Hi friends! Happy Valentine’s Day, and thanks for reading The Melting Pot. In light of the holiday, we’d like to share this interview discussing how we’ve navigated the duality of being life and business partners.
How has having a business together affected your relationship, and how do you work through issues?
Liv: It's really hard! I don't think we really figured out a good balance until maybe the past six months. Starting a business is one of the most stressful things you can do. You always hear people say don’t go into business with friends. But if you can make it work, it's pretty epic – you get to spend a lot of time together, you get to be creative together. Creating your own lanes is really, really important for the business and relationship.
We started therapy in June because we could not communicate and we were both really frustrated, and that bleeds into our home life. It's not like I can go home and complain about my boss to my partner. We're each other's bosses.
Since then we’ve really learned how to talk to each other [more effectively], especially in [the studio]. We both have very different styles of communicating.
Mike: I think the hardest part is both of us having creative ideas. You can't hit home runs every pitch. If you chase down and put all resources behind every idea, you'll go out of business. I think we really struggled with finding the best ideas [and solutions], and not taking things personally [when sharing]. You have to be unattached to your ideas, but also deal with the other person in a way that [recognizes] how fragile that moment of creation is. But it's hard when you're in a high pressure situation where the clock is ticking and every tick is money and you're like, I can't massage this too much.
Liv: It's a dance.
Mike: Now I feel like we're telepathic compared to before – I almost know what Liv’s going to say. And it helps me kind of shape my ideas before I let them out there.
How do you guys take care of each other?
Liv: Anytime we come out of a really tough meeting or we have a disagreement, it always takes me a lot longer to warm back up. But Mike’s always, like, ‘come here, give me a hug, it’s all gonna be okay, I love you’ and I'll be, like, stewing still.
Mike: I switch between wearing the “business partner” and “husband” hats. [For example, saying]: ‘I think that this idea isn't great because this, this, and this’ and then ‘I'm sorry, that was really hard to hear. I love you so much.’
Liv: We are really good about doing things together outside of this, like going on a walk, or watching a movie together.
Mike: If Liv has a late workshop, I'll draw her a bath or cook a really nice dinner.
Liv: I encourage Mike to fit in his daily routine...like meditation.
What strengths have you found in each other through working together?
Liv: Something I've always admired about Mike, within business and outside of business, is that he's an endlessly curious person. He does a ton of research on his interests. When he found pottery, he dove in deep. He's constantly educating himself on how to throw better…He goes full nerd. We'll be sitting on an airplane and he's drawing ceramic shapes that he wants to try.
Mike: Liv is the major force of positivity. When it looks like things are going to be difficult or really tight, she helps me take a step back and [appreciate what we’ve accomplished]. She's great with our employees and communicating with them. I think she has a softer touch than me in that domain. I love how different we are in the business, but we both hold down very vital aspects.
♥