Working with my partner.

[luke240z]

Hi,

This is cut from my first post and moved to this specific area.

My wife and I have a quite a bit of experience in hospitality with myself being a chef and my wife a food and beverage manager/ event coordinator. We have worked around Australia in various small restaurants through to 5 star Hotels for the past 15 years. We recently (November 2008) purchased a motel and conference centre that we have been running successfully using the same principles and ideas we have developed over the years and have really enjoyed the process.

What I'm hoping to find here are some like minded people with small business experience perhaps in the accommodation industry to shed some more light on techniques and strategies that have proven well in the past as well as some small business coaching to help me with the transition from hectic commercial kitchen life in a solo senior management role to working along side with my lovely wife

We have worked very well together in the past in other venues when there was another level of management above us but am now finding myself being challenged more than usual with us both at that same level of management. There is now two people in charge of everything and having the extra person and ideas are posing quite a challenge and sometimes a sense of doubt. Before my days would revolve around me keeping on top of my department and passing on orders within the kitchen to make sure everything was done. No one questioned anything and just did the job that was required. The days proved to be a success and thats pretty much how work life was for me. Not to say those were easy days... not by a long shot!

We have separated the roles and duties and this has helped a lot but are there other ways to help us in this situation. This was when the work coach/ business mentor idea came about. Any ideas would be great.

Thanks
Luke

[mike@engagemarketing]

Hi Luke,
I hope your finding the challenge fun, it definitely sounds like an interesting step up! I suggest reading the E-Myth revisited, which has, not only some great advice on running successful small businesses that don't require you're input 24/7, but has an example of fantastic service ideas for motels & hotels.

I've found in working with my business partner, that things work better when each partner has specific roles in the company.

cheers

[Heidi Price]

Hi Luke

Being a a couple and a work team has its challenges! Separating the roles is a great idea, as is having some one such as a coach/mentor to discuss ideas (read "vent to" hehehe) with.

Pat and I basically spend 24hrs a day together. The biggest reason it works is that we (okay - mainly me lol) have learnt to put our egos aside and let the best person for the task lead. And to remember we are not in a competition with each other

IMHO this is the hardest bit.

Some regions have Business Enterprise Centres running mentoring programs, so that might be something to look into.

Keep us all up to date on how it's all going.


Heidi

[LeelaCosgrove]

My partner and I also work and live together and we have found the #1 thing we need to remember is to go our separate ways on regular occasions - because the BIGGEST challenge is that you forget to miss each other!

At least once a week, one of us will go out for a day of meetings or off to an event, or just go and spend the day with our friends ... so that we have a chance to be apart and to remember how much we love being together!

I guess we've been pretty lucky, because my partner has no interest in running my business (he also did join MY business, which was well and truly established when he came on board) - he's a sales genius and all he wants to do is sell ... so I gave him the title of sales director and permission to do whatever he wants / needs to do to sell the business ...

I suppose that's really no different from what Heidi is saying - clearly defined roles.

[luke240z]

Thanks for the feedback, some very good tips there. Well Mike, E-Myth revisited has been ordered and is on the way. Looking forward to that.

Separating roles is a must I feel for most partners in business together. We have done quite a bit of this but also feel it needs more fine tuning. We often have that feeling that a situation could have been handled better if it was the other person handled it. Knowing when to "pass the ball" is much easier said than done. I feel that this is where the ego hurdle comes into play. Being a Head Chef in the past in various departments has always recieved a lot of respect. We always worked the longest hours, had the wildest rosters and above all a massive amount of pressure. One example being an 1100 person sit down 5 course dinner for the Ronald McDonald Charity Ball in W.A. In two words... Organised Chaos. At the end of those days, I must say I really felt like I deserved the respect given and I was always a firm believer in passing that down the ranks all the way to the dishwashers. It would just never happen unless everyone put in there best.

With the above in mind, this brings me to my situation. Not having that daily "ego boost" for lack of better words, has been difficult to adjust to. Days are much quieter now but still challenging enough to keep out of trouble I find I'm enjoying the end results with everything we do but am having trouble enjoying the process along the way. From what I have read this can be a common transitional problem, but I am looking to fix this sooner rather than later. Are their any good sites or other info that I could benefit from?

Thanks again
Luke

[Dwayne]

Well its good to know that you both are working together. And i feel very good when husband and wife are working together helping each other. Its great experience for you both isn't it. All the best & have a good life.

www.inspiredwomen.com.au

[luke240z]

Thanks Dwayne,

I must say it's very different to previous jobs but there is an element in our current lives that has never existed before. To work along side each other and move towards the same goal as a couple probably looks more difficult on paper than what it actually is. We are bonding in ways we never knew existed and our goals have changed from what we once thought would be the best decision financially, to what would best suit us for our potential families' future.

Life's alright

[Julia68]

Hi, My husband and I worked together for 9 years and have now decided not to. Like Leela said, we worked hard at not being in each other's pockets. But after 9 years, I wanted something different and to achieve on my own again. I do think it was the best decision and at times the worst decision. We had set rules about not crossing over on tasks and that as we pulled up at home the discussions about work would be left in the car. We also had a date night where we couldn't discuss the business and like Leela socialised with different friends so as to give each other space. It was always in respecting each other and not letting the little things niggle at you. I'm proud to say after so long working together, he's still my best friend and I love him. (Probably to emotional for post no. 3 from me!)
J

Oh and I just remembered I joined one of those women only gyms - Contours so that I could exercise in half and hour, feel I did my body some good and was surrounded by women to chat to. Some days, it would only be my husband and me in the office so just seeing another group of women - even if I didn't chat to them - changed my landscape each day.