"Meet the Parents" 7 Year-old Interviews Entrepreneurial Couple - Us:)

This episode features yours truly. As founders of Branding Shorts Creative Agency and creators/hosts of the A Couple of Entrepreneurs podcast, we've interviewed many amazing couples in the past few months and learned a lot along the way. So, we thought it was time to share our story and invite a guest host who knows us better than anyone else. Our seven-year-old son, Ricky!

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
The risk takers, innovators, business owners, and there are a couple.

(00:13):
Welcome to a couple of entrepreneurs, a series about couples who start a business together
without ending their relationship.
Hear their unique stories, get tips, advice, and a secret to their success.
Would you work with your spouse?
Hosted by Micki and Tony, a couple of entrepreneurs.

(00:34):
Co-founders of Branding Shorts.
So welcome to another episode of A Couple of Entrepreneurs.
Today's episode actually features myself and Micki.
We are the co-founders of Branding Shorts and we're going to talk about our experience
working together and we have a very special interviewer today.

(00:59):
I am the kid of, well, the workers.
Yes, we would be the workers.
This is our son and what is your name son?
Ricky.
So he will actually ask mom and dad questions today about working together because he has
a special insight being our son.

(01:22):
Don't tell them everything, right?
Okay.
All right, so let's start.
Are you ready?
Yes.
So Ricky, what's the first question you'd like to ask us?
How did you start working together?
That's a good question.
Well, you know, the first time, I don't even know if you know this story, Ricky, mommy and
daddy worked together.

(01:42):
Daddy used to work for American Express and one of my bosses asked me to make a video
about someone who was being promoted for a meeting.
What she asked me to do was some humor and part of the reason is because daddy used to
sometimes do stand up comedy.
You know that, right?
Stand up comedy.
Do you think I'm funny?
Kind of.
Oh, just kind of.

(02:03):
Thank you.
This is compliments from my son, but I never made a video before, so I was dating Mickey
and I asked Mickey to help me out.
Yes, I helped out because I'm from advertising and I did TV commercials for a living, so I
agreed to help out.
And so we did the video and we produced it for the American Express for, you know, I

(02:23):
guess about a thousand people were at the meeting and it worked out well and interestingly
enough, the person at that time, which was about 20 years ago, got promoted and now he
actually is the CEO of American Express.
So it was our first project and then we started to work on other videos and eventually started
the business.
And what do you guys work on and how long have you been in business?

(02:47):
Excellent question, Ricky.
So we are a video production company.
We've been in business since 2008 working together and yeah, a long time.
Way before your time.
Yeah.
How old are you, Ricky?
Seven.
We work on everything from small videos, social videos, website videos to bigger projects

(03:13):
like documentaries or commercials.
And then we like to give back so we also get a chance to work with clients like the American
Cancer Society and we do a lot for pet rescue as well.
So we work, obviously we have to make money to support who, Ricky?
I believe that's me.

(03:33):
Yes, exactly.
So we do that.
But we also want to give back and that gets us into some of these causes we work with.
And sometimes we get to have some fun and even bring Ricky, you know, at the end of
the video shoot.
Last week we had a really cool video shoot with the cake boss, Buddy.

(03:54):
And Ricky, what did you get to see there?
Like we were almost done.
The cake boss actually making a cake.
So we get some cool moments that we get to share as a family along the way as we do our
work.
What are your backgrounds?
Well, before we started our business, I mean, my background is working for larger corporations,

(04:19):
helping develop new businesses and doing marketing.
And I got my MBA.
And then on the more creative side, you know, I had a chance to play around and do some
stand-up comedy and did some stuff with Second City Chicago, which is more improvisational
comedy, combining really business and entertainment.
And I was in advertising for many years.

(04:40):
I was a creative director, but always worked in the creative business.
I was doing TV ads for like Coca-Cola and Proctoring Gamble.
And then I was also doing short films on the side.
So I was always in the creative side of things.
So how did you guys like come up with trying to do a business?

(05:01):
But I think we were both ready.
We both had worked for, you know, a lot of companies and done a lot of work.
And we were ready to, you know, try and spread our wings a little bit and see, hey, can we
take all this experience we have and the skills we have to try and do something, you know,
on our own, you know, and leverage each other's experience?
I mean, what do you think, Meg?

(05:22):
Yeah.
And I think as time goes by and you get older and you just think like, you know what, I
don't really want to be working for somebody my entire life.
I want to do my own thing and run my own business and have the flexibility to be creative as
possible and take on the types of businesses we want to work on.

(05:45):
And it's tough sometimes.
I mean, because you're like any business, when you run your own business, you're going
to have your ups and your downs.
So you'll have some really great years and then there'll be some tough times.
And you just have to keep that in mind that it's going to be a little bit like a roller
coaster ride.
But you want to hopefully be more on the ups than the downs.
And also with the independence, you can have the flexibility to work around a little person's

(06:10):
schedule.
You know, instead of being told, hey, you have to get on a flight to go out here to
the West Coast tomorrow or do this or that, we can plan and we make sure we prioritize
to get what we need to get done in the business.
But we're able to spend more time as a family, which is, I think is an incredible gift.
Do you like spending more time with mommy and daddy, Ricky?
Yes, I definitely do.

