How to Work Together As A Couple In Your SMB Technology Consultancy (Family Owned)

How to Work Together As A Couple In Your SMB

Technology Consultancy

(Family Owned)

Our Subject Matter

Lessons which apply to business couples and other close partnerships

Your Presenters

Charles and Doña Keating own and operate Keating Consulting Service and Professional Options, respectively. We are serving ourselves up as the lab rats in this case study

Three Types of Business Couples

• Co-entrepreneurial – or “copreneurs” couples who share ownership, management and responsibility for a joint business

• Co-executive – couples who own or work in separate business ventures

• Co-professional – couples in the same or different professions which own their own practices

Our Type of Business Couple

Or…?

Let’s have some fun

First critical piece of advice to consider if you’re planning to go into business together…

Don’t!

…………………….but if you must, let’s get serious

Five Key Attributes of Successful Couples

• Friendship

• Communications and Conflict Management

• Flexible Roles

• Work Ethic

• Service Orientation

Friendship

• In business there has to be a commitment to friendship

• We met in briefly in 1995 as friends, had a brief courting period in 1996 and married in 1997

• One way to spend more time together - The Dog Year School of Marriage

Communications and Conflict Management

• Being able communicate issues is crucial

• Style doesn’t matter as much as substance -- but it can help manage expectations and clarify communications

• Try not to argue in front of clients or take business pointers or comments personally

Communications - Continued

• Frequent fluidity between business and personal subjects

• Keep time set-asides to separate business from personal time

• Create opportunities to focus more deeply on new ideas, such as during car drives

Flexible Roles

• Always find new ways to work together –constant change helps each other grow

• Ensure you define and adapt the roles – many clients or colleagues will try to define them for you

Flexible Roles (part 2)

• Don’t always do the same things

– Charles answer the calls or is the friendly face

– Doña is very much the corporate CEO type

– Reducing predictability keeps it fresh

Flexible Roles (part 3)

• We complement and learn from each other

– Different approaches

– Business and technical backgrounds

– Brilliant communications, understanding human and organizational dymanics/motivations

– Talent for computers, intuition into systems

• Together we are stronger

Flexible Roles (part 3a)

• While we don’t think about it - people do mention we’re of different races…a minor factor but not necessarily irrelevant

• Gender expectations

Work Ethic

• We work impossible hours, but so does everyone else

• The boundaries between work and family time can become blurred

• Challenges of work and family

Work ethic (Then)

Surprise, surprise

Work ethic (Now)

What now?

Service and Civic Orientation

• Officers and directors of West Sound Technology Association (WSTA)

• Increased community involvement and expanded circle of influence

• More networking and business contacts

Service and Civic Orientation – Part 2

Larger perspective outside normal running of business(es)

Both a motivating factor and great way to increase business contacts in a relationship driven SMB market

Challenges

And opportunities …

Challenges

• Flexible work boundaries go both ways

• Children are a special gift

• If something irritates you, try it 24x7

Failure is not an Option

• Respect differences

• Always remember the friendship and love

• Recognize when it’s time to be strong or to bend

• Honor professional capabilities

Opportunities -- The Prize

• Spend more time with the one you love while getting well paid

• Explore many unique opportunities based on this time together

–This presentation was a commitment to work together more productively and serves as a reminder to ourselves

Q & A

Questions???

Observations?

Funny (Short) Stories

Thank you

Doña KeatingProfessional Options

www.professionaloptions.org

dlk@professionaloptions.org

360-792-9100

Business/IT and Policy Consulting

Charles KeatingKeating Consulting Service

www.kcsco.com

cak@kcsco.com

360-697-9009

IT Consulting