What It's Really Like to Work with your Husband

The following is a transcription of The Peaceful Entrepreneur podcast Season 3 Episode 3.

AMY: Welcome to the Peaceful Entrepreneur Podcast. We're together, we're learning how to have peace in the process of everyday business ownership by improving one step at a time, how we think and what we do. I'm your host, Amy Stout.

When I say the words, I run a business with my husband. Does that make you feel like, Ugh, I could never or oh my gosh, I've always dreamed of doing that. I'm sure that there's people in both camps.

Today I can talk to someone who, like me, started the business on her own and then brought her husband in a couple years later. I'm so excited for you to meet my friend Jo, who is the founder of Joelle Elizabeth & Co. She and her husband run Jo & Co. full-time as personal brand photographers and business coaches based in Indianapolis.

They love to travel and work with their clients all over the US and sometimes around the world. When they're not working you can find them hiking, reading a good book, or spending time with family and friends. That sounds a lot like us.

You might also find them working on their brand new Fixer Upper, the Bradfield bungalow, which is the cutest name I've ever heard. Jo and I also recorded an episode for her show, The Jo Show, so you can find the link to that and all of her other contact info down in the description. Let's get started.

Yay, Jo, thank you so much for being on the podcast. I'm so excited to have you today.

JO: Same. Thank you for having me. It was such a sweet compliment when I got your email asking to come on your show. So thank you.

AMY: Thank you. Yes. Oh my gosh. So you're just so much fun.

I love every single bit of content that you put out and I had so much fun having our conversation for your podcast. So I'm pumped to just continue chatting. I feel like we could honestly just talk for hours about a million different things.

So we're going to try and stay in one topic today. Yes, we'll see how well we can do with that. How it goes, but you know, maybe some more podcast episodes in the future and that'll be fine with me.

But, um, so Joe, tell us a little bit about, okay, I'm really curious to start from the beginning because I believe we did the same thing where we started our businesses on our own and then eventually brought our husbands on.

So what did that process look like for what things looked like as you were starting and running it by yourself and then how did you get to the point where you could bring Linden on with you?

JO: Sure. Well, I'll try to give you the Cliff Notes version. I started my business in college. I studied photography, had a very different plan in mind from the beginning.

Originally, I wanted to create a magazine. Post college, I did one in high school and then also in middle school. I was very, I've always been a big creative. So I've always been very creative and very entrepreneurial.

And so starting a magazine when I was in, I think I was like 12 or 11, because I saw that someone else my age had started a magazine. I was like, wait, that is so cool. If she can do it, I can do it. I'm gonna try that. And so that was probably the first time I got like a really big entrepreneurial bug. And then it just couldn't go away. It was just like, I was unstoppable.

So I have done many creative ventures along the way, but fast forward to college, I was doing a double major in photography and media studies because I was like, I'm going to do a professional like legit paper magazine like Glimmer and Seventeen and it's gonna be just so good and so great.

And I wanted to have the lingo and the knowledge base to be able to communicate with photographers for covered shoots. And so that was why I did the double major in photography and media studies 'cause I was like best of both worlds. It'll give me a larger scope of understanding. Well, a couple of years in as a college student, you have different side hustles sometimes And so since I was majoring in photography, I started just naturally, organically, getting all of these different side jobs for photographing events or college graduations or engagement photo shoots. And I was loving it. I thrived with portraiture.

I loved being around people and hearing their stories and getting to express my creativity in that way. And people were having good experiences. So they were referring me to their friends. And before I knew it, by junior year, I was taking a good look at my life and going, wait a second. This is not the trajectory that I thought I was going to be on. Everything is pointing towards doing photography all of a sudden.

But I think I'm OK with that. Like, is it OK to change my plans? I don't know. I kind of just had this little moment which Lyndon was there for. So he's been there from the beginning.

