EPISODE 15: Working Together
Balancing Acts: How to Thrive in Business & Love
Hello, fellow entrepreneurs and dreamers! It’s Kimberley here, coming to you with a dose of real talk and inspiration from the front lines of family business and married life. Running a business with your spouse isn't for the faint of heart, but for this weeks’ guests: Laura McGuire & Jason Clewell, it’s been an adventure of a lifetime — one that’s taught as as much about love as it has about commerce.
Twenty years into working side-by-side in brand definition, marketing, and creative development, Laura & Jason have ridden the rollercoaster of building and selling their own consumer packaged goods (CPG) brand. They’ve felt the high stakes of investing their savings into Facebook ads and the satisfaction of watching that gamble pay off. They’ve been those harried marketers, and now, as they run an affiliate site and juggle other projects, they're putting all those hard-won lessons to work for their clients.
Finding Harmony in Business
The magic, Laura & Jason have discovered, lies in balancing their professional and personal lives in a way that fuels their shared passions. With Jason’s keen eye for design and Laura’s strategic planning skills, they were able to find harmony fairly early on. From those first days at the advertising agency where their journey began, to their current ventures, Laura & Jason have used their complementary skills to navigate the challenges of business.
But let’s get into some specifics and talk about challenges — specifically, the kind that test not just your business acumen, but your personal relationships. The truth is, Laura & Jason have had their fair share of stepping on each other's toes. But here’s the thing: every misstep has been a learning opportunity. Being married means you’re in it for the long haul, both personally and professionally. It’s about leaning into each other's strengths and being honest about the weaknesses.
Shared Journeys, Shared Growth
There’s a particular kind of joy in celebrating the milestones together — not just weddings and birthdays, but also the launch days, the big sales, the successes that come from shared dreams and hard work. For Laura & Jason, success isn’t measured by conventional standards anymore. Post-COVID, they've embraced the idea that success is more personal, more about the story you write together, than the size of your office or the scope of your operations.
They find joy in simple things: a well-planned campaign, a client’s success, or even just finding the most efficient way to tackle a project. They have learned to treat every client dollar as if it were their own, which not only makes business sense… but also builds a deep level of trust with their customers.
What Keeps Them Together
Through 5,000 working days, countless projects, and numerous challenges, the glue that holds Laura & Jason together is the same as any solid partnership: communication. Whether it’s a quick strategy session or a deep dive into creative brainstorming, every conversation is a chance to reconnect not just as business partners, but as life partners.
The couple has learned to schedule downtime together, to step away from the hustle and refocus on what brought them together. Whether it’s cycling, painting, or just enjoying a quiet moment away from the noise, it’s crucial to remember why they embarked on this journey together.
So, to all the entrepreneurial couples out there wondering if they can make it work, know this: it's not just possible; it can be profoundly rewarding. It takes patience, trust, and a lot of hard work, but the reward is a life built on more than just business success — a life built on love, respect, and mutual success.
So here's to finding that balance — to thriving in business without losing sight of what made you partners in the first place. Let’s keep dreaming big, together.