These Founders are Proof That Partnering With Your S.O. Can Work

For Doug and Lorisa Depte, all roads lead to “health, wealth, and wisdom.” It’s the life motto that guides everything this married couple does—working together included. They’re the co-founders of BDE™, the world’s first wildcrafted sea moss gummy, and a great example of how to successfully work with a significant other.

“You can’t really go wrong with a delicious gummy that’s great for you, no matter how old you are. We take our health seriously and being busy entrepreneurs, it can be a challenge getting in high-quality nutrients that help us stay focused, energized, and healthy,” says Doug. “We wanted to make something that would minimize time without sacrificing taste or quality of ingredients.”

It takes a village to make any product. With researchers, food scientists, third-party testers, and more sitting at one table, “knowing who is good at what and putting the proper people in place” is what gets you to the finish line. It matters, even more, when you’re collaborating with someone you’re in a romantic relationship with.

Ahead, Doug shares how he and Lorisa began working together, how they maintain healthy boundaries and advice for those looking to blend the personal and professional lines.

From Real Estate to BDE™

“We first started growing our real estate portfolio together once it really started to grow and became too much for one person to handle. From there we started to learn what each other’s strengths were and started working within the roles so that the business could smoothly run. But prior to us going full-time in real estate I was vegan, and Lorisa was running her own health coaching practice helping women transition to a plant-based diet.

As the real estate continued to grow, the health coaching practice closed, but just as stated before, it has always been something that was important to us. So it was only natural for us to continue as a couple into creating BDE. We find that no matter the business or task, when there are clearly defined roles for each person, there are clear boundaries set so that toes aren’t stepped on.

We do our best to keep ourselves within these boundaries thus minimizing the conflicts that can arise within any business structure. Building a business with your spouse does come with challenges, but knowing that your partner in the business truly has your best interest at heart provides a sense of security and motivation that is unmatched.”

Keeping Romance Alive

“Being a married couple and running multiple businesses—it’s essentially just a way of life. It’s not like we say these are the business hours that we work within and all the hours outside of this time frame are non-business. At this point, it’s just what we eat, sleep, and breath. With that being said, the first 30 mins to an hour after waking is the time where business will have to wait. This is the time of day that allows us to get centered first before we get ready for the world.

Travel is another way we are able to maintain a healthy business relationship and marriage. We travel at least two times a month and this helps us to really break away from our work to spend time with each other having a great time in a totally different state or country. So once it’s time to come back we’ve had fun, been refreshed, and renewed.”

Drop the Ego

“As the saying goes, ‘you can go fast alone or you can go far together.’  We find there are two reasons why entrepreneurs may not want to collaborate with others. One, they see others as their competition and find it a threat to what they have going on. Two, they like calling all the shots. In both instances, they are allowing ego and pride to get in the way and forgetting who they are here to serve.

When we can make it about services and reaching more people with a great product or service that can truly change lives, then we can truly see from a more expansive view. Everyone has some unique perspective or skill that could add value to a team, you just have to be open to allowing it.”

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