CoupleCo: Working With Your Spouse For Fun & Profit

This is a special edition of CoupleCo. We've engineered this show for shameless self-promotion! Blaine helped write a satirical business book created by Dan Hill. Dan is a very smart guy who has consulted to over 100 of the world's biggest brands on the topic of reading emotions through facial coding. He also collaborates with his wife, Karen Bernthal, who's an artist and a designer. That's where the CoupleCo angle comes in. So, how potent is Dan's advertising prowess? Honey has had a career working in big ad agencies, and Dan had her wondering if everything she knows is wrong. This conversation is also about Dan's book, aimed at corporate-speak BS: “Blah, Blah, Blah: A Snarky Guide to Office Lingo.” Honey has worked in corporate America and is a tough audience—and this book made even her laugh. And finally, this convo is peek at what we're calling “the collegial CoupleCo.” Dan and Karen are not exactly business partners, but they're always collaborators.

Today, we are back with Part 2 of reaching for the moon. Specifically, craft brewer Crazy in Cholula Puebla, Mexico. When we were invited there, we replied using one of Honey's favorite travel philosophies: Por qué no? “Why not” is a great phrase to know in any language. It has served us well around the world, including in Mexico. Craft brewers John Lord and his wife Alma Aguilar are lovely people who introduced us to more lovely people and we had an excellent time. They are also serial entrepreneurs. When they decided to open a brewery, they thought, “How hard could it be?” But nobody can count on their business being beset by a global pandemic.  To their credit, John and Alma kept everything up and running and kept everyone on the payroll. Crazy Moon brews excellent beer. They have confronted the challenges of the pandemic, and they've just closed their first round of funding, exceeding their goal by almost 20%. Did keeping the brewery open during COVID help fuel the investor enthusiasm? Who knows? But they're on their way to the ultimate goal of building a newer, bigger brewery and exporting to the US.

In this episode, CoupleCo leaves the country for the moon—specifically, the Crazy Moon brewery in Cholula Puebla, Mexico. This business is run by an old, Connecticut friend of Blaine's and his Mexican wife. John and Alma are serial entrepreneurs who started this craft brewery in time for a global pandemic—which they have survived as they enter into a new funding series for taking their brewery to the next level. They make excellent beer. They confronted the challenges of the pandemic by keeping everyone on their staff employed and doing the pivots required to keep the revenue coming. They're raising funding with the ultimate goal of building a newer, bigger brewery and exporting their beer to the US. They're also great company, and provide excellent insight into the trials and tribulations of running a business together with the added bonus of cultural duality. 

Opportunities, priorities, profit—all kinds of greatness is afoot. But that also means: something's gotta give. Will it be this show? Nope. Well, not really. But we are taking a dose of our own advice and attenuating everyone's favorite show about couples in business together. And honestly, it's not just because we're feeling queasy from being stuck in the hot, humid freak show that is South Jersey…

Why are a pair of married capitalists talking about Marxism, and what does that have to do with the price of CoupleCo-ism anyway? In this episode, we avoid the adolescent jokes surrounding the great question, “How big is big enough, anyway?” In your business, is it OK to want to remain small? We ask ourselves this question as we hang out with friends who've started really big companies. The answer has a lot to do with your priorities in life, and another, more important question you need to answer for yourself…

How did this happen?! On the 20th Anniversary of our wedding, Blaine Parker and the Fabulous Honey Parker turn the tables on themselves and reveal the answer to the Single Most Important Question of their CoupleCo interviews: “How did you two meet?” The reason it's so important is without the answer to that question, there'd be no CoupleCo to follow. And since our answer includes dueling hangovers, a clever ruse involving a used car, and a famous comedy club, it might just be worth listening to…

Should you do the dangerous deed of becoming a CoupleCo? Maybe your answer is here: it's the 2021 Independence Edition of CoupleCo Uncorked! There are upsides to being in business with your spouse. Besides the fun! You're your own boss! You can take risks! Set your own hours! But, there are also downsides. Hear our take on CoupleCo Independence after 15 years of doing this. Maybe it'll sway you one way or the other. Maybe it'll make you close the doors and go back to your 9-to-5. Who knows? Listen in and take a chance…