We were dating at the time. We were sitting on the couch in the student newspaper office where ironically I was the photo editor and I was just like, "Okay, I feel like I'm at this fork in the road. Which one do I go? Do I go with the one that the direction that it feels like everything is just kind of nudging me towards and feels very aligned without having the word alignment in my vocabulary at that time, but that's how it felt? Or do I kind of take the path of feeling a little more resistance, but was my original like dream like do I try to just like push for that still?

And in that moment I was just like, okay, God, I'm just going to trust you and take a leap of faith and I guess go towards photography. And ever since I made that decision, it has just been nonstop adventure and just so many awesome things have happened from that one decision.

And what is really cool is that Linda was there for it. So that doesn't usually happen. He has been there from the beginning to be able to just see my entrepreneur side. He's also very much like a go-getter.

He loves to like, he's very ambitious like me and it's part of what works really well for us. I need that in a partner, you know. And so he got to really play a role from the beginning. I went on to specialize in weddings for a couple of years and he was my second shooter, like my go-to guy for wedding days.

And we had a really good dynamic on wedding days that worked so well. He would work with the guys, I would work with the girls, we would come together and like work with everyone. And it was just always a fun time. And it's really funny to look back on it 'cause it's like, oh, we kind of like set ourselves up for this like without intending to, but we were starting to play around with like how to work with each other, within the realms of entrepreneurship.

He worked a like corporate job, a couple of different places from the time that we got married until just almost two years ago now. Like we're coming up on his two year, I guess business anniversary of like joining the company full time. And he would basically be like my business advisor. I always called him like my secret weapon with business because I would have so many ideas that I would want to just like bounce off him or like I would be struggling with different like uncomfortable situations and be like, I need someone to help process this with me, to help guide me, like what do you think? And so it's really funny 'cause he's kind of been there in his own way from the beginning.

But to answer your question, I started in college, it kind of just happened organically. I took a full time shortly after graduating college, and then we got married, and then I was working on networking a lot and really building a reputation as a wedding photographer for the first couple of years.

And then we pivoted into branding photography, which is what we specialize in now, working with personal brands, as well as educating how to create content as a personal brand and how to come up with a content strategy that works really well for your personal brand. So that's a bit of what we do now. The journey has just been wild but in the best way possible.

Lots of memories for sure.

AMY: I love that. It sounds like you kind of just naturally happened upon working together a little bit.

JO: A little bit.

AMY: Were there conversations at the beginning where you're like, "Oh, that would be so cool one day."

JO: Well, that's the funny thing because it feels like we kind of naturally into it, but at the same time I was very resistant for a while. I was like, I am not ready. Like I can see it happening way off in the future, like where maybe we work together, but like I'm not ready for that yet.

So the first, I mean, we've been together for, we've been married for going on six years. And that means that I was running the business solo for about four years before he he came on just full time by myself.

So of course he had a say in different things, but it was always like my business from the, like for the first few years. Now it's our business and that was an adjustment too, which I'm sure we'll talk about at some point. But to answer your question, I was very resistant at first, but I think it's just because like I wasn't ready for it. And then it got to a point where in 2021, I think it was, we started talking more seriously about like, what would it look like if you came on?

And I started to feel a lot more ready 'cause I was getting to a point where I was like, you have skill sets that would be super valuable for where we want this business to go and I can't do them. Like that's not my zone of expertise. I don't want it to be my zone of expertise.

Like I'm getting to the point where I can see how valuable it would be for you to come on and for us to do this together. So I definitely was not ready like from the beginning, but it did get to a point where I was like, okay, no, this makes sense now, the timing is right. I want it to happen. And there's been a lot of learning curves along the way, as I'm sure you've also experienced. You know, any big change like that comes with its own adjustments and curve balls and learning moments, but it's been very, very worth it for sure.

AMY: I love that it wasn't necessarily this like long time dream that you had. It was more something that kind of developed over time and made sense over time.

JO: Yeah, I think it was a bit of a dream, but more about like, okay, I can see that happening in like 10 years kind of a thing, you know, like it was like a way off in the distance.

