Couples in Business: John & Terri Sonnhalter of Sonnhalter

Today we were joined on the show by business owners John and Terri Sonnhalter. Oh yeah, they also happen to be Adam’s parents!  They shared with us their 40+ year journey of working together in a business as spouses.  We heard from John a few years ago when he appeared on our show back in January 2020 (see below for a link to that show).  But this time, Terri got a chance to share her side of the story!

Posted in: Family Business
Dirty Secrets of Small Business

How Do I Know If I Should Work With My Spouse/Significant Other?

Does the idea of working with your spouse excite or scare you? This thought of, “maybe my spouse/significant other can help with this,” is one that goes through most business owners minds at some point. It’s a perfectly natural question, especially in today’s world where it is getting tougher and tougher to find good people.

Dirty Secrets of Small Business

How Do I Touch The Third Rail and Survive a Transition?

For those unfamiliar with the term “third rail” we’ve including a link below talking about it’s definition in politics. The metaphor comes from the high-voltage third rail in some electric railway systems. Touching that third rail often results in electrocution so most folks don’t live to tell about it.

Dirty Secrets of Small Business

Why You Should Hire Family Last Instead of First?

Unfortunately many folks starting out in business make the often fatal mistake of hiring family and friends first instead of last. Now this may seem counterintuitive to many folks, especially those who know us well since we usually espouse the importance of Know Like Trust when building your business. But just because it might be “easier” to start with family and friends, doesn’t mean it’s the best thing for your business.

Dirty Secrets of Small Business

Family Business Issues – What’s Best For The Organization?

Small business can be emotional.  This isn’t a good or bad thing.  It’s just a thing.  It can be a great thing if you can get your team emotionally connected to the business where they start to take ownership of their decisions and activities.