Innovative, paradigm-shifting, champion-inspired cult camper moving and shaking! Jen and Chris Hudak have moved Escapod travel trailers, shaken up their own world, they're changing world of teardrop campers, and they've built a collaborative business model in a burgeoning CoupleCo effort that began in a garage, expanded to an antique gas station with one employee, and now occupies an enormous space filled with employees in what was once a Ford dealership. In two years, they've expanded production exponentially, moving from selling dozens of units to hundreds. And they still can't meet the overwhelming demand. In short: the Hudaks are crushing it. In this episode, we discuss the realities of success, what it really means, and the emotional preparedness it requires. And what happens when, despite your desire to remain totally independent, you really do need to consider using OPM (Other People's Money)?

All hail the scrappy underdog! In the year and half since we first spoke to them, Chris and Jen Hudak have exploded. They've instigated an exponential increase in production of their cult-favorite travel trailer, survived a pandemic, and brought a baby to be in the world. What more could they want? How about a groundbreaking evolution in their already excellent product? These two are champions, they are unstoppable, and they bring new perspective to what it means to be successful collaborators…

Comprehensive CoupleCo convo some award-winning expert travelers? How does that even happen? What is award-winning expert travel, anyway? Therese Iknoian and Michael Hodgson are epic travel bloggers as well as award-winning entrepreneurial journalists. (Therese was even part of a Pulitzer-winning reportage team.) These two have segued from traditional news professions into profitable nex-gen careers spanning the globe and discoursing on all things travel…

With summer travel exploding nationwide, how about a conversation with some expert, career travelers? Therese Iknoian and Michael Hodgson run the epic travel blog HI Travel Tales. But these two are not your run-of-the-mill travel bloggers. They're both award-winning journalists, and they've parlayed their news professions into a profitable next-act career as globetrotting authorities on all things travel. They offer some unique insights into working and traveling together, and it even involves stuffed animals…

Once you’ve made it, it all get easier, right? Mmm…nope. This is the episode that’s equally for the aspiring CoupleCo that thinks success is a panacea, and for the veteran CoupleCo who believe that once they’re crushing it, they’ll be coasting on the gravy train (to mix a metaphor). The truth is, success is good. It just doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re going to kick back and print money. But it does mean that you’re likely to enjoy life more…

“Whatever I can do, she can do better... She is equally responsible with me for everything that goes on here.” And with that, we begin gushing about another collaborator CoupleCo, this one responsible for so much of the design that we are used to in our lives today. Charles and Ray Eames were iconic designers, responsible for the Eames chair (among many, many other things). He was always banging the drum for her part in the Eames equation. But really, their collaboration is something that is an object lesson for anyone in business. Everyone in their organization and even their clients were part of the collaboration equation. The result is genius, and enormously useful…

Crushing it by modeling other successful businesses is a time-honored tradition. Having vision. Taking chances. Being bold. Sticking to you guns. Knowing each other’s strengths. Presenting a united front. All great qualities, and all part of the package created by Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, founders of Desilu Productions. A groundbreaking juggernaut of television and film production success in their time, Desilu shows the power of committing to simple ideas and crushing it as a CoupleCo.

This is the credit where credit is due episode. Do you need to take credit for everything? Do you dismiss the contributions of others? Do the ideas of the other players get short shrift because they aren’t yours? Why are we even asking these questions? If the answer to all of the above is yes, you probably don’t have enough self-awareness to listen to this show, and that’s too bad. You need it, especially if you’re in a CoupleCo because your marriage is probably in trouble…

In a time when so-called word-of-mouth advertising is more powerful than ever, one must consider always entertaining the enthusiastic fan. Dismissing the fan can be dismissing a vast number of sales. And when you’re a CoupleCo working together, you have the opportunity to help steer the other who might be behaving badly. But you also have to be careful that you don’t go down a rabbit hole together…

Get out! Get immersed! Get into green! This is the working-vacation edition of CoupleCo Uncorked in which we discuss semi-wild places, birdlife galore, and why it’s important to change your mind by changing your place—even if right near home and only for a little while. And as a bonus: the crazy wild birdsong that is part of the daily routine here along the Mississippi Gulf Coast…