It's so funny how like that you say that and also you say the thing about I felt like, "This is not the trajectory." I thought my life would go on. I relate very much to both of those. I didn't think I would be a business owner.

I wasn't, I didn't, I think I had the entrepreneurial things within me since I was young, but I didn't realize them until after college. So it wasn't how I thought it would go. And then to the timeline thing, not related to our business, but another dream that we have, God just had to move the timeline up. And we were like, oh, okay, cool.

AMY: So this is happening.

JO: We'll go with it. (both laughing)

AMY: Let's talk about that transition that you mentioned. Just, yeah, you could talk about the transition from my business to our business, with him being out of the house to him being in the house, figuring out each other's roles. I mean, that was a big thing with us that I was like, what's your job and what's my job? And I started this business, So I'm kind of your boss, but I'm your wife. And like, how does that work?

JO: Yeah, it was interesting. There were a couple of layers. Like for one, there was definitely like the personal side for me of just kind of making that adjustment from like, this is my business to now, this is our business.

Wait a second, how do I make that jump, right? And it does kind of come to understanding your roles and responsibilities that you have, but also getting very clear on where you both want the business to go. Like are your dreams for this business aligned and in unity?

That's so, so important. And one thing that we didn't do that we looked back on and we're like, oh, this would have been game changing to have done is having a onboarding week. We kind of just like went in, like threw him in the water, like had, I think we went to Florida for the first week.

He was full time with the company. And I believe we had three branding photo shoots, one full day coaching session. And we were trying to put together like a new course and he was trying to set up systems and click up at the time. It was just crazy.

We were just like, OK, diving in headfirst. And there was no onboarding system. It just wasn't even something that we thought of. And we look back on it and we're like, OK, that would have been wise to have done, of just having a dedicated week or two to go through, here's my thought process on how we communicate with clients and the systems that we currently have set up and what would be really helpful for you to help me figure out or whatever, you know, like that is a really, really helpful way to be able to approach that onboarding phase.

With that, one mindset shift that I really had to make was the feeling or the thought process of, this would go so much quicker if I just do it myself, rather than try to train you and like walk you through my process so that you can learn it because if I just do it myself, that'll take like five minutes versus trying to walk you through it is gonna take like an hour. And so it feels like you're losing time.

And Lyndon really helped me with that perspective shift of like, you're actually gaining time in the long run. And if you can dedicate some time at the forefront to just kind of work on that and help your employee, partner, whoever it is, that's like coming on full-time or part-time or whatever, helping them understand like the ins and outs of how you think about things, how you approach things in business. It helps so much long-term because it means that then you can trust them to take care of that and step back and work on your zones of genius, which ties back into the whole like roles and responsibilities.

So those are a couple of things on that front. with the client side, that was a huge adjustment because so many of her clients were used to working with just me because I was the face of the company. I was always like the go-to with client communication. Like I was the one that they knew. So that was an adjustment phase of onboarding Lyndon and being like, okay, but now you also have Lyndon and he's just as involved and like, here's what he's going to be helping you with. And it took us a second to really find our footing with it.

To give an example of that, Lyndon thrives with strategy and logistics. His mind is just incredible. The way he thinks it's so, so helpful, especially when it comes to things like planning out photo shoots or helping you see different layers of your business that you can really hone on and improve or perfect that you can't see.

And so it plays a really big role when we're working with photo clients or coaching clients. And for a long time, I'm very independent. I'm very stubborn. I don't like change. So I would sometimes get in the way of him being able to really tap into those roles because I was like, wait, but this was me, right?

And so like the change part was like coming into play. And so once we figured out, wait, no, I actually don't wanna work on email all the time. I actually didn't even realize that this was something I didn't enjoy doing.

And Lyndon being able to just say like, okay, here's what we're gonna do. I'm gonna take over client communication and you're gonna write or you're gonna do whatever and tap into your creativity. And I'm gonna handle logistics and client communication and all this other stuff that you don't actually need to be doing. It was like, oh wow, that feels really, really good. I could just trust you to do that. And I know you're gonna do a great job.

