Working With Your Spouse: The Power of a Plumbing Power Couple - Episode 299 - Million Dollar Plumber

If you are considering working with your spouse, especially if you started a plumbing business and really want your wife to come on board, this is the show. We’re talking about the power of the Plumbing Power Couple (PPC) with Lindsay Ramsey, co-owner of Inception Plumbing in Kansas City, Missouri. She shares why she decided to join her husband full-time and why it has been successful.

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3 Golden Nuggets

The thing I continue to be surprised by is how much we’ve grown and how far we’ve come just by me making this decision to join the business full-time.
All of the things I’ve done as a teacher have embedded right into what we do as a business. I’m sure it’s like that with any career. You just pick up things that you don’t realize you know.
Taking control of our own destiny and forging ahead is an amazing feeling. It’s freedom.

Show Notes

We’re talking about the power of the Plumbing Power Couple (PPC) with Lindsay Ramsey, co-owner of Inception Plumbing in Kansas City, Missouri.

(1:32) If you are a PPC working with your better other on the family business, or if it’s something you’ve been discussing and want to know the pros and cons, especially if you are a plumber who started his own business and really wants your wife to come on board, this is the show. The reality of it guys, is we’re great at plumbing. We got that thing down. But other times we fall short. Not to mention the energy that it takes to do it all. That’s the power of a Plumbing Power Couple.

Working With Your Spouse in your Plumbing Business

(7:35) Lovely Laura: Lindsey, when you came on with us, it was just Darrell, right? What was the beginning?

Lindsay: Darrell had been working in commercial plumbing for a long time, 15 or 20 years. I had been teaching high school math and coaching high school softball. Darrell felt like he needed something more. He was looking to grow and start looking at other shops and thinking about starting his own. I encouraged him. We made the decision together to start the business, knowing that I would help out in the evenings and on the weekends. He made the leap and put in his two weeks’ notice.

(12:20) Lovely Laura: What was the tipping point when you decided to join him full-time?

Lindsay: Darrell was working hard every night. He’d work long days, and I would coach nights during softball season. Darrell was not getting home till eight o’clock at night, trying to do all the jobs by himself. We didn’t see each other much. We were spending more and more time apart.

And he was trying to do everything himself. He’d answered the phone and say, “It’s going to be two weeks until I can get to you.”

I knew I needed to be answering the phone and taking some of that burden off him. I felt I had to make this decision, not just for our business, but also for our relationship. I knew that together we would be able to rally. And we have.

(15:10) Million Dollar Plumber: Okay, you made the move over. Let’s get some dirt, okay? What were some of the difficulties?

Lindsey: Obviously, one of the first things I did was take over answering the phones. Darrell wanted to pick and choose his jobs, but people would call in and have problems, and I couldn’t say no. I don’t know what jobs to say yes to and when to say no to. We definitely had a learning curve on that.

In the beginning we would micromanage each other. He would want to micromanage what I was doing. I would want to know everything about all the jobs and every little detail. That was a learning curve as well. It took us a while, but we learned to develop roles and respect each other’s roles and trust each other to get those things done.

Couples in Business

(19:00) Million Dollar Plumber: What surprised you about working for your business and working with Darrell?

Lindsey: The thing I continue to be surprised by is how much we’ve grown and how far we’ve come just by me making this decision. Darrell was working late nights, working weekends, really exhausting himself to do everything. As soon as I came on board the number one thing I focused on was finding team members to start taking some of the work off Darrell.

And I cannot believe the growth that we’ve had. I’ve only been on board full time for a year and a half, and now we have four team members. We have three plumbers, we have a CSR, and we’re looking to hire another plumber, making four.

It blows my mind. I was really uncomfortable quitting my job. It was our only steady income. But we said, what’s the worst that can happen? And as soon as I came on board we were growing exponentially. It was crazy. And I attribute a lot of that to the Million Dollar Plumber and this group.

(24:40) Lovely Laura: When did you realize it was the right decision?

Lindsey: I started thinking about all the things that we could be together if I came on and we put my efforts and my talents to work. All of the things I’ve done as a teacher have embedded right into what we do as a business. I’m sure it’s like that with any career. You just pick up things that you don’t realize you know.

I just knew looking inside my heart, that if we wanted to have this business, I had to come on full-time. I knew that I wanted more of a freedom lifestyle. I wanted to be able to put my efforts in this business and watch it grow, but not be worked to death every single day. Darrel and I really have the understanding now that we can have the freedom lifestyle and don’t have to work every minute and every hour of the day.

The Plumbing Power Couple

(28:15) Million Dollar Plumber: Sometimes when wives come on board, they think that they’re coming to work for their spouse’s business. But, it’s actually both of their businesses. Equally.
You guys have been great at giving respect and position and splitting the ownership.

Lindsey: Darryl has always thought of this as our business, not his business. Even before I was working with him full-time. We listen to each other and respect each other’s roles. We might fight about something, but we snap right back. We keep the bigger vision in mind and encourage one another. We support each other’s ideas.

Giving each other grace, really goes a long way. It’s easy to nitpick at one another and point out each other’s faults, but we’re both just trying to do our best.

You have to draw on each other’s strengths. What he’s good at, I’m not, and what I’m good at, he’s not. You find out what each person is good at, and you use those strengths to your advantage. That’s what makes the business strong.

(32:53) Million Dollar Plumber: What have been some of the benefits?

Lindsey: Well, I think one of the best benefits is bringing my dogs to work every day. When we’re at the office and there is tension, we can just reach down and pet our dogs and everything’s better.

Creating something with your partner is pretty amazing. Looking at how far we’ve came from where we started and having a team that’s focused on the same vision.

And being able to give back is a huge passion of mine. Giving to others by bringing on team members to help build a company that we can be proud of being able to enrich their lives and make their lives more full. It’s pretty amazing.

We can give to our community, give to our team members, and give to our customers. This is our Why.

(34:49) Laura: Could you imagine ever working for someone else again?

Lindsey: No, not at all. Taking control of our own destiny and forging ahead is an amazing feeling. We say all the time, what’s the worst that can happen? We’ll just pick it back up and build something else or build it better. Knowing that you have control of your destiny, is just amazing. It’s freedom.

And it’s fun. We get to go on lunch dates and work in the office drinking a cup of coffee together. We’re not rushing around all the time. Those things are priceless.

(38:16) Million Dollar Plumber: What parting words of encouragement would you have for the ladies who are considering leaving a job to come alongside?

Lindsay: We write a GPS every day. GPS basically puts you where you’re trying to go. And the phrase that I write at the top of my GPS is “Get out of the boat.” I happened to run across a little Bible snippet about Jesus’s disciples out in the middle of the ocean and Jesus says, “Come, come to me.” And of course, they’re all looking at him like he’s crazy, you know? The boat is safe. If they get out of the boat, with the wind and the waves they won’t survive.

One of them gets out and he’s able to walk on water for a moment until he gets scared and falls in. But Jesus is really saying “Come to me, have faith in me, and you will have nothing to fear.” So, my advice is get out of the boat.

I write it every day on my GPS, and it helps me to take those risks. If you’re feeling it in your heart, and you know it’s the right thing to do, take those risks. You’re never going to see what you can accomplish if you don’t get out.

Richard’s Call to Action.

If you want to learn more about numbers that matter and how to best run your plumbing business, why not schedule a free 30-min strategy call with us? Let’s talk about your goals and where you want to be this time next year, and we’ll help you create a path to make that happen. Schedule your free strategy call here today!