So, so many questions that defy sensible answers. Like, what can a CoupleCo learn from a) New Orleans, b) one of the legends of Madison Avenue, and c) working your hobbies instead of your business? That doesn’t actually sound like a recipe for success, does it? Well, it might surprise you. And frankly, this is an episode full of surprises and very little keen insight. Or so it seems. You’ll probably hate it. Or will you? Well, here’s something you can do: sit back, crack a beer, and revel in the first ever CoupleCo Uncorked Saturday Afternoon Beercast…

What have we learned after last week’s stress-fest? It pays to be in business with someone to whom you can vent and then strategize. Also, Honey invents a category of noises, we talk about hand puppets, and the added CoupleCo bonus of having your own food taster. In other words, about 10 minutes of insight and nonsense.  

This is just one of those things. You do everything in a business deal in good faith, and someone tries to work an angle when they don’t have to. And it’s going to cost money. But isn’t handling all this together just part of being a coupleco? In fact, being a coupleco is about being gung ho. We have a story about couple so gung ho, not even an emergency C-section would stand in the way of their interview. (Of course, we decided another time would be better.) But in the end, it’s all about one important question…

We’re back with Sena and Rich Wheeler, the couple who’s crushing it in the seafood business by not only catching the famed Copper River Salmon, but by selling it direct to consumers like you and me. In this episode, they talk about the demands of this job they choose to do, there’s the challenges of being apart during COVID, and the story about giving an iPad the old heave ho and splash! And by the way, all their young kids are in the business and workin’ it…

Here’s a couple who turned the business model of their profession upside down to have more leverage, a better life, and bigger money. Sena and Rich Wheeler were just a run-of-the-mill professional fishing family until Sena had a brainstorm. They came up with a business model on a car ride, a smart lawyer said she should be the CEO, and the rest is history. Sena Sea Seafood sells fish direct to consumer—and the prize in their lineup is the famed Copper River Salmon that Rich fishes in Alaska. (We had some. It was incredible.) These two are crushing it despite COVID, which presented some serious challenges. And oh, by the way, they have some challenges in this relationship that are a little unusual…

Insanity abounds: customers losing their minds; how handling that is the measure of your business; how garnishing a martini with a cherry pepper becomes a cherry bomb; the hazards of hiring a coder in Romania; a surprise drop-in guest; and the interiors of recreational vehicles if you want to live the the life in Nomadland. These are the uncharted waters of this edition of Uncorked, which all begins with being fed up. And not necessarily for fun and profit. But hey, it’s all what you make it…

This starts with sourdough and a casual fuming about fatigue, and unravels into a surprising debate about why fear begets failure. And it all happens because of one simple sentence about one of the easiest things on the planet: making a sourdough starter. Someone says, “Scared, but inspired.” We talk about being creative, being afraid of not measuring up, winning huge awards, struggling through the night with billboard ideas, and how a great idea is often the result of pushing the execution the extra 10%. And surprise: no alcohol!

Simple fact: Most businesses fail. And if you pursue your startup the way we pursued our first business, it’s no surprise. So today’s message or mirth is minimalist and pithy: Don’t suffer the blind ignorance of uninformed arrogance. Learn what you think you know. Do the due diligence. And understand what the market expects. Are you suffering from the blindness of “How hard could it be?” Are you mistaking your friends for a focus group? Do you believe the research predicts success? You need this. Bonuses include drinking a 21-year old beer and (yes) arguing!

We are overwhelmed. How about you? In this episode, we share three practical tips for overcoming overwhelm. They all involve varying degrees of The F-Word: Focus! Yes, that might sound simple. And it is—if you understand what it really means and how to do it. We also talk about working as screenwriters, creative visualization in both Olympic sports and office tasks, and the boneheadedly simple solution to accomplishing one big-ass task. And we barely fight!

