Self-Employed Couples

Running a business together and staying married: roles, money, decisions and leaving work at the door.

The BRO Code. What to do, what not to do, and a few laughs on the way.

Do's & Don'ts: Husbands Do's & Don'ts: Wives Do's & Don'ts: Business Owners

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How a Profitable Business Runs Out of Money

Profit is an opinion formed at year end. Cash is a fact that shows up on a Friday, and Friday is when payroll clears.

GuideSkillsDean Shaw22 Sept 20266 min

The first ninety seconds decide whether a stain comes out

What to do the moment it happens, which four stain families you're dealing with, and the one mistake that makes a mark permanent.

Ask BRO

Rehearse the raise conversation with me

Ask it

GuideStartupsRay Okonkwo22 Sept 20265 min

Write the breakup clause before you write the logo

Most business partnerships between friends fail quietly, and the friendship goes with them. The paperwork you avoid is the paperwork that saves both.

PartnerWhackAWoke.com

Business5 min read

Read your own profit and loss in ten minutes a month

The bottom line tells you something is wrong. It never tells you what. Read the statement in this order and it will.

Poll

What was your first ever job?

GuideSkillsDean Shaw22 Sept 20265 min

Iron a dress shirt properly in four minutes

The order matters more than the speed. Collar, cuffs, sleeves, back, fronts — and the shirt should still be slightly damp when you start.

GuideStartupsRay Okonkwo22 Sept 20266 min

The paperwork you can't skip in your first year

Most of it takes a weekend. Skipping it turns a slow month into a business-ending one, usually about fourteen months in.

GermProof.com — An invisible germ barrier on your skin for hours

PartnerGermProof.com

GuideBusinessRay Okonkwo22 Sept 20266 min

What to file before your first employee starts

The order of operations for hiring employee number one, the forms that have real deadlines, and the mistakes that cost the most to unwind.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

Six questions. No email required, no sales pitch at the end.

GuideSkillsSam Ortiz22 Sept 20266 min

How to complain so the thing actually gets fixed

The calm, specific, written way to get a refund, a repair or an apology — and the escalation ladder that works when the first person says no.

GuideStartupsRay Okonkwo22 Sept 20265 min

Find ten customers before you build anything

The cheapest way to kill a bad business idea is to try to sell it before it exists. Most people skip this and pay for it later.

Ask BRO

Plan a cook for eight people

Ask it

GuideBusinessRay Okonkwo22 Sept 20266 min

How to fire someone without wrecking them or your team

The decision is the easy part. The fifteen minutes, the paperwork and the week afterward are where most managers fall apart.

Coconut.com — Tell us when. We find where the sun is.

PartnerCoconut.com

GuideSkillsRay Okonkwo22 Sept 20266 min

Negotiating a car price without any of the theater

Most of the work happens by email, days before you ever sit down in the chair with a salesperson.

Poll

Where does your best time with your kids happen?

GuideStartupsRay Okonkwo22 Sept 20266 min

How to price trade work without guessing

Most trade businesses that fold aren't short of work. They're short of margin, because nobody ever worked out what an hour actually costs.

GuideMoneyRay Okonkwo22 Sept 20265 min

Your payslip, your tax code, and where the money went

Most people check the bottom number and file the rest. The other lines are where the errors hide, and they're usually yours to catch.

Ivermectin.com — Tracked USPS delivery, no clinic visit

PartnerIvermectin.com

GuideSkillsMarcus Vale22 Sept 20266 min

How to do CPR now, and what changed since your last class

Most of what you were taught a decade ago has been simplified, and the parts people get wrong are the parts that matter most.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

Five questions, honestly answered, and a plan for the next fortnight.

Startups5 min

How to Run a One-Man Business That Doesn't Eat Your Family

Money6 min

What to do with a lump sum before it quietly disappears

Ask BRO

Build me a 30-day training plan around two sessions a week

Ask it

GuideSkillsWes Dunbar22 Sept 20266 min

The six multimeter checks that solve most problems

A multimeter does forty things. You'll use six of them, and they cover almost every dead battery, dead outlet and dead appliance you'll meet.

PartnerCoconut.com

Startups6 min read

Quit when the work is already there, not before

The honest test for leaving a paycheck to run your own service business, and the seasons when staying put is the braver call.

Poll

How many days a week are you actually training?

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