How We've Stayed Biz Partners for Nearly 5 Years
Episode 407: Show Notes
Someone asked us the other day why it is we still work together after all these years and how we have managed to stay afloat as a business partnership. Most biz partnerships end before the five-year mark and it is crazy that we are approaching that milestone very soon! The truth is we do not really know the answer to the question, so we are taking this opportunity to talk it out and share what we think may have helped to keep us going!
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Whether it comes down to balancing our friendship with our business goals or simply maturing together in our venture, we are here to lay it all out for you! We have had a few episodes of the podcast that have dealt with this subject in the past, so definitely go back and check those out if you have not listened to them already. There is something very special and magical about our partnership that is hard to explain in words, but we are still going to try!
Balancing Friendship, Business and Ambitions
The most confusing part of our partnership is that we probably would not have been friends if it were not for this business! Abagail is definitely not Emylee's usual type of friend, especially if you look at the rest of Emylee's tribe. We started as business people who got along and we are in each other's lives but at the same time still have boundaries. We believe it is better to stay out of too much of the murky areas and have too much crossover between business and social life. There have been times in the past when we offended each other and have been upset but these have been relatively few and far between. We share the goals of wanting to see growth and get paid and this is what has held us together from the moment we had the idea of setting out to touch small businesses all over the world. The majority of people, in our experience, do not aim as high as we do and most small businesses do not want to take over the world. The fact that we share this vision has meant we are on the same page in the ways that matter.
Growth Mindsets and How Much We Have Matured
We are always wanting to touch more people but this does not mean it is all about money. We are not as driven by dollar bills as we may have been in the past, as impact has grown in our esteem. We have also learned how we could make money outside of this business we have together which is liberating. At the same time, we accept that Boss Project offers us the biggest opportunity for both of us currently. The combination of these two pieces is a big step for us individually and collectively and as we grow and evolve all parts of our lives, and our lifestyles have to be factored into our business dreams. Having a kid changed things a lot for Emylee and things will probably continue to shift and grow as time passes. We have something very special and hard to find, something we do not recommend lightly! It works for us but it may not work for others.
Avoiding Failing Business and Tearing Apart Friendships
We have seen how many friendships fall apart through business and it is so sad. So just because ours has worked does not make it a rule! One of the reasons for our success might be that we have everything in common and nothing in common. We do admit we have become more alike in our time together and the way we handle criticism is definitely a plus. Our brainstorming sessions remain a highlight of our week and we look forward to them all the time! It is hard to know where we see everything going and what we are most excited about in the future. The next 2 or 3 years for Boss Project seem reasonably clear but after that, it seems a bit pointless to prophesize and plan. The industry and world are changing at such a rapid pace, who can tell what the future holds?
The World is Changing and We Do Not Know What is Next!
The one thing we do recommend planning for is your retirement! That is something you definitely need to be ready for. We often overestimate what we can do in a year and underestimate what we can achieve in a lifetime so set your goals high! We might also underestimate how much can change in a decade, look at our paths in the online business world for example! It is important to be saving for the future and things like raising a child and education can be so expensive, so preparation is key in that regard. As it stands our biz serves us in the way it needs to, it could be bigger, it could be better but it provides and stimulates, which is enough! We are both so grateful for each other and what we have created. Emylee's favorite thing about Abbie is her math brain, she can always depend on her to make sense of numbers and stats! Abagail loves that she can share half-formed ideas and strategies and Emylee just seems to get it and get to work on them immediately! Sometimes it feels like telepathy!
Quote This
We don't know if we'll ever be Oprah but we are not going to play small.
Highlights
Balancing Friendship, Business and Ambitions. [0:04:59.2]
Growth Mindsets and How Much We Have Matured. [0:13:49.6]
Avoiding Failing Business and Tearing Apart Friendships. [0:21:58.3]
The World is Changing and We Do not Know What is Next! [0:36:22.8]
ON TODAY’S SHOW
Jaclyn Mellone
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Jaclyn Mellone helps experts exponentially grow their business by becoming the Go-To Authority in their space. She is a coach, strategist, Keynote speaker, mama, guac lover, and host of the Go-To Gal podcast! She helps her clients get out of their own way, package their expertise to scale, position themselves as the go-to authority, and have their dream clients and opportunities land on their lap! Her signature approach combines restructuring her clients’ business models, reframing their mindset, and revamping their marketing so that they become the go-to authority from the inside out. Jaclyn supports experts at all stages from freelancer to global brands! She has spoken at marketing conferences around the US, grown her social media channels to total over 50K followers and has been featured in Entrepreneur, Yahoo Finance, Reader’s Digest, Parents, Well + Good, and in dozens of podcasts and radio appearances. Jaclyn has proudly built the Go-To Gal empire in her slippers from her living room in Rochester, NY!
KEY TOPICS
Networking, Relationships, Authority, Leveraging, Friends