Is there a silver bullet for your business and/or your relationship? As Valentine’s Day passes by yet again, we face the challenges of how to make it all work. Here’s a hint: there’s no such thing as a tool that does the work for you. But people keep seeking them out. But, whether we’re talking about couples or commerce, the only way to make it work is to do the work. Buying tools is great, but tools don’t do the work for you. So, where do pizza and extramarital affairs fit in all this?

You have a reset button on your relationship, and you may not even know it. This is the episode where we bare all in sharing three simple tips to making bad times better. In an effort to avoid the impression that this show should be called the Argument Hour, we get down to the easy-out of interpersonal weirdness with regrouping, relating and resetting. In the process, we tell stories about mayhem with furniture assembly and not dying while at sea on small boats. Come for the tips, stay for the fun!

It all begins a grand advertising lie that “Nobody reads long copy,” and snowballs into getting all geeky on legendary marketing, and approaching copywriting and Tootsie Pops with a Zen koan. (Really? How did this happen? Insanity!) Bonus material includes: Volkswagen “Lemon,” a Rolls Royce at 80 miles an hour, and the “No blather!” directive. Come for the answer to the question: “How long should my ad copy be,” and stay for the ridiculousness. Alcohol was involved.

Do not shave the cat. It is a metaphor. No, it’s not dirty. It’s a mistake we’ve made ourselves, and it costs a lot of money. We’ve wasted the money, and it’s possible you have as well. It’s a metaphor about hiring someone who’s a specialist to do the specialized tasks you’re not good at. But…what does this have to do with shaving a cat? Honey and Blaine have a story that involves shaving a cat. There was no blood as far as you know. Join us for another tale from living the dream, and stick around for some valuable free stuff…

Yes, we are going to be insulting your marketing. Sorry in advance. This is an episode based on one of the worst marketing copy transgressions of our time: “Passion.” It’s a word that doesn’t belong anywhere near your copy. And this is something about which we are impassioned. (See what we did there?) We talk about how the word passion is used, and what is much, much stronger than that. Yes, it takes a little original thinking. But in the end, it’s totally worth it. Plus, MORE VALUABLE FREE STUFF!

Is insurrection making it hard to accomplish anything in your business? We get it. It’s difficult to run a business and make things happen when it seems like the capitol is burning. But times of high weirdness and constitutional crisis are understandably distracting. In this episode of CoupleCo Uncorked, we pretend to drink a fine wine from Napa while we offer Three Big Tips For Mentally Surviving The Latest Crisis—and two bonus tips we never considered. Oh, and we laugh.

Is it the skiing or the day drinking? People say they want to be us—which is a really bad idea. They see outward manifestations of some ideal, and want to jump right on our bandwagon. We’ve also heard other couplepreneurs say the same thing: people want to be them. Whether it’s having a business with a spouse, living in an RV, doing a podcast, living at a ski resort, day drinking, doing creative work together, no matter what it is: it’s not just about the fun stuff. See a photo of us skiing at 10am? You don’t see us working at 10pm. Instead of aspiring to someone else’s apparent lifestyle, aspire to your own. And here are Three Simple Things that go into being able to do what we do, which is this: living it on our own terms and the money be damned.

Yet again, we have been fighting with each other, so we’re uncorking a bottle of wine, and giving stuff away. This Uncorked edition offers valuable tips based on real-life examples. And there’s a FREE gift to kick up your marketing (and it’s worth 200 bucks--FREE). Yes, we’ve just been giving away the farm and it seems to keep happening. We discuss a common mistake small businesses make with their brand, what to do about it, and how to think about it in 2021. We talk about successful small brands you’ve never heard of, why their brands help them crush it, and the one simple ingredient that you can use, too.

This Christmas, CoupleCo has two gifts for you—one is an insanely simple piece of advice, and the other is worth 200 bucks. And yes, it’s a gift. Free. No strings, just a bow. This is CoupleCo Uncorked #3, the Christmas Eve Edition. We uncork a bottle of modest Italian wine, talk about the overcommitment problem some entrepreneurs face, use examples from clients of our own, and offer up what has been a very popular DIY course amongst our entrepreneur friends and clients. (Hint: it’s exactly what we do for our big-money clients in an easy-to-digest do-it-yourself package. And did we mention it’s free?) And yes, a few laughs and a ridiculous new business model.