(06:31):
How did you guys come up with the name branding shorts?
It's very exquisite.
Exquisite.
I like that word exquisite.
Well, it is a funny thing because when we were first starting, we were doing these little
short films and we were doing films for fun.
And we were doing, like Tony said, the American Express short film and other short films.

(06:53):
We just thought, you know, we should be doing this for brands and, you know, short films
for brands.
So why not call it branding shorts?
And then we had fun with it with a little pair of red short pants, which has evolved
over the years.
It started out with an actual pair of short pants.
And then people kept thinking, we were making short pants.

(07:16):
We were a fashion company.
And then it evolved into a more of a, it evolved into more of a clapper, like a movie clapper.
And it evolved into something more graphic today.
Do you like working together?
What do you think, mommy?
Do we like working together?

(07:36):
On occasion.
Occasion, yeah.
Okay, Ricky, what do you think?
Do you think mommy and daddy like working together?
Sometimes.
So, yeah, so it's a challenge, right?
It's a challenge to work with your spouse.
And so we started this podcast and talked to a lot of spouses who work together.
It's fun.
It's a pleasure because we get to work together and get to balance our life between business

(07:59):
and life and get to spend more time with who?
My parents.
You get to spend more time with us.
So Ricky, do you like having parents who work together?
Sometimes, but most of the time it's a yes.
Do you guys ever argue?
What do you think, Ricky?
What do you think?
I think the answer is yes.

(08:21):
And who usually wins the argument, Ricky?
I think it's my mom.
Probably.
And does daddy say a lot of times, like, it's my fault?
Yes.
Yes.
I think that's definitely a yes.
Sometimes you have to argue to get to a better solution.

(08:42):
So sometimes arguments are a good thing.
Yeah.
And I think it all depends on how you argue or how you debate because you do get a better
solution ultimately.
I think the key is try not to, and it's hard, but the key is not try not to take things
personal and focus on the business.
But one of the things we've heard from other couples and I think we see it with ourselves

(09:04):
is when you're a couple and you're not just two colleagues in a large corporation, you
can push each other more.
Right?
You agree, Mick?
Or you can push each other to do things that you may not be able to push a colleague in
a corporation to do.
Right.
You know each other's strengths and weaknesses and you know each other so well.
So you can ultimately sometimes get a lot better solutions.

(09:25):
And again, we've heard this from a lot of the guests that we've also had on the podcast.
So like you have rules for me, do you guys have rules for your business?
Yeah, you're right.
We do have rules for you.
Do you always follow them?
Probably not.
I know.
So we do have rules, but we actually call them guiding principles.

(09:47):
I know that's a big word, I know.
So when we develop some of these along the way in our business, for example, one of the
things we want to make sure we do is treat our clients and the folks that work on our
team like we treat family.
You know, we want to make sure we give them respect.
Yes, respect is a key thing and gratitude.
Another thing that we try and do is, you know, is on a consistent basis is prioritize.

(10:11):
I mean for business and life, prioritization is essential and it's not always easy because
you have so many things going on where you have your business and you have your family
life with beautiful children like, what's your name again?
Oh, Ricky.
Right, Ricky.
And he obviously always comes first.
But you know, when you look at things, we make sure we prioritize what has to get done,
you know, immediately versus middle term versus long term and how do we accomplish it the

(10:37):
best we can to keep things moving forward.
And I think the one other thing we've learned a lot in business over the years, whether
it's from our jobs working in large corporations or in our own businesses, is that there was
this expression we heard one time, don't step over the dollars to pick up the pennies.
And so, you know, so what does that mean?
I mean, I guess, you know, focus on saving a few pennies or going for opportunities that

(10:59):
are really are not profitable, you know, versus looking at the bigger picture and what really
will help drive your business.
So there's a couple of things that we make sure we follow which rules or principles as
we run our business.
So do you guys have any advice for any other parents that might want to work together?
I think one of the things that, you know, we think is really important is you need to

(11:24):
have roles, you know, or some people would say swim lanes and to make sure you're not
getting each other's way and maximize each other's strength.
But then find the things where you do need to work together to move the business forward.
Yeah, and sometimes I think it's important to have like a long time, you know, separate

(11:44):
spaces.
And then there's times when you have to like collaborate and work together.
And then do your own roles, but then find out those times when it's more really important
to work together, whether it's financial decisions or proposals for big clients, and then just
make it all work.
And you have to have roles or swim lanes as some other couples have referred it to, referred

(12:07):
it as swim lanes.
Roles are important because it keeps us, I think you just talked about roles.
Yeah, I did.
But typically, as you can tell sometimes, I might listen to it, but whose fault is that
Ricky?
Definitely yours.
That's what I thought.
Okay.
I thought I just said that, but okay, but it's so important.

(12:28):
I'm glad we said it twice.
And I think the key thing is trust.
And I trust Mickey explicitly with everything, especially this little child right next to
me, the most important thing in our life right here.
Yes, right here.
Yes, he's right here.
And if you didn't know he was right here, he's telling you he's right here.
And running a business because you're making tough decisions sometimes.

(12:51):
And you want to be able to trust your partner.
All right.
I think we're pretty much done with the interview because our son is now ready to go back to
play Mario Brothers games.
Is that right?
No, I have to go to the bathroom.
Okay.
I think that's another cue to end the interview.
So Ricky, thank you for being our guest host.

(13:15):
For more episodes, visit brandingshorts.com forward slash podcast.
Thanks for listening.