On any given day you can find both of us with a camera bag on our shoulder. It’s a passion we share as a husband + wife. So whats in our bag…

* Hers: 7D Markll, 50mm f/1.2, life journal, chapstick (small addiction), lip stain, chocolate and an old Altoids can holding our business cards
* His: 7D, 100mm f/2.8, 24-70mm f/2.8, bible + journal, chapstick (not pictured) mustache wax and beard balm.

Where is B’s Chapstick?!

I have mentioned several times over the years that I am a chapstick addict, but this is a learned addiction, learned from B. When we met he used to (and still does) keep chapstick religiously in his pocket. He NEVER leaves home without it. About a month into dating we went ice skating and our lips became so chapped they felt like dry pealing fire wood sitting in a desert.  So for weeks afterwords every time B would apply his chapstick he would offer some to me, being the gentle men he is. Thats when I got hooked! Needless to say when I was setting up this photo the one thing B would not part with from his pocket or camera bag was his chapstick. He was worried I would forget to give it back.

We have learned a lot from each other over the years and today we wanted to share 10 Tips To Working Well As A Husband + Wife Team.

1. Sync Your Calendars – When trying to communicate effectively and managing expectations with running your own business and marriage, shared calendars are essential! B set us up a shared  Google Calendar that sync’s on both our phones, desktop and laptop calendars… it’s a beautiful thing.  This has eliminated questioning a given day’s agenda or an confusion on up coming events.
2. Weekly Block Schedules –  Each Friday afternoon we sit together and plan the next weeks daily block schedule. We each have our own tasks to complete each day along with joint tasks set to be done at the same time. This has helped us be 10 times more productive as a team.
3. Daily Meetings – Each morning right after breakfast we review our daily schedule and discuss any business issues at hand.
4. Fun Photo Shoot- Once a week we schedule in time during a work day to get out of the office and do a “Fun Photo Shoot”. We both get dressed up in something that makes us feel amazing, grab a tripod + both our cameras and head out to take some fun playful photos together.  It’s time to unwind and embrace the joy photography brings to your heart.
5. Date Nights – We make them a ritual. As marriage counselor “Peter McFadden proves, holding fast to rituals keeps you from taking your spouse for granted.” (quoted from Verily Magazine) Taking personal time to write your own love story together is so key. We both absolutely love what we do, but we love each other even more, so taking time to put that first has made working together as a team so amazing.
6. Learn To Apologize – When you work and live together you are around each other all the time. So it is natural to get on eachothers nerves at times. So learning to truly apologize will make you a stronger team.
7. Learn To Forgive – When your teammate, your other half, the love of your life sincerily asks for forgiveness you have to drop your pride and forgive. That means not bringing it back up months later to throw in their face if a disagreement comes up.  It is so important to forgive, not only so you function better as a team but so both of you have hearts that are free, free to love each other even better then before, free to make real connections with your clients and free to live a life full of grace.
8. Set Goals – The first week of spring and  first week of fall we will sit together on the front porch with hot tea in hand an discuss business goals making sure we are both seeing the same future.
9. Get Perspective On Goals – Once a month we step back and look at the business goals we have set up.  We make sure our productivity is leading us toward our goals, if it is great, if not we work out ideas to get us on the right path to obtaining our goals.
10. Practice Positivity – Let’s get real, owing your own business can be totally overwhelming at times… we know! You may wake up one morning feeling defeated, let down or totally lost, but as a team your can bring each other up by practicing positivity. You know the old saying misery loves company, well so does positivity it you let it.