Secrets To Working With Your Spouse

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Hey, everyone. Welcome to product launch Hazards. We are going to talk today about something that I think is really important and we're going to segue into a video that we did a while ago. We did this Brainstorm to Box series, but we think it's really relevant and that's why we're bringing it back and reusing it. And it's because so many of the Amazon sellers that we're working with are husband and wife team.

I can't even begin to imagine working with my spouse, especially in a home office. So tell me, what's your secret?

We originally started working together in college. So we've been doing this longer than the 21 years. We say we've actually been doing it longer than that. But I think that our personalities are almost counter to working well together because we're both such strong personalities. But it works for us because. Because for your position, relationship, the way that we work. But also because I think our skill set is not overlapping completely.

That's a big thing.

Yeah. If we were tripping on each other, it would be problematic.

Right. While most people who had very strong personalities might clash and not work well together, I think that's exactly it. Because I have maybe a little more technical and execution expertise, you have a little more of marketing and research and you're more sensitive to color than I am. But I think we cross over in terms of all those design issues of form and development of the right user process functions, whatever. There's complementary and enough overlap. We respect each other. And so there isn't sort of this train wreck coming down the track. Just because we're married and working together, it actually, I think is a huge advantage.

I think it is a huge advantage. I think that a lot of people think it's odd that we're a husband and wife design team. It's like, how can you possibly work together 24 7? And it's because we work together 247 that we're really good at what we do. It's what makes us great because we never stop designing and we're okay with that. You know, if you are one half of husband and wife relationship and only one of you is a designer and one of you is working, then the other one has to put up with you. Never stopping to work, never stopping to sketch, never stopping thinking about the design as you're shopping. It could be frustrating, but for us, it's energizing. So it works, right? We don't have to shut it off.

I think we each feed on it.

Our kids might not like it so much, but they have to deal anyways. That works for us. But I think it's also the hard part, because if our business isn't successful or if our royalties are low because sales aren't happening, or it's Chinese New Year and not enough is shipping, it's stressful because you don't have the other one to pick that up. But it's no different than if we were running a restaurant together. So there are lots of husband and wife teens out there running businesses. We just happen to be designers doing it. And that's not as usual.

I think the challenges we face are really no different than any other mom and pop type of business. But fortunately, I think it makes for much better design, much better results from.

A female perspective, from business woman's perspective, it's a whole lot easier for me to be away on a business trip, going to China and doing these things, knowing that he's there, you're there to pick up the girls from school and keep my business running. I have such a high level of trust with that that I'm not worried about losing my job, someone taking over or missing my kids, and someone not handling it so well. We have that complete trust level and it just really works. And the reality is that you get married to your partner anyway. I mean, you had a different partner before me.

That's right, yeah. At one point I was working with another college mate, good friend, and worked together. And that actually was a whole lot more difficult.

Well, it's kind of like the three of us were married, whether or not we really wanted it to be that way, because he was always there. And not that I didn't love him, but he was always there, and it's one of those things. So you do end up married to your partner, whether or not it's in physical vows or not.

Right. So for us, it just makes more sense. Works better for us to actually be married in life and in business.

And it's been our competitive advantage. So why not use it?

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