Work Hard Play Hard!

Could taking time off actually improve your business and your relationship? Hear how our decision to book a honeymoon cruise amidst growing stress and burnout led us to an eye-opening realization: planning ahead for regular breaks can be a game-changer. This episode of "Married to the Hustle" kicks off with our personal story of long hours, exhaustion, and the rejuvenating impact of a much-needed vacation. We share five key strategies for maintaining a healthy balance between work and play, starting with the importance of having something to look forward to. This experience was so transformative that we've now committed to taking regular breaks every spring and fall, and we want you to see the benefits too.

Ever wondered how couples in business together navigate the tricky waters of work-life balance? We shift gears to talk about the dynamics of working as a duo, sharing a vivid account of a business trip that ended with us both contracting COVID-19. Despite the chaos, we managed to keep operations running smoothly from home, thanks to our supportive team. Learn how we maintain boundaries between work and personal life, and discover practical advice on asking for permission before diving into urgent work matters. We also touch on our differing energy levels and how we've learned to navigate them to become not just better business partners but also stronger spouses. To round things off, we promise more engaging content and interviews with other entrepreneurial couples in future episodes.

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Alex & Jessica Fortis

Chapters

• 0:09 Married to the Hustle
• 11:46 Balancing Work and Home Life

Transcript

Alex: 0:09

Welcome to Married to the Hustle, the podcast where love, faith and business come together.

Jessica: 0:14

I'm Jessica, and with me is my partner in life and business, alex. Together, we're diving into the wild world of entrepreneurial couples.

Alex: 0:22

Each week, we'll bring you real stories, hilarious moments and valuable insights from couples who are building businesses and rocking their relationships. Talk about living the dream.

Jessica: 0:33

Or surviving the nightmare.

Alex: 0:35

So buckle up and get ready for a fun ride with Married to the Hustle. Hey guys, welcome back. Today we have an awesome topic that we're going to be speaking about. You know, working hard, playing hard, the importance of taking breaks and having a little fun, avoiding the burnout in our everyday lives.

Jessica: 0:59

And you know, today we're going to be sharing some challenging moments that we've had, because the reality is that business is not all pretty and pink and it's not. Entrepreneurship is not what it's all hyped to be. But, most importantly, we want to go ahead and share with you guys some of the things that we've done, also in order to not experience some of these challenges again. So I'm going to take you guys back to a quick story.

Jessica: 1:24

A couple of years ago, we started to grow significantly, not only in the business, but also in my coaching business, and we were working lots of hours, lots of hours, not just myself, but also Alex, and it's a different type of work, right, when it comes to coaching and consulting, it takes a lot of your brain work, you're mentally drained, you have no energy to give anything else and when it comes to the labor work, alex does more physical work. It was really taking a toll on his body, but the job needed to get done. We got engaged one Christmas a couple of years ago and we knew that the following year we were going to start planning a wedding and even though it was something super small, just close family. One of the things that I said to Alex was like oh great, we get to book our honeymoon because we have not gone away in a year and a half. Do you remember that, alex? Right, what was your thought process when I said that?

Alex: 2:25

Honestly, at first I was like, yeah about that, but you made it happen, like you always do right.

Jessica: 2:32

But here's the thing right, we needed to make it happen. Right, it was our honeymoon, we had something to celebrate and you know, it was like the union of our relationship under God and in front of our family as witnesses. Right, and for me, I looked at it as we finally get to take a break. We had probably been working at that point like a year and a half straight and I knew we needed to take a break. One of the things that that I realized was that, if I booked it ahead, we had no choice than to go.

Alex: 3:07

Right, and you had something to look forward to, right. So that for me was like all right, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, right, I loved it. I enjoyed it and it kind of refreshed me. Most of the time, you know, we were just relaxing in each other's company. It was great. We did a cruise, because we both love cruising. And when we came back I was like all right, I'm fully charged, I'm ready to go again. How did you feel?

Jessica: 3:37

Absolutely, not only for myself but also for our business also for, you know, obviously, our relationship right. We were entering a new season in our lives married, and then also when we got on the ship remember my aunt had done some upgrades for us.

Jessica: 3:56

And she told us, I think, like the day before we were going away or something. And she didn't tell us exactly what it was. She just said there's a little something waiting for you on the ship. So I don't know how she figured it out, she did, and that was so nice because we were able to do things that we don't normally do for ourselves and being able to just be here, spend some time with family. Even after the wedding. We didn't leave right away. It took us like another week so we were able to still spend quality time with our families who had come from out of town and then we enjoyed our time together.

Jessica: 4:28

But I think the most important part was reflecting during that time that, even though Alex kept saying I don't think we can do it, I don't think we could do it, we don't have the time, how am I supposed to take the time? How you know, we can't leave the business for eight days straight without us, without Wi-Fi. We just can't do it, we can't. I mean, there are so many reasons why he said we couldn't do it, but I did it anyway. Right, and he thanked me for it so much because it was one of the things that we needed to reset and from that point forward, we committed that every spring and every fall, we would do something, we would book a trip, whether it's a cruise or a weekend getaway or whatever just to be able to reset.

