Switchback Creative

Raising a Business: Part 2

November 22, 2015 | Culture

By Switchback Creative Team

PASSING IN THE NIGHT

This morning I got a text from my husband from late last night. When we are both fully engrossed in a project we tend to slip into opposing schedules. Trevor gets engrossed in a project, doesn’t want to stop, and will work late into the night. I, on the other hand, become obsessed with going to bed as soon as possible and waking up at 5 am to get a head start on it (as I write this the clock says 5:41 am). This is great for the business, but makes us feel a bit disconnected in our relationship.

People ask us all the time what it’s like working together constantly day and night. “How can you work with your spouse?” “Doesn’t it drive you crazy?” “Wow…together all the time huh?”

My answer to that is that it is a wild ride, but it’s why we started our company. We are one of those sometimes gag-worthy couples that are best friends and partners in every way. We are striving for this constantly as we grow personally and professionally. We inspire and respect each other more than I have ever known in a friend or co-worker relationship. Yes we argue, or as I like to say, “need to discuss things”. We aren’t always on the same page and we both can be unbending and uncompromising at times. However, it also means we know that unequivocally we both care about Switchback as if it were another member of our family.

A big part of our success, so far, has been to know when to lead and when to follow. Trevor has spent a large part of his career in charge of huge teams of people and has learnt amazing leadership techniques that don’t involve micromanaging and do involve inspiration through almost sport-like coaching, a tie-in from his past career life as a hockey player in the WHL.

I have spent a huge part of my career being self-directed and a doer. The team lead of small groups. I have been the make-it-happen team member that had to both conceptualize the work, execute and present it to make it happen.

We try to combine the two above skill sets together and mix them with unfailing respect. We find that ego never helps in this situation. The best thing we can do is tag team and feed off the other’s strength, recognizing who is best suited to lead the way in any particular situation.

As for getting back into matching schedules, we try to go to bed at the same time three to four nights a week. We have also instated a new company policy that once a month we take a four-day weekend to reconnect and get away. This will be really important as the years go on, I can already feel it. Taking big and small moments to get away and train ourselves to disconnect from The Biz and put that energy back into our family. Just like anything, this stuff is all about training. Life is really one big training session for the things ahead. To that we say bring it on!


This is an ongoing blog that is about our journey as a girl-meets-boy husband and wife team, creating and raising a business together. To read similar posts click on Business Journey in categories.