And then it allowed our clients to be able to have an initial touch point with him right off the bat. So now he works with client communication. He's the one who responds to inquiries, who kind of helps set up scheduling dates and strategy calls that we do with our photo branding clients.

So it's so helpful because right off the bat, they get to know him and the way his mind works rather than like, I'm the one who shows up on socials most of the time. So like that too, a lot of people still sometimes will be like, oh, I'm going to hear from Joe. And it's like, well, I mean, I play a role. Like, you know, I hear about the emails and like I help play a part in like the responses sometimes, but, um, he's the go-to. And so it really, really helps with just kind of like setting the tone from the beginning, um, leaning into our strengths and then just allowing everyone to do what they do well best.

I do not remember what your original question was, but hopefully not answered.

AMY: I don't either, but that is okay. I love hearing all that. I love hearing about how you guys work together and how you discovered each of your strengths. You took time to do that and then like base your roles off of that.

And I really love hearing like, I thought we were, and we will talk about the similarities that we have, but I'm also realizing the differences within our similar situations because you're saying, you know, you're talking about his personality and how it works with yours.

And like, it's funny because Luke is almost the opposite with me. Whereas you're like, I need an achiever. I need someone who's going to be like ambitious like me and I need someone who's going to reel me in because I get too ahead of myself.

JO: Yeah, that's a real job.

AMY: Yes. Luke does such a great job of like hearing me and affirming what I say, but like also bringing the real moment in of like, Hey, maybe you don't need to go on that right now. (both laughing)

JO: That definitely happens too, for sure.

AMY: Yeah, and yeah, I will say one of the best things has been like, just the relief of like, you're so much better at this than I am, like, thanks for taking that.

Like, having that person that you were talking about, having that person to process with, that was probably one of the biggest adjustments because I kept things, I mean, I kept things all inside because it was just me running things for a year.

No, two years before, a year and a half before he came on. I did not have any sort of system established for getting it out of my brain, 'cause I didn't need to. And I realized very quickly when he came on that I needed to learn how to do that because I was seeing that, yeah, I was just seeing how there wasn't communication and how that was kind of creating roadblocks in our process of business ownership. So we set up like weekly check-ins like, hey, here's what's going on with this client and that client.

JO: Love that.

AMY: Here's the leads that I have and just bringing him in on it. And as I got in the process of, or into the habit of processing with him, something really funny happened where I started just processing so much with Luke that I didn't need to do as much processing with my friends anymore.

Not that I didn't have anything to talk about with my friends, but I just like found myself hanging out with them and like not having this immediate list of things to tell them that I needed to verbally process because I'd already done it. And it took a while to figure that out, but it was so interesting.

So that's been kind of a cool perk of like, it's brought us closer, keeps us more like involved in what's going on in each of those brains. I've also tried like when I'm feeling stressed, overwhelmed about something, I'll try to voice it like in the moment to him like, "Hey, just so you know, this is where I'm at right now."

And oftentimes he plays a huge role in helping me kind of work through that in that moment and come down off of whatever, you know, stress spiral I'm out in.

You know, so that has been that emotional support, I think has like been the biggest thing that has been a pro to working together.

JO: Yeah, yeah, no, that's a big deal. And the communication piece too is so important. I mean, we talk about how important communication is simply in like a partnership or in friendship or when you're dating.

When you're running a business together, it is 10 times more important to communicate how you're feeling, what your plan is for the day, what you need from the other person, what your expectations are just to have those check-in points like becomes all the more important.

And that was something that we found too, like within the first year, we realized that we were agreeing to things that the other person had said, making an assumption of what they had meant. And our definition of whatever that was, was vastly different than what the other person's definition was.

And so it took us a second to realize why we kept running into these like, like, wait a second, what I thought we agreed to this. And once we figured out that we had different definitions most of the time, we had that touch point to be like, okay, this is what we're going to start doing rather than making an assumption. When we talk about something that needs to get done, we're first going to define it for the other person.