Jessica: 5:13

Every spring and fall was a time for us to do that, and so there's a couple of pointers here. We have about five pointers of what you can do in order to make sure that you're taking breaks and having fun in your relationship. And you know they're not the end all be all. They're not. You know they might work for some, they might not work for others, but we definitely wanted to share this information from our perspective and what has worked for us. And so, alex, do you want to grab the first one on planning ahead?

Alex: 5:46

Planning ahead so we don't waste our time, right? Planning ahead for me personally means I have something to look forward to, right? So I don't mind if I have to work six, seven, eight months I mean straight hard, but I know after the eighth month or whatever the case may be, I have something to look forward to, some relaxing time, which is not always easy, but, like right now, we're going into summer and it's probably the busiest time of the year for us. You would say, right, jessica?

Alex: 6:18

Oh, yeah, for the most part, absolutely, and just knowing like, okay, after this is all said and done, you know, maybe we can take a weekend off, you know, go sit on the beach somewhere and just relax and not worry about anything. Part of that has to be to having the right team in place. Right, having a team where you know if you do go away there's a problem, they come up with solutions. I always stress that out with our team is like things have to happen for a reason. Right, you're not going to know how to react to every situation until it actually happens. Right, it might not be the right choice you made, but we'll learn from it, right? So that's very, very important too.

Jessica: 7:01

Yeah, I agree, and for me it was also that delayed gratification. It's like, okay, I booked it now and I don't have to worry about it until September, because the trip was last September. And so I started to feel like, you know, just feeling so grateful, feeling grateful that we went on this cruise and it had already been paid in full, feeling grateful that we went on this cruise and it had already been paid in full. You know, we had, you know, we had no concerns, no worries at the last minute when it came to just going away and just disconnecting completely. But then also for us was, you know, having that escape and having.

Jessica: 7:37

You know, I'm one of those people I like to read and so I, you know, was able to grab any corner and start reading a book. I even fell asleep on the balcony, quote unquote, trying to read, but being able to just be grateful and just embrace the time that we had disconnected from the business. And the coolest part and I'll tell you this, I don't know if I ever told you this, alex, that one of the cool things about that trip in September was that we didn't talk about our business at all whatsoever. Correct, and that was so necessary for me.

Alex: 8:16

It was like a big disconnect moment. You know almost like you unplugging the power and you're not plugging it back in until you get back.

Jessica: 8:25

Right.

Alex: 8:26

And you know you would expect sometimes this is the way I think right, Okay, we're unplugging, but what are we going to walk back into when we get back? Right, that's always, that's always how, how I think. And we were blessed. I mean, a few minor things happened, but nothing major.

Jessica: 8:44

Yeah, yeah. And it was funny because I said to our admin well, she's more than our admin, she's really our business manager. She does everything around here. And I remember telling her we're going to be stopping in Mexico two nights before we head back home. I'm going to reach out to you from there, just in case I need to stay in Mexico. Yeah, I remember that. And she was like Jessica, stop it, we have it under control. And you know we were planning ahead for a couple of months. You know we rallied the team together and we were like if we need supplies, who's going to handle that? Oh, I am. If we were like, if we need supplies, who's going to handle that? Oh, I am. If we need to deal with customer issues, I'm going to handle that.

Jessica: 9:26

And everybody really took charge to make it happen. So they really rallied around us to be able to disconnect. But the funny part is that we did wind up getting Wi-Fi in Mexico and I text Tiffany and I was like and I text Tiffany and I was like hey, we're about to get back on the ship. We're in Mexico. Should we turn around? And she was like no, come back, everything is going great. Come back already, though we were gone for eight days, and so that was probably the longest we've ever been away from our business, completely disconnected, so it really was an opportunity to enjoy that downtime and not deal with anything at all that was business related. So, alex, why don't you talk about the importance I know you touched on this really quickly why do you think having the right team in place is crucial in making this happen?

Alex: 10:24

Absolutely, because usually when things happen in the business, they come to me customer complaints, or there's a walkthrough, potential new customer sales and unfortunately, that time of the year when we went to on our cruise, I wasn't available for any of that stuff. So I told them you know, if things, the biggest issue for us is a complaint, a customer complaint, somebody calls out how are we going to handle this? I try to set the team up the best I could as far as like supplies and things like that, but also letting them know hey, this is who you need to go to, this is, we have an account there, whatever the case may be, just to set them up and Just letting them know that let's try to come up with a solution for the problem. And I think our team for the most part sees that when there's a problem, they come to me all right, this is the solution.

Alex: 11:21

Let's try this and having the right team that jumps on board and has you back 100%. For me, it's family. We have a family here. We're always looking out for each other, looking out for the best interests of each other. We try to mentor a little bit, coach a little bit. So the right team, the right mindset of the team is very, very important for that. What did you say?

