Thriving in Tandem: The podcast for married entrepreneurs Robert and Kay Lee Fukui: Business and Marriage Coaches

When you start with nothing to starting, building, and selling off multiple businesses to Fortune 500 companies, you’ve got it made, right? That’s not what this week’s guest, Aaron Walker experienced. Before he reached the age of 30 he had already sold his first company to a Fortune 500 competitor. Even though he had no intention of selling, they made him an offer he couldn’t refuse. 
Then tragedy struck. This changed everything for Aaron and sent him on the journey of moving from success to significance. 
He is now a living example of how you can prioritize the relationships that matter most and still succeed in business. And he’s helping other men do the same thing through his mastermind groups and retreats. Tune in to this week’s episode as we explore how to make those hard choices so you can prioritize your marriage and family. - You only have one pass in life to do it well.
Sound Bites
"We never learned through success. We only learned through failure and we only learn in the valley."
"The reason I'm such a proponent now for leaving it all on the field. Squeeze every drop out, do everything you can, make every moment intentional, live your life proactive, not reactive, to maximize this awesome thing that we get to do every day."
Check out his mastermind groups and retreats https://www.viewfromthetop.com/isi-mastermind
Key Takeaways:
Sold first business to a Fortune 500 company at 27
Tragedy struck that changed everything
Entrepreneurs think there is a moment when “I’ve arrived.” But it’s only temporary
Happiness is a choice
His purpose is to turn ordinary men to extraordinary people
Develop a support team before you need it. Then you’ll never be alone
Place guardrails around your life so business doesn’t take over
Bio
For over 45 years, Aaron, has been a small business owner, committed husband, devoted father, and community leader. He got his first taste of real accountability in a business Mastermind group where he developed genuine friendships and grew alongside Dave Ramsey, Dan Miller, Ken Abraham, and others. He currently serves as founder and CEO of View from the Top where Iron Sharpens Iron Masterminds, business coaching, and events all coordinate to achieve the mission.

Want to live a better balanced life and win in marriage AND business at the same time? Purchase our book Tandem: The married entrepreneurs’ guide for greater work-life balance. https://www.thetandembook.com/
Need to create more time to dedicate to your marriage? Download this free guide. https://marriedentrepreneur.co/boundaries
Need some insight into how to balance it all? Schedule a free discovery call. https://marriedentrepreneur.co/lets-talk

The reasons why couples fight over money is due to the different attitudes and habits that were formed growing up. Whatever was modeled to us growing up is what we adopt as an adult. As you’re aware, those differences are what causes the conflict. 
Savers vs. spenders, investors for going into debt, delayed gratification vs immediate pleasure. 
How do you prevent arguments about money? First, have an “us” mentality, not a me or her/him mentality. In this episode, we delve into the common reasons why couples argue about money and how to prevent it from happening and deal with it when it does. 
Want to live a better balanced life and win in marriage AND business at the same time? Purchase our book Tandem: The married entrepreneurs’ guide for greater work-life balance. https://www.thetandembook.com/
Need to create more time to dedicate to your marriage? Download this free guide. https://marriedentrepreneur.co/boundaries
Need some insight into how to balance it all? Schedule a free discovery call. https://marriedentrepreneur.co/lets-talk
Key Takeaways:
Us not me mentality
Understand each other's pasts
Value each other's differences
Vision
Reward delayed gratification
Staying in conflict forces you to work against each other and slows down wealth-building

As you go through the daily grind of building your business, does it sometime feel like Groundhog Day? Same thing over and over. If you stop and think, do you feel like you and your spouse are growing together or feeling more like roommates?
Meet this week’s guest, Jerry Dugan. One day as he was building his career, his wife and kids gave him a shot in the arm with one statement and one question. It hit him between the eyes and made him assess what he was doing. He was sacrificing his personal well being and his family health by prioritizing his work.
Whether you’re a W2 employee or a business owner, this episode will cause you to evaluate if you’re living a fulfilled life. 
https://beyondtherut.com/ 
Questions
How do we know when we’re stuck in the rut?
Many people feel they don’t have a choice but live the life they’re living. What do you say to them?
What did you do to get out of it? How do you live a life worth living?
You’ve recently left your W2 job to do this business thing full time. Any lessons learned?
One question both his children asked that hit Jerry in the heart
“I want my Jerry back.”