So that we're on the same page. And that made it was a game changer. So yeah, you're absolutely right.

AMY: That's a very, very important piece. Tell me how this has worked into your personal life and how it's been like switching from co-workers to husband and wife and how do you guys navigate that?

JO: Sure. I think that we had a bit of a jumping off point or like a advantage going into this because Linden, when he studied his master's in business for a couple of years at Indiana University, and I was working on the business at that time.

And so we would work at home together, especially when the pandemic happened, because then that was like his last semester and like when he was graduating and all the classes shifted to being online.

So we got very used to working at home together before he was working with me on the business. So that helped a lot and just like we would have those moments where like we were technically both working on our own thing and then we would chat about life or business or whatever. And to answer your question, I think it really comes back to that communicating piece. It's you know, we have learned that we need to clock off at certain times. And I have a higher or a lower threshold than he does.

I think that's the right version of that, where he could probably talk about business much more than I could. I'm like, okay, I need to shut off my mind now. And if I communicate that with him, and if we know that in evenings, usually there's not really much work talk because I just need to unwind from the day, communicating that ahead of time really helps us to have some boundaries in place for us to be able to talk about works or sorry, not work stuff, house stuff or what's happening, you know, with friends or family, like, you know, different things that we have going on outside of work that we're excited to chat about, something we learned today reading an article or whatever it is.

Going on walks is another way that will kind of like prioritize the conversation with ourselves. Sometimes it's a good space to be able to process work-related things and sometimes it's a great space to be able to process life stuff and just setting that expectation before going and saying like, I need to just shut my mind off of work for a second. Can we just like try to make an intention to talk about other stuff that's non-work related? It really comes back to just setting those intentions. And then weekends are a really big one for us. Saturdays, we take off every single week. We don't do any work related stuff.

We don't think about work, we don't talk about work. We're usually just resting and reading, maybe hiking, enjoying the sunshine, spending time with family or friends. It's really just like a great way to recharge and refresh our souls.

And then Sundays, usually we just moved into a fixer-upper a couple of months ago. And so it's usually like house projects and groceries and, you know, the whole like reset for the week.

So having those different things in place or activities and those boundaries makes a really big difference so that we still have a pretty healthy dynamic as far as like when we're approaching work and when we're prioritizing each other and when we're prioritizing ourselves.

AMY: Yeah, I love that. That is, I echo everything, I would agree. Just like making sure you turn it off. I love how you even have a distinction between rest day and house project reset day.

JO: And that like that distinction even I think is really smart.

So you fully do get that day to just turn your brain off and recharge. And it's so funny because I feel like every single Saturday I am just like my body knows it's just like, it's like, okay, full on rest. Like you're you're going to stay in bed all day.

And then Sunday, I'm so much more energized. And then like the next week, I, you know, most of the times I'm like excited about showing up. So it plays a big role.

AMY: I love how that system works for you guys. What would you say, I'm kind of putting you on the spot, but what would you say is your favorite thing about running a business with your husband?

JO: Oh, how much more you can do together intentionally? Like how much more intentional work you can do together? Like there is only so much that I can do on my own and being able to have someone that I fully trust and understand inside and out like plays such a big part and the joy that we're able to experience and the impact that we're able to create with other businesses. So that has been very, very rewarding. What about you? I'm curious what your answer is to that.

AMY: I think the current answer, 'cause we're a little bit like sooner in, Like he's about seven or eight months in. Currently just really loving the flexibility of schedule that it gives us.

JO: That's huge.

AMY: That is like so nice. That was probably the most annoying thing about him working his corporate job was just that like, hey, I was like, okay, well I could leave early for this trip, but you can't, so I have to wait.

JO: Yes.

AMY: Random things like, Luke, we're out of cream working you run to hair his teeter in the middle of the day or like, you know, whatever. just having that flexibility and running our life on our own timetable has been so nice. And we're like setting ourselves up now for in the future. I, you know, the goal is to homeschool our kids.

