Hay girl! Let’s talk about the real side of doing business with your spouse—it’s not always picture perfect, and that’s okay! So many people glamorize it, but the truth is, you learn a lot—especially about yourself. On this journey with my husband in real estate, I realized we don’t just work together—we thrive together. We bring totally different gifts to the table, and while that was tough to navigate at first, it’s become our biggest strength. There’s no “I” in team, and when you both truly respect, love, and value each other’s role, your business can soar. That’s what happened for us, and I pray it can for you too!

One of the best parts of this journey was taking that first leap together. As newlyweds, our loan only qualified us for a fixer-upper, and even though I was nervous (okay, terrified!), I trusted my husband’s vision. I was a full-time teacher in Fairfield at the time, so coming home meant jumping right into renovations—him with a hammer, me on YouTube learning how to DIY it all! God gave us a shared dream and drive, and it became such a beautiful process. Another major win? Learning to define and respect our separate gifts. Whew! It’s easy to assume your way is the best way, but working in alignment—delegating tasks based on strengths—was a total game changer for us.

Now for the not-so-glamorous side: I’m a big dreamer (like BIG), which means I tend to take on way too much. I start strong, but then burnout hits, and fast. In the beginning, I wanted to be everywhere, do everything, and make it all happen now. But girl, that’s not sustainable! I got frustrated, tired, and—yep—snapped at my husband for not doing more, when in reality, he was burnt out too. There’s so much grace for new beginnings, and I had to learn to receive that grace for myself. Over time, we learned that building something meaningful means slowing down, pacing ourselves, and letting God guide the process—not our hustle alone.

Lastly, the biggest lesson we’ve learned? Simplicity wins. We didn’t have consistent systems in place early on, and that made everything harder. If you’re doing it all yourself, let me tell you—you don’t have to. Delegate, automate, and find simple systems that work for you. And once you do? Stick with them! It’s tempting to chase fast results or jump ship when trends shift, but consistency will always carry you further. If you’re in business with your spouse or bestie—or even just starting solo—and you need help simplifying your systems or discovering your unique gifts, let’s chat. I’d love to coach you through it and help you thrive in purpose!