Gambling for Hanukkah gelt, the neuroscience of decision making, copywriting and voiceover by Hal Riney—what do we NOT discuss in this new holiday edition of CoupleCo Uncorked? We have a few laughs, drink a little wine, and give away another valuable prize for the first couple of listeners to respond. And while we do this, we also manage to talk about advertising, branding, and other things vaguely related to working together. Come and laugh and drink along!

This episode is the product of conflict! One of us got annoyed, so we threw out the business topic we had planned on discussing. Instead, we are popping a cork, and talking about couples during COVID lockdown, Italian wine, Dolce & Gabbana, our “blockbuster” books, our secret relationships with celebrities, and hey--a free offer worth almost 200 bucks!

We are back with the rule breakers of Asbury Park, NJ. Or are they rule makers? One thing’s for sure: they would not trade the couplepreneur lifestyle for any other. Denis Randal and Jerry Miller’s pandemic-perfect business model is a mobile optician service. They bring their eyeglasses showroom to you in the Asbury Park area. The business was born of Jerry’s dissatisfaction with his corporate gig, where his employer was treating the patient as a number and limiting the amount of time Jerry had to do his job well. He thought the patient deserved better, and proposed a new business model to Denis over dinner. They’re both thrilled not to be in the 9-to-5 grind and working on their own terms…

This week, a couple who are breaking all kinds of rules. Or making their own, depending on how you look at it. Denis Randal and Jerry Miller have a pandemic-perfect business model. They’re running a mobile optician service. They bring their showroom and optical service to wherever you are—as long as you are in the vicinity of Asbury Park, New Jersey. Yes, greetings from Asbury Park. It’s a business model that’s perfect for the pandemic lifestyle. It’s also a business model that was born of Jerry’s dissatisfaction with his corporate gig, as you heard at the top of the show. His employer was treating the patient as a number, and he thought the patient deserved better. What better reason to start your own business than dissatisfaction with the status quo?

What happens when a CoupleCo splits up for separate projects? Or vanity projects? Is it possible that it’s still a couplepreneur venture, even though only one of them is getting all the glory? It works that way with us. Honey and Blaine abandon the regular CoupleCo format for a whole new chat about crushing it with Honey's new novel, Careful-ish. This is about buying the big lottery ticket, doing what seems like a vanity thing when it’s still a covert joint venture, and being supportive. Or…too supportive? What happens when one partner pushes the other out of the comfort zone in pursuit of fame and fortune through art? Well, fame and fortune can be a slow build…

We’re back with part 2 of Annmarie and Kevin Gianni of Annmarie Skincare. We are revisiting their 2018 interview because these two are brave and brazen entrepreneurs. They do things on their own terms with a 21st century skincare company that pivots and profits. And long before CoupleCo was on the road recording interviews, they were doing it in a different business venture. They also learned some life lessons of couplepreneurism that are unique to living and working out of a motorhome. They’re fun, funny, and you’ll love them as much as we do…

These two have done it all on their own terms, they’ve evolved, adapted, survived and adapted some more. They’re smart, unafraid to pivot, and they’re committed to their cause. This is Annmarie and Kevin Gianni of Annmarie Skincare. We are revisiting their 2018 interview, which is one of our favorites ever. And not in the least because she’s not afraid to back up a big RV. These two went on the road with an RV long before we did it, and they conducted interviews all over the country. Hear about their choices, their pivots, and their organic health & beauty empire…

We’re back with Chuck and Coleen, the professional couple who are helping start a business that’s kind of a dream gig—and one in which they have no experience. It’s a high-end, nose-to-tail butcher shop with a limited menu and delivery. Didn’t anyone tell them that starting a food service operation during COVID-19 comes with a high degree of angst? Why have they found the pandemic so good for them? And despite the fact they’re experiencing setbacks in a business that has yet to launch, they remain optimistic and philosophical. That’s probably because, as a serial entrepreneur, he has some of the best business advice ever…

We’re talking to Chuck, a veteran real estate developer, and Colleen, who comes from PR and corporate sales. We’ve been talking to their partners in launching a high-end butcher shop with a limited menu and delivery. Of the three couples involved, only one has food experience. This is daunting, especially when COVID is in the mix. They’re counting on the culinary leadership of Paige and John Courtney (episodes 135 & 136). But none of these people are afraid of hard work—nor setbacks, and they’ve had a few. Their opening has been pushed back to December, so they’re missing some high season in a big-money tourist town. But everyone is pretty philosophical about this. How do you start a business in which you have no experience and not just lose it?