So we're kind of already setting the tone for, we just create our own rhythms and that works really well for us. So I'm curious because you tell some people that you run a business with your husband. They're like, I could never.

And so another question along the vein is like, why, and you've already sort of talked about it, but why does it work for you guys? And it's okay that it doesn't work for others. Like, why is it okay if it doesn't work for somebody who is listening?

JO: Sure. Well, first, it's not for everyone. And if you start working together and you realize that it doesn't work for you, there's no shame in saying, you know what? It's time to figure out something else. That's okay. It doesn't mean that you failed.

It means you tried something new and you figured out maybe this doesn't work and something else will work better. And I'm betting you've learned things along the way that will carry into the next season.

So for anyone listening who's like, oh, I couldn't make it work and now I feel like a failure, you're not. Don't feel shame for it. Like you tried something new and you got so much out of it as far as like new skill sets and ways of thinking.

And like, that's so valuable. For us, I think really the thing that makes it work really well for us is we complement each other very, very well. I'm very creative. Lyndon is very logistical. It doesn't mean that he's not creative or I can't be logical, but there are zones of genius are like, I'm very creative and he's very logistical and being able to tap into those zones of genius where we compliment each other and understand those roles and responsibilities and trust each other with those things plays a huge role.

Also being willing to really just like communicate with each other when you're like, "Hey, this kind of bothered me." Or, "Hey, I'm feeling a little resistance here." Or, "I need, I feel like setting some boundaries here." Or whatever it is, being willing to communicate that is going to play a really, big role and then also just kind of understanding what each of you needs individually in the business.

One thing that we have started doing together is like dreaming together for the month ahead. So at the end of each month, we'll sit down together and we'll say, okay, like these are the things that are on our hearts individually for the month ahead.

Things that we are excited about, things that we would love to bring to fruition, things that we want to dream big about. It's so fun to have those conversations together because you get to learn more about the other person. And as a result, you get to kind of look at, okay, like if this is important to them, if this is something that they want to make happen, like let's talk about how to make it happen. And it becomes this joint effort and it's just such a beautiful thing.

But similarly, understanding like what each individual, like what each of you needs as far as like, when do you need to clock off and when do they need to clock off? Or what do they need to have a supportive working relationship? Like what is their love language? That applies to the workplace as well, which is a fascinating book if you haven't read it. It's so interesting.

And understanding those allows you to be able to show up for each other and in business in a very intentional way. So I would say start there, but again, just like also allow yourself to have some grace in the moments where you feel like things are a little hard or you feel like you're stumbling around like that's going to happen regardless.

Because everything is a learning curve, you know, you're constantly experimenting and business as a business owner, you're constantly learning new things, things are shifting so much in technology and social platforms. platforms and so that just means that there's always something new to learn.

And it's the same thing with our working relationships too. Like there's so many layers to each of us individually and having the willingness to be able to learn and get curious about what makes the other person work really well or have a really enjoyable thriving work environment or work relationship is going to go a really, really long way.

AMY: Yes, I love the dreaming together thing. We did that at the end of 2022 for 2023 and had the best time. Like so much fun.

JO: It's so fun.

AMY: Yeah. And I love that you guys do it more frequently. And like that's a really fun, like positive bonding activity for you as both a couple and as business partners, which I love. So I love that you integrate that.

And also what you said about like you have to squash conflict really quick. Like, you just got it. And I think I think something that works well, the reason that Luke and I work was we just like, we're pretty low conflict as people and as a couple. And so we just kind of. Get along and do our thing, which I think is really helpful in in being business partners. And we just like we've always just enjoyed being around each other. I think I am an only child, but I'm an extrovert.

But so I'm used to entertaining myself if I have to. And he is an oldest. So he also kind of had to entertain himself as well. And so that's just kind of our normal dynamic is like we do our own things, but we're like in the same space. And that's just kind of how we do business now, too, which is kind of cool.

