Gearing up for my first day on the job, I dusted off my inner journalist and forced Josh to let me interview him about my new position and what it’s like to be a husband-wife branding team.
Megan: First off, I am so excited to officially join the team. I truly believe I can add a new layer, some more depth, to our services.
Josh: Definitely. It’ll be great to have you on board full-time instead of just begging you to edit copy after work and on weekends.
M: Yeah, it’s time to take this all the way. So, Josh, why do you want me to work for you?
J: With me. There’s a gap that you’re filling. Trying to do all the designing and juggle all the administrative junk that comes with running your own show can be pretty taxing. To have someone that can take some of that load off…you know. You’re good with people, good with words. People seem to like you. [He laughs.] You bring some really essential verbal skills to the table.
M: It’s not like you’re incapable of these things.
J: Yeah but you have a very organized, linear brain.
M: How’s that different from yours?
J: Mine’s not linear. I have to force it. Mine is…a web, maybe? My thought processes are more of a web. Something with many branches, like a delta. [We both laugh.] My brain makes connections with everything and goes off on trails some times.
M: I’m more focused?
J: For you it’s effortless.
M: I think it’s useful for you to have another set of eyes around and another viewpoint.
J: Yeah, definitely. A lot of times I’ll be working on something for hours at a time. I’ve gone cross-eyed about it at some point. You’ll look at something for a second and notice that a letter looks funky or a line looks like a squirrel. You bring fresh eyes. Getting that kind of constructive feedback helps.
M: Obviously, a big part of why I’m here is copywriting. You’re so good at the visual part but clients need the words to back up the images. They need a voice. I’m really excited to be offering that now.
J: You have this huge background in writing. You’ve even been writing stuff for me, unofficially. I’m excited about what kind of services we can offer that pair well with the current business. I get a lot of work coming in that needs re-writing or proofing or even original content. That takes a lot of time for me.
M: I hope that you will be more free to spend your time creating. Will having a partner open things up for you?
J: I’m looking forward to having more freedom, time, and energy to focus on what I’m good at.
M: And I’ll do the grunt work.
J: [He laughs.] I wouldn’t call it grunt work.
M: So, then there’s the elephant in the room: How do you feel about working with your wife, being the “husband-wife branding team”? Am I a sympathy hire?
J: It’s definitely not a sympathy hire. In fact, actually, working together is one of the things we do best. I’ve talked to a lot of people who say they’re so glad they don’t work with their spouse or that they could never do that. For me it’s probably the hire that makes the most sense. [Reaching over to pat my head.] Plus, you’re pretty cute.