If you watch our videos or follow our social media, you probably know me as the slightly "crazy" creative guy in front of the camera. But you also know that my absolute default phrase is, "Let me check with Kim."
Building a brand as a couple is a balancing act. If you aren't careful, your audience will start treating your business like a solo operation, which is a fast track to frustration for the partner working behind the scenes.
This morning, we received a message from Pierre-Luc and Mylaine, a couple from Quebec who run a laser business with an absolutely killer name: Barbe & Rousse (The Bearded and the Redhead). They hit us with a question that hits incredibly close to home: How do you get people to see you as a team, and not just one entity?
Check out their email below, along with the exact "playbook" we use to make sure Kim is always recognized as the true backbone of Kim & Garrett Make It.
Message:
Kim, Garret,
Hello, I can understand that's not only you who is responding to message but, hope it will reach you. Me and my partner has start a little business, and our name its Barbe & Rousse in french, ( we are from canada, Québec, in english its like, the bearded and the redhead haha ( https://www.facebook.com/barbeetrousse ). So we also following you since 2 years, thanks to your video for the omtech Polar 😉 , You are great.
Maybe we can talk a bit more of anything but, for now, we are facing with something special, maybe i bit like you, or not. People start to know us in our local town, (we are on an island), we do meeting together etc etc, BUT, maybe its something special in the society. Its seem thats, its only me who is in front of everything, maybe its because i do the modeling and conception of a lot of thing but even in email, its only me, but she got a lot of idea and she can also get its own projet... So its start to disapoint her a bit. So i was thinking about you, is somehow did happen to you, how do you do to people see you has a team and not only one entity?
BTW, Sorry for the english
Well I'll be very happy if you have some CUE about that,
I also written to you on messenger, i'll let you chose where to reply ;)
Best Regards
Response:
Hey Pierre-Luc!
First off, don't worry about your English... it's great! And Barbe & Rousse is an absolutely killer name for a business. Love that.
To answer your question: it’s awesome that you notice this and want to fix it, because the "one-person show" trap happens all the time with maker couples.
Funny enough, we actually have the opposite setup here. I (Garrett) am the slightly "crazy" creative one and I handle most of our social media. But because I'm the one in front of the camera, we have to be super intentional about making sure everyone knows Kim is the backbone of the operation.
Here are the exact "cues" we use to keep it a team dynamic:
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The "Ambush" Check-In: If you’re making videos or doing Facebook stories, just walk in with the camera rolling and say, "Let's see what Mylaine is up to today..." It completely removes the pressure of her having to "host" a video, but it instantly shows your audience that she’s back there grinding on her own awesome projects.
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Verbally Give Credit: Make her a character in your content, even if she’s not standing next to you. I do this constantly. Say things like, "Mylaine gave me this design to make real," or "Like Mylaine said no, but I did it anyway..." It reminds people that she’s the voice of reason and the brain behind the ideas. And everyone knows that I always have to "Check with Kim."
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Get used to saying "We" in text: Even if you're the only one physically typing the email or message, drop the "I." Switch it to "We love this idea," or "Let me check with Mylaine on our design schedule." And always sign every single message with both of your names.
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Lean into your name: Your brand is literally The Bearded and the Redhead. Use that division as a marketing strength! Tell your local customers the story: "Pierre-Luc handles the CAD modeling execution, but Mylaine brings the actual creative spark."
It just takes a little deliberate habit-shifting to change how the local community sees you, but you guys have the perfect brand name to make it work.
Keep up the awesome work with the Polar, and good luck out there on the island!
Cheers,
~garrett
5 comments
i love this. My wife and I kind of deal with the same thing. I'm the one out in the forefront, not because I'm a one man show but because she is more of an introvert. She doesn't like to be in the lime light. with that being said, she does have the final say as to what we create and where we market. SHE Is THE BOSS!! lol seriously she is essential in keeping the business heading in the right direction. she is also the one who keeps me focused on goals instead of do random projects.
Love this topic! I am one of the lucky ones with a super supportive partner in this biz. Great tips. I am definitely the one that "peoples" more and H is just fine with that set up. But I do use WE and US when I talk to folks about our business and that is definitely important. I love shining the light on what he does and life would be so much harder without him, lol. What we do is hard work and everyone deserves to get kudos!
That’s solid advice in including the other half of the team. Not to call Garrett out but every video when you say I’m about out of time I want to yell “We”, don’t leave Kim out she wants nachos too. For the bearded and redhead, be glad you have a team. My wife is part of the business on paper but it’s me, myself and I for everything else. Even as the solo creator I still say we in my emails and posts. My wife is the litmus test for most my ideas.
I think this applies to a lot of couples… One Level Headed and One Dreamer!
Fantastic email! Thanks for sharing this as me and my husband are in the same boat. He doesn't like being in front of the camera, but he's the one that started this whole adventure and that runs the machines. We love you guys because you are doing this together just like we are :-)