Entrepreneur

The Property Brothers Offer Free Advice On Building a Strong Business -- and a Strong Partnership

Drew and Jonathan Scott talked to two Entrepreneur readers (and husband-and-wife cofounders) about strengthening their working relationship.
Source: Jake Chessum
Jake Chessum
There’s no way around it: Business is personal -- ­especially when your cofounder is a sibling, a spouse, or a close friend. Dean Praetorius and Kiki Von Glinow know this all too well as the husband-and-wife founders of Brooklyn-­based digital consultancy Toast Media Group. The couple told Entrepreneur that they’re refining how they work together, so we put them on the phone with Jonathan and Drew Scott to talk about partnership best practices, mutual respect, and learning to let go. 

Kiki: So nice to meet you guys. We always jump at the chance to get free advice, so this is great. Diving in: How do you give each other feedback that’s constructive and respectful? 

Drew: We call it a no-B.S. policy. Just get it out. Don’t let pent-up frustration lead to negativity that can damage your team. Try to keep emotion out of it -- these are business decisions. 

Jonathan: It’s easy for Drew because he has no emotions that we’re aware of. We call him the robot. 

That’s Dean, too! But within that no-B.S. policy, what’s the structure? all the time? 

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