Episode 109: Working with Your Spouse with Author & CEO, Brad Casebier, of Radiant Plumbing & Air Conditioning
Today Brad speaks with Brad Casebier, Founder and CEO of Radiant Plumbing. He relates his journey as a struggling business owner who kickstarted an exciting era of growth after his wife Sarah joined him as a partner.
Our conversation largely revolves around the lessons Brad has learned about scaling and managing a business with your spouse based on his and Sarah’s own experiences which Brad writes about in his 2021 book The Survival Guide to Working with Your Spouse.
Listen in as Brad shares why creating an org chart from the get-go is one of the best things you can do, even if it’s meant to be a reference for just you and your partner. He also says that it’s always best to consume the same educational resources together in order to be on the same page when considering the future of you and your partner’s business.
Asked about leading the 250+ person team at Radiant Plumbing, Brad explains that cultivating a “work hard, play hard” company culture with a system that recognizes the achievement of each and every member of the team is vital to the company’s success.
Finally, Brad gives his advice to those who are currently at the start of their business journey, and in particular why finding a coach has been of tremendous help to both him and Sarah at the beginning of their partnership.
Topics Discussed:
The challenges of doing business with your spouse
When Brad and Sarah began working together
Managing a company with 250+ employees
Writing the book
How Brad and Sarah decided on their roles in the company
Why Radiant Plumbing conducts wellness retreats
From call to permit to completion
How Radiant Plumbing provides feedback to each of their 250+ employees
Sarah’s contribution to the business
Learning to separate business from personal life
Setting boundaries with your business partner/spouse
How to deal with business failures personally and with your partner
Building a company culture of “work hard, play hard”
The business owner’s mindset: from craftsman to entrepreneur to legacy-seeker
Brad’s advice to those who are at the beginning of their business journey
What Brad is most excited about
Key Quotes by Brad:
Creating some real structure and real roles and real responsibilities cleans up a lot of those grey areas where you would have a lot of conflict, because you’re in each other’s lane, you’re second-guessing each other’s decisions, and it’s really inefficient.
Two of the biggest mistakes I see people make are: a) don’t get coaching; and b) they get coaching by themselves and try to sell their partner on it later. Do it together. If you’re going to a conference, do it together. If you’re going to see a speaker, read a book, do it together and compare notes.
It doesn’t matter where your business is at. There’s always more you can do.
I can’t express to you how important it is for my employees to feel like they’ve got a relationship with their manager.
I challenge you to let [the wrong people] go. You’re going to lose the good ones because you’re keeping the bad ones.
Get coaching, together. Somebody has solved it in your industry. [...] They might even charge you some money, and you should fork it over because it might be the cheapest thing you’ve ever invested in. [...] Often, the more we spend, the better it is.
I needed to learn not to be the limitation to my company’s growth.