JO: I love that.

AMY: It's great that like we're there to support each other if we need anything, something else that's been really cool is like, now that Luke is integrated, like it took him a good like three or four months to like fully integrate, understand, you know, kind of get his brain in the same place.

JO: It takes time.

AMY: It does. Um, but, but now that he's there last week, he came up, he's like, Hey, have you thought about offering this to this client? Like, I think they could really benefit from that. I was like, love that.

Like I never thought about that, but that's really smart. So like, it's so cool to have a second brain who thinks differently. And like you said, like someone who's better at things than me, like I am so, I don't enjoy troubleshooting tech stuff. Like I'm fairly tech savvy, but if something goes wrong, I have zero patience.

He is the master troubleshooter. So it's the best, cause I don't have to get stressed. I'm just like, deal with it. He's your guy. And like the podcast wouldn't happen without him because he does all of the post production, all of it.

Yeah, thanks, Luke. But literally like you wrote the song and everything. Like literally the podcast wouldn't exist.

JO: That's awesome.

AMY: He knows about the audio tech and stuff, too.

JO: So amazing. I mean, we need that. Like we need that that person to be able to fill in the gaps that we can. It's just so, so helpful.

AMY: Yes. Absolutely. OK, last question for you. And this is the question that I ask everybody, but I'm gonna put a spin on it.

So I usually ask what is bringing you peace right now? And you're welcome to share that, whether it's life, business, but also I'd love to share like, how does your work set up being business partners with your husband?

How does that bring you peace on a daily basis in your life and business?

JO: Ooh, okay. So I'll answer the first one first. I'll do both.

Something that is bringing me peace personally right now in the season is what I'm calling sunshine time. So I'm trying to intentionally spend time in the sunshine at the start of every day. And I find when I do that, it just sets my day off on such a positive note. I love the sunshine. I thrive when the sun is out. It feels so good on my skin and being able to just like soak it up at the start of the day makes such a difference in the tone for the rest of the day. something that brings me so much peace and just working together with Lyndon is how much I trust him.

I trust him so much just like in our relationship and our friendship and our business and being able to say like, this is not something that I like a task or something client related or whatever it is. I'm like, if this is not something that I feel like I have capacity for or I don't feel equipped to, I can ask him if it's something he's comfortable taking care of and knowing that most of the time he's going to be, yes, absolutely, he won't mind at all.

And just having that freedom and flexibility and trust there to be able to work together in that way and where he can do the same with me. Like if there's ever something where he's like, I think this would actually be better for you to work on or is this something that we can work on together?

Like we're able to do that. So I would say just the trust factor and that takes a lot of work, but it all comes back to the communication piece. And also remembering like what your overall focus and intention with this is too. Like getting aligned on your vision for the company together makes a big, big, big difference because then you're in it together.

Like you both know what the intention is, what you're working towards as a United Front, and that changes the whole game.

AMY: I love that.

JO: And then bringing in once you establish that those check-ins because it's easy to get off the rails. So having that accountability is so good.

AMY: I love that.

Well, thank you so much for sharing just your experience with this. We're all a work in progress. That's a big thing on this podcast.

Nothing's ever going to be actually perfect, but we're just working to be a little bit more peaceful every day. So I love to hear how working with your husband has been good for you as it is for me. It's a fun little unique, special thing to get to do. It is a lot of people get to do.

So it's a gift for us. Guys, if you, we, but depending on when this comes out, I will link our episode on your podcast.

Whenever, you know, whenever it'll be there, if it's out, it'll be there. And so you can go listen to the continued conversation.

We talked a little bit more on your show about what it's like to find peace in business.

That was a great combo too. I had a really fun time recording that. So thanks everybody for listening and we will see you next week.

Bye.

JO: Thank you, Amy.

AMY: Thank you so much for joining us for today's episode. Don't forget to connect with us on YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook. And we would love it if you would leave a review wherever you're listening. We'll see you next week for more tips for how to become a peaceful entrepreneur.