Bio
Jerry Dugan is the CEO and Senior Consultant of BtR Impact, LLC, a consulting and training company focused on helping leaders define success on their terms so they can live fulfilled, meaningful lives with impact and not lose their faith, their families, or their health.
His work experience includes serving in the U.S. Army as a combat medic, corporate training facilitator, and organizational development leader. He has led in combat zones and corporate offices learning the ins and outs for building teams and trust through servant leadership.
Since 2015, Jerry has been the host and producer of Beyond the Rut podcast, a show that shares encouraging stories and practical advice to help pull listeners out of their ruts and into lives worth living. It's not enough to get out of a rut. He wants you to live beyond the rut.
Jerry currently lives in Dallas, Texas, enjoying the empty nester life with his wife Olivia. They have two adult children, three cats, a dog, and no car loans!
Want to live a better balanced life and win in marriage AND business at the same time? Purchase our book Tandem: The married entrepreneurs’ guide for greater work-life balance. https://www.thetandembook.com/
Need to create more time to dedicate to your marriage? Download this free guide. https://marriedentrepreneur.co/boundaries
Need some insight into how to balance it all? Schedule a free discovery call. https://marriedentrepreneur.co/lets-talk

For some groups of married entrepreneurs, working with your spouse is the greatest thing since sliced bread. For others, it’s a disaster. The third group is getting by and the last group doesn’t even want to go there. Regardless of which camp you sit in, this episode is dedicated to you. The married entrepreneur who works with your spouse or is wondering whether it’s a good idea or not.
Working with your spouse has its challenges for sure. But if you avoid these 5 common pitfalls, you will be on the path to building a thriving business in tandem while strengthening your marriage at the same time. 
Take a listen. 
Want to live a better balanced life and win in marriage AND business at the same time? Purchase our book Tandem: The married entrepreneurs’ guide for greater work-life balance. https://www.thetandembook.com/
Need to create more time to dedicate to your marriage? Download this free guide. https://marriedentrepreneur.co/boundaries
Need some insight into how to balance it all? Schedule a free discovery call. https://marriedentrepreneur.co/lets-talk
Want to learn how to deal with conflict in a healthier way? Listen to episode 142
Top mistakes married entrepreneurs make
Just fill a seat
Not listening to your spouse’s feelings
Lack of boundaries
Taking it personal
No regular meetings

One of the reasons for the lack of work-life balance is working a lot of hours and taking on too many responsibilities. Whether it’s business or personal related, we tend to say yes to more things than we realize which steals time away from your spouse and kids.
So how do we keep from taking on too much so we can maintain a healthy relationship with our family? Our spouses can keep us accountable but it can also create conflict. Because the truth can hurt. In this episode, we’ll discuss ways we can hold each other accountable from not working too hard or taking on too much in a way that will be received well. 
Key Takeaways:
Stats on working too much
Health issues- Stress - Working 40 hrs/week + yields no additional benefit but increases heart attack risk 35%
Relationship issues- Less time w/spouse will affect your relationship
Put your ego down and listen to your spouse
Come up with a code word that doesn’t trigger the other spouse
Listen to your kids
Have an accountability buddy…or two
Rationalizing it doesn’t make it true
Just because you don’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not happening
Patience and vetting out all opportunities can uncover hidden land mines

Whenever we face challenges like recessions, COVID-19, business competition, or market crashes, fear tends to rear its ugly head. How we deal with fear determines how well we get through those challenging times. 
 Kay Lee and I recently went on a ski vacation and I noticed a lot of skiing metaphors that applied to how we deal with life and business challenges. If you’re a skier, you may pick up a pointer or two. If not, you should still understand the application this will have in your life. 
 Want to live a better balanced life and win in marriage AND business at the same time? Purchase our book Tandem: The married entrepreneurs’ guide for greater work-life balance. https://www.thetandembook.com/
 Need to create more time to dedicate to your marriage? Download this free guide. https://marriedentrepreneur.co/boundaries
 Need some insight into how to balance it all? Schedule a free discovery call. https://marriedentrepreneur.co/lets-talk
 Key Takeaways: 
Dealing with fear in life and business
Ride the slide - When things get tough, stand tall, ride it out as you look for the turn
Point downhill and go - It’s so easy to go from one idea to another without doing anything. Just get going then turn. Easier to turn when you’re going downhill. It’s difficult to turn when you’re still.
Always face forward - We all go through trials but it’s important to always know where you going even if you have to pivot in the midst of the journey. You’ll always come back to center. Pivots and changes are ok as long as it leads to your destination.
In crisis, stick to the fundamentals - Investing principles are the same during recession. Buy low, sell high. Marketing principles stay the same. COVID. Let people know what you’re selling and how to purchase. Life stays the same. Keys to success are the same whether things are easy or difficult. Fear will puts you in self preservation mode and make the wrong decisions.
The tendency when skiing down a steeper slope is to lean back. That is when you lose control.
When a difficult circumstance arises in the business, you’ll want to hold and hide. 
Sliding on ice you’ll want to lean back. If you stand tall and ride the slide, you’ll eventually hit a softer patch of snow to turn on. Ride the slide
Conserve energy for greater success - The Fundamentals & Proper technique takes less energy and improves your chances for success
Running, business profits, marriage, finances, self. In business, poor fundamentals creates less efficiency forcing you to work longer, harder, and spend more money.