and love between us. I am fortunate to have friends and family I cherish and rely on. But when I am sick or down, it is my husband who is there 24/7. What better person to conduct my life’s work with? It is an amazing feeling to know without a doubt our businesses are safe in our hands.