Built Side by Side

Built Side by Side
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Dan and Sarah 20 years married. Ten years running a business together in a category that fought us the whole way. Now we're building the next one in public.

Episodes

  1. Oct 26

    New State, New Studio, New Business: How We Started Solanova

    Episode 4 picks up where the backstory ends: the decision to leave New Hampshire for Florida, and to start a second business at the same time. We talk about why we never felt at home up north, why being far from everyone you know gives you room to try things, and why telling people about your plans too early might be the worst thing you can do. Dan walks through the basics of making a new business official (the name, the state filing, why we chose an LLC, insurance), and Sarah explains how she picked our new space in the Jacksonville area and why she trusts her gut on it. Plus the payment account that went quiet for months, then turned on without telling us, and where the name Built Side by Side came from. We're building Solanova (solanova.dev) right here on the show: software and AI tools for small business owners, starting with ResaleVision (resalevision.app), the app Dan built for Sarah's thrifting. Our advice from this one: grab your name and your social accounts early, but wait until you're actually open to start promoting. If you're a Jacksonville-area business owner, especially a couple running a business together, and you'd like to share your story, reach us at builtsidebyside.com. Did you keep your plans quiet until they were real, or did telling people help you follow through? Tell us in the comments. If you're building a business with your partner, or thinking about it, subscribe. We're on YouTube, Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and a like or a share really helps a brand-new show. CHAPTERS 0:00 Cold open 0:17 Welcome to episode four 2:14 Why we left New Hampshire 5:34 Far from home, free to try things 7:19 Don't announce your plans 10:47 Timing the move, and a new idea 15:03 Landing in Florida 15:46 Making it official: name, LLC, insurance 20:14 Finding the space: Sarah's call 26:21 Why Jacksonville feels different 29:50 Buying equipment without wasting money 34:21 What we're building 35:04 The payment account that went silent 41:15 Why "Built Side by Side" 44:19 Putting your name out there 46:55 Trust your gut 50:04 A quick favor

  2. Oct 20

    Two Introverts Open a Store, Then a Gym (and Then It Flooded)

    Episode 3 wraps up our backstory. First, the storefront we opened in Texas, where two introverts found out they'd rather hide in the back room than greet customers, and learned to split the job: one of us starts the conversation, the other finishes it. Then the move to New England and the jiu-jitsu gym we opened so our son could keep training: an 8,000 sq ft space, a $4,000 first heating bill, a move a few doors down, and a flood. We loved it, we kept it open too long, and we learned the hard way that caring about something isn't the same as running it like a business. We finish with what we're building now: Solanova (solanova.dev), where we build software and help small business owners put AI and automation to work, including ResaleVision (resalevision.app), the thrifting app Dan built for Sarah. Have you ever kept something going longer than you should have because you loved it? Tell us in the comments. New episodes every week. Follow the show so you don't miss the next one. Chapters 0:00 Cold open 0:27 Welcome back 3:53 From side hustle to storefront 13:09 Two introverts behind the counter 16:46 Finding people we could trust 23:28 Closing the store, leaving Texas 27:37 A new passion: jiu-jitsu 30:31 Opening our own gym 37:17 The first winter 44:30 The flood 51:27 Knowing when to close 57:20 What we're building now 1:01:44 ResaleVision, built for Sarah 1:09:17 A quick favor builtsidebyside.com · YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and X: @builtsidebyside

  3. Oct 12

    The Week Our Deposits Stopped: Losing Credit Card Processing Almost Ended Our Business

    Married almost 20 years and in business together for more than a decade, Dan and Sarah tell the story of the worst thing that's happened to their business: losing credit card processing. After years of being dropped by processors, they finally found one that worked, and the business doubled during the COVID shutdowns. Then one Friday the deposit didn't come, and nobody answered their emails. In the end the processor owed them about $60,000, they got back about $12,000, and they lost around half their revenue. Sarah was sure they'd be looking for jobs again. Dan didn't want to go back to driving a truck. Here's how they got through it, the customers who kept them alive, and what they'd tell anyone whose business depends on getting paid. Are you the first in your family to run a business, or did you grow up in one? Tell us in the comments. New episodes every week. Follow so you don't miss the next one, when we open our first store. CHAPTERS 0:00 Cold open 0:17 Why we don't name our business 4:08 Frozen by PayPal 5:14 Finally, a processor that said yes 7:23 High-risk fees and rolling reserves 10:11 COVID doubles our business 11:54 The deposit that never came 18:59 What happened to our money 23:13 Glass half full vs. half empty 29:17 Starting over without fighting 32:33 Finding a processor we can trust 36:20 There's always something 40:21 Coming up next

  4. Oct 6

    Worrier vs. Risk-Taker: Running a Business Without Wrecking Our Marriage

    Married almost 20 years and in business together for more than a decade, Dan and Sarah answer the question everyone asks them first: how do you work together without destroying your relationship? It comes down to one risk-taker and one worrier, the argument that decided when Dan could quit his trucking job, and losing almost everything just months into running the business full time. Which one are you, the worrier or the risk-taker? Tell us in the comments. New episodes every week. Follow the show so you don't miss the next one. Chapters 0:00 Cold open 0:17 Who we are 1:18 It all comes down to risk tolerance 5:33 The risk-taker and the worrier 7:31 Trucking, and why no job is guaranteed 12:43 The fight about quitting the day job 20:33 The day we lost almost everything 22:55 Rebuilding with a new supplier 28:16 How we make risky decisions together now 31:07 What we'd tell our younger selves 36:22 Coming up next builtsidebyside.com · YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and X: @builtsidebyside

  • 4 Episodes

About

Dan and Sarah 20 years married. Ten years running a business together in a category that fought us the whole way. Now we're building the next one in public.

Information

  • Creator
    Built Side by Side
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    4
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Built Side by Side
  • Show Website
    Built Side by Side