Jessica: 11:47

Yeah, no, I totally agree. I think that trip really was one of the most prepared that we have ever been. Mind you, we've been in business for six years, guys we talk about last year, so we were about five years in and having the right team was really important at that time. And not only that, it's just they embraced it. You know, they embraced it. They were like go, don't worry, don't worry about anything, we have it under control. And it was just such a good feeling.

Jessica: 12:13

And then, coming back, actually coming back, we both came back with COVID, remember, and so we wound up having to stay home quarantined and we were able to do some virtual meetings and it was just great to be able to see the team still being happy that nothing went up in fires, nothing went up in flames the week before, and it was just a really great time for our business and for us as well. You know, I would say even. Furthermore, like what, aside from men listening to their wives, I'm just saying what advice could you give other couples that are working together? Advice, could you?

Alex: 12:53

give other couples that are working together. It's tough, right? Because I don't know to me. You're working with your wife, you're not only working with her. Then you're going home with her Learning to leave work at work and home is home. I always try my hardest not to think about work when I'm at home. It doesn't always work well, because sometimes I'm at home and I get an email. I said, jessica, look who just emailed us.

Alex: 13:20

And then sometimes you give me why are we talking about work? Right, and so it's. My advice for working couples is work is work and home is home. Learn to leave your work at your work. If it's something important that you need to speak about, take a note and share it the next day you guys are sitting together. Yeah, because you have to separate the two. You have to separate the two.

Jessica: 13:48

And I think one thing that we've done for the last few years now and I don't know if we kind of walked into it or if there was something that we discussed, I don't remember but we ask each other permission to discuss. You know, like, if it's something absolutely urgent, there's one like guys, I have a pet peeve, don't ask me if I'm busy, y'all, I'm a New Yorker, I'm a hustler, like no, don't ask me if I'm busy, because I'm always busy, but there are certain times that things are urgent. Right. And I actually would prefer if he says I know you're really busy, but I really need you for a few minutes, or or I really need you to take care of something, or whatever the case may be. Right For me. It's like. Number one is that acknowledgement that you know I'm already busy but not just automatically going into things. And you know, alex has this thing that he has to respond to email immediately. Well, selectively, he doesn't respond to mine.

Alex: 14:46

Well, I think and that's the customer service too Like if we see something that comes in, you know that is raising eyebrows. We got to get to it Right. And then there's certain things that I'll answer it tomorrow, right. Right, it's funny that you mentioned that. You know asking because sometimes I wake up five o'clock every morning. I come downstairs and make my coffee and I have a coffee for Jessica. So when she comes downstairs she has a coffee and she'll come downstairs and I don't know where she gets the energy from, but she's just full of energy at five o'clock in the morning and it takes me a little bit to wake up. Let me have my coffee. She'll go have a coffee and she'll come to me. Can I share something with you? And I'm like, okay, sure, let me stop what I'm doing here, cause I try to read, try to read my Bible, try to read my, my daily passages. And she'll stop me right there. And she's oh, nevermind, you're reading. I said no, I already stopped. Right, just tell me. Tell me before you forget.

Jessica: 15:47

Hey guys, that's something I need to work on because, you know, I just automatically think that everybody has the same energy as I do. And you know, for those of you that know, know that Alex is very laid back and very calm and I'm the complete opposite. I am not calm at all, I am eccentric, I'm in the doing mode. Sometimes I look mad and it's like, nah, I'm not mad, I'm just focused. So that that has been something that definitely it's work in progress because, you know, at the end of the day, we're in the process of becoming better, becoming better, better business owners, better wives, better husbands, right, better, you know, together in a relationship, and so these are little things that we've, you know, been able to just kind of learn from each other and whatnot. So this was a lot of fun. This episode was a lot of fun. This episode was a lot of fun.

Jessica: 16:36

I hope you guys chuckle too on some of these funny stories that we have here. But we have more for you guys. We have more Expect some things coming. Very soon You're going to start seeing some interviews with some amazing couples and some of them might make you laugh, but some of them might make you cry too to be able to hear their stories, and we're so excited to continue to share with you guys all about what it takes to be married to the hustle. And so with that, I will leave you guys. I will see you guys in the next episode and I can't wait to hear more about how our show is impacting your life.

Alex: 17:15

Thank you, guys, for listening. We'll catch you on the next one.

Jessica: 17:18

Awesome.

Alex: 17:18

Well then, stay hustling.

Jessica: 17:20

Stay hustling, Take care guys.

Alex: 17:31

That wraps up another episode of Married to the Hustle. We hope you enjoyed today's show and found some inspiration and practical tips to apply to your own business journey.

Jessica: 17:41

We love hearing from you, our amazing listeners. If you have any stories, questions or tips to share, connect with us on social media or send us an email. Your input makes this podcast even better.

Alex: 17:52

And don't forget to subscribe to Married to the Hustle on your favorite podcast platform so you never miss an episode. And if you enjoyed today's episode, please leave us a review. It really helps us grow and reach more entrepreneurial couples like you.

Jessica: 18:06

Join us next week for more exciting stories, insightful interviews and valuable advice. Until then, keep hustling, keep thriving and keep loving what you do.

Alex: 18:15

Thanks for tuning in and happy hustling.