When you're in business with your husband, wife or someone you're close to, it's pretty easy for business conversations to take over everything.
Before you know it, you're talking about cash flow over dinner, team problems on the weekend, or trying to sort out a business issue when your partner really doesn't want to hear about it.
And here's the thing. Those conversations need to happen. You've got a business to run, clients to look after and decisions to make.
But when and how you have those conversations can make an enormous difference to both your business and your relationship.
Caroline and I have been in business together for 15 years and married for 20, and believe me, we don't always get it right!
In this episode, we're sharing something we've developed called the Conversation Code, a simple five-step process to help family business partners have better conversations, work through problems and actually get things done.
We share a rather interesting moment from our own week when some well-intentioned advice from Caroline didn't quite land the way she'd hoped.
We also talk about why having regular, structured meetings matters, even when there are only two of you in the business, and why some business partners keep discussing the same problems without ever getting them resolved.
Because being in business with someone you care about should bring you closer together, not push you further apart.
In today's podcast you’ll discover:
01:15 - Why business conversations start taking over your personal life
01:57 - Why when and how you communicate matters more than what you say
04:41 - How the right advice at the wrong time can create unnecessary tension
06:40 - Why even a two-person family business needs structured meetings
10:38 - The five-step Conversation Code for working through business problems
15:10 - Why business meetings fail when nobody takes ownership
16:35 - Why bringing solutions instead of problems changes the conversation
Quotes
“You’ve got to talk about what’s going on in the business. Issues with clients, team, money, cash flow, whatever it might be. It’s not so much about what you talk about. It’s how and when you talk about it.” - Mark Creedon
“Being in business with your favourite person should bring you closer, because you’ve got shared goals, shared outcomes, shared problems, and a shared journey. But time and again, what we see it doing is not bringing you closer, but actually pushing you further apart.” - Mark Creedon
“You really need to know what the real problem is. It’s like an iceberg. The thing above the water is what you see, but the real problem lies underneath.” - Mark Creedon
“The goal isn’t to stop talking about business. It’s to talk about it at the right time, in the right tone, with clear outcomes and solutions, and to know who’s going to do those little bits.” - Caroline Creedon
The Mastermind for Business podcast is powered by Business Accelerator Mastermind, a coaching program that helps service business owners and professionals double their revenue whilst halving their time in the business. Each week, Mark Creedon, a Business Coach at Business Accelerator Mastermind, speaks with some of the best business minds in the world and shares simple, practical steps you can take to create the business you always wanted.
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Mastermind Business Accelerator is a hands-on practical program aimed at driving results fast. Spearheaded by Mark and Caroline Creedon and a range of highly qualified experts, the program will give you back the freedom you hoped for when you first started your business or professional practice. With his coaching program, Business Accelerator Mastermind, Mark helps business owners maximise their time, set and achieve goals, while remaining accountable.
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How To Have A Business Not A Job:
WITHOUT NEARLY KILLING YOURSELF
