Hi All, Ivy here!
Wow first blog post ever for me! Excited to use this medium as an outlet of creative expression.
For our second blog post, I intentionally wanted to post today, on Valentine’s day!
Running a business with your partner isn’t easy, it takes hard work, and a lot of patience haha but with love and communication anything is possible!.. so today I wanted to share a list of key qualities that have helped Zaid & I to run a thriving business.
Here is the list:
- Clearly define roles: Making sure that each partner has a clear understanding of their role in the business and the responsibilities that come with it. For example in our hat business, Zaid Is the magician hat maker, he oversees production & finances, and is also the person who responds to our direct messages on IG (which drive most of our sales). Me on the other hand, I get to do all the creative stuff and oversee the marketing, social media posts, website, reels, video & photo editing etc. I also run the operations; the sourcing of providers, putting together processes and strategies to scale our business. As far as sales, we both sale!
- Complement each other: You must find out each others individual strengths and skills to complement each other in running a business. This helps to ensure that both partners are working in areas where they are most effective. Simple as that. We love to host friends all the time, and people who stay with us always say “wow, you guys really know how to co-work!” And is true! for example, Zaid complements me by proofreading and copy-writing almost everything I write, knowing that sometimes I get stuck with words. On the other hand, he desperately needs my creative skills (which aren’t super advance hehe), to market our brand and he admires my ability to stay on top of all the competing priorities our business has on a daily basis.
- Communicate effectively: A strong communication is key. There isn’t such a thing as overly sharing in marriage haha. Zaid & I give constant updates throughout the day on what we are working on, what our priorities are for the day, the week, etc, and what we need of each other to get our individual work done. This helps to avoid misunderstandings and ensures that we are working towards shared goals and aren't overlapping with tasks.
- Share a common vision: It is important to have a shared vision for the business and work together to achieve it. This has help us in keeping us focused and motivated. There has been times were at least one of us has wanted to drop the towel, but there is always one of us who holds the vision higher and talks the other one out of it haha. HOLD THE VISION STRONG TOGETHER!
- Maintain a healthy work-life balance: There is a time an place for everything. When we work, we work. When we play, we play. Zaid & I can get very serious when it comes down to getting work done, specially as entrepreneurs you have to constantly change shift gears from selling, to marketing, etc and being on top of your to-do-list, but we play, a LOT! Small breaks here and there, to play with Rumi, dance, go on nature walks, or eat yummy pastries!
- Embrace a growth mindset: For life in general, having a growth mindset means always looking for ways to improve. Being open to new ideas and not being afraid to take calculated risks, allows for trust to be built within the partnership and for innovation & growth to be experienced.
- Value each other's contributions: In our case, we recognize that we are both essential to the success of our hat business. As mentioned before, there are qualities that we both bring to the table that have allowed for our business to grow. Knowing that we both can bring heat to the game, makes the game much more fun! Recognizing each other’s strengths makes a power couple.
In summary, through love, devotion and creativity, we have created an amazing niche hat business that we truly love and through this journey we have learned so much of one another and are excited to see what the future holds. Stay tune.