We’re in a book about how to be an adult

By Sarah

Even though we’ve done this for nine years now, it’s still hard to think of ourselves as experts when it comes to starting your own business. When feminist writer and researcher, Jen Thorpe, asked us a few questions about entrepreneurship for her latest book, Adulting 101, it was fun to stop and reflect. There’s something about reading your own words in print that imbues them with a weight they don’t seem to have when they live in your head.

Jen, thank you for including us in this wonderful book, for your kind words in the intro to our chapter, and for your great questions.

I particularly enjoyed this one (reprinted with permission of the publisher):

You run your business as a team of co-directors. What tips do you have for having a good working relationship with a business partner?

Running a business with a partner is very high risk but so very rewarding. In some ways, you’re just as tangled together as in a romantic relationship (if not more so!). You have to have tough discussions about big things like money, responsibility, mistakes, boundaries. Some tips from us:

– Only work with someone whom you respect and trust

– Work on your own stuff so that you can bring your best self to the working relationship

– Lean into each other’s strengths and allocate different areas of the business to take the lead on

– Talk about how to handle things before they arise where possible (salaries, leave policies, selling the business, etc)

-Be willing to have hard conversations. Be willing to listen. Be willing to compromise

– Be willing to take turns ‘holding up the ceiling’ of the business because both of you won’t always be at your best all the time.

This book guides you through everything you need to know (including what you don’t yet know you need to know) about being an adult – from relationships, sex, work, health and money to how government and the media work.

Order your copy here (or from your local bookshop).