Welcome to the CoupleCo resentment episode. This is the one where we pretend to argue! But seriously, folks: How can you work with your significant other if you harbor resentments? We have no idea. We may not be a model couple, but we seem to have it nailed when it comes to cooperating with each, celebrating one another, and doing what it takes to make it all work for each other.

Suzanne has been quoted in the news stating a belief in miracles—and she has good reason. We’re back with one of our favorite Napa winery couples. Last week, we revisited a 2019 interview with Shane Pavitt and Suzanne Phifer-Pavitt of Phifer Pavitt Winery. Since the Napa fires, their family is fine, their winery is safe, but their home is damaged. They’ve also lost a vineyard of cabernet sauvignon--but two weeks before, it had given them the first harvest. Wine Spectator magazine reports that first harvest was 10 years in the making. They got the grapes, and we hope they get to make a wine that has a story. These two are an inspirational pairing...

We are revisiting these two winemakers because they’re an inspirational pairing. Shane Pavitt and Suzanne Phifer-Pavitt moved to Calistoga with some serious business chops and a fondness for libations. Their Phifer Pavitt Winery makes the nationally famous and hard to get Date Night wines. As CFO, Shane had to come to grips with the idea of pouring capital into a business with no product to sell for years. He was also influential in one of the brand’s most important marketing decisions--proving you never know where the brand thinking is going to come from. Unfortunately, as we are presenting this, fire is ravaging Napa Valley. At last word, Shane and Suzanne’s home had sustained significant fire damage, they’d lost their Estate Vineyard, but their winery was still intact. Our hearts are with Shane and Suzanne during this, and we’re keeping our fingers crossed for them.  

Want to start your own business together? These two left New York and Los Angeles behind, moved to the country, built a miniature empire, picked up national business, raised a family, and have avoided many of the stumbling blocks faced by a married couple in business together. Here in part two of our first CoupleCo convo, hard-charging A-types Robin and Jim Whitney of Whitney Advertising tell their story—including what it’s like running an all-consuming business while raising two kids...

They’ve built a little local empire of their own. They’ve picked up national business from a virtual cow town. In the middle of it all, they’ve raised a family. And in the process, they have vaulted over many of the hurdles faced by a married couple in business together. Would you consider moving your family and going into business with your spouse? It’s happening all over, so it seemed like a good time to revisit an important conversation. This the first-ever CoupleCo interview newly improved, and it is one of the most significant. Hard-charging A-types Robin & Jim Whitney of Whitney Advertising left the big city for rural living—and have lived to tel the story...

When should you push your partner out of the comfort zone? How do you tell the difference between basic nerves and real dread? Want to learn how to deal with fear and get past it? And where does improv comedy fit in all this? Especially today, in times like these, the conversation about fear is an important one. Dr. Rachna Jain is a listener favorite. We are revisiting dealing with fear and finding the courage for CoupleCos. For the married couple in business, fear can run amok. It can even prevent you from starting a business together. It can prevent you from taking necessary risks. But fear is also informative. Where are you flexible and what your deal-breakers?

What happens to your business if life gets in the way? Who owns the business? Who runs the business? Could you suddenly find yourself in business with an in-law you don’t like? What if you wanted to just take off six months to recover from the grief of losing a partner? There are all kinds of issues that CoupleCos might not think about because they’re deep in the day-to-day of running the business. But sometimes life smacks you in the face. And life-planning with legal insights is smart. Shreya and Colin Ley, the Lawyer Humans at Lay Roots in Seattle, talk to us about putting these things down on paper and getting them off your mind.