Are you struggling as a couple in business – trying to figure out how to work together because this is new territory and no one gave you any training in how to do it? Have you been at it a while, but still feel like you have no real shared goals for the success of your business? Do you keep coming back to the same conflicts over and over again?
We have been there. After 16 years of working in our business together, and 38 years of marriage, we have experienced trial-and-error in many aspects of this special conundrum of living and working together.
Add to that our more than five years of traveling and living full-time in a 40’ motorhome, and you have a recipe destined for the InstaPot of chaotic life!!
We have been business employees, general managers, executive directors, district managers, senior staff members, minority business owners, and now 100% business owners.
Do we know it all? Not by a long shot. Has it happened to us? Probably.
What we desire is to share our experiences with you, coach you through questions you may have as couple-preneurs, and learn from you. Yes, we believe we can (and still want to) learn from other couples who are living and working together.
Why build a Strategic Map for your business and relationship?
Over the years of working separately and together, we have discovered basic communication is necessary for any couples’ success. But there is more to it than just ‘communicate better.’
We believe that creating a Strategic Map that includes your business goals and your marriage goals (and your travel goals) is critical to the success of staying together and being successful in business.
Strategic Mapping is probably not a new concept, but one that very few couples choose to participate in with their business planning and marriage. The process is not just for big businesses, and can actually contribute to your success in business and marriage.
As a nomad traveler, you know the value of creating the road map to your destinations. While it sounds romantic and spontaneous to just ‘head out and see the world,’ we all know that brings a fair amount of stress and anxiety when problems pop up.
But as a map helps the traveler minimize problems, a Strategic Map can help your business grow, by examining the current status and vision for the future. It isn’t guessing, but rather looking at actual facts and feelings, past and future data, and developing the map (goals) to move your business and life forward together.
Strategic Mapping gives clarity to your mission and vision for your business. Examining your current status and possible potholes helps to see where you have been, develop goals that reflect your strengths, as well as your vision, and give you the map you need to succeed.
And it is a living document. But it only lives if you use it after you create it. It does no good to put in the work and just leave it in a folder on your computer.
But how do you use it daily, weekly, and yearly? We can help with that also.
When living and working together, the lines between can blur – and not always in a good way.
When a clear business map and marriage map overlap and intertwine, it can bring harmony to both relationships.
Our goal is to help you be more successful in marriage and in business together. Here are a few ways in which we can help you achieve your business and relationship goals:
Strategic Mapping
One-to-one couple training
Vision – a 5-year celebration of accomplishments
Mission – what is your why and how for your business and relationship?
SWOT – strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats
SMART goals – 1 year, 2-year, 5-year goals
Action steps – focused on actions to fulfill the goals
Roles and Responsibilities – assigning responsibility to the action steps
Peer Mentoring
One-to-one couple mentoring
Not ready for the entire Strategic Mapping process? Let’s just have a phone or video chat to explore specific issues or questions you have regarding couples in business together.
From there we can offer to mentor you in specific areas of your relationship.
Coaching For Small Business
Already have your plan for business laid out, but need some help with brainstorming the next steps to growth?
With more than 30 years in small business management, we have experience and can help you with a specific project or service offering, to propel your business to the next level. We can serve as an Alternative Board to help you make practical decisions for your business.