NFIB

Two Businesses In One Family
04/ 01/ 2002

by Monica Cassidy

My husband, Mike, and I uprooted our lives five years ago to pursue the dream of owning my own veterinary clinic. We now joke about those first six months after we moved, when Mike found a job at a manufacturing shop and I dug in as a new business owner. We lived in the unfinished basement of the vet clinic, all our savings having gone toward the clinic's down payment. We bathed upstairs in the clinic bathtub with the cats trying to watch, hoping there wouldn't be a late night pet emergency.

Two years after starting my clinic, Mike decided to start his own business, making specialty snowmobile accessories. The clinic was doing OK at the time, so Mike converted the garage into a mini manufacturing shop, turned a spare bedroom into an office and started selling. The next year we took the plunge and got a Small Business Administration loan to buy more equipment and expand. Every season, Mike added new products, knowing he had to stay ahead of the competition. Now, he has developed a name internationally, has leased a shop, has a Web site at http://www.fabcraft.com and hired two employees. Last year Polaris Industries, a leading snowmobile manufacturer, contracted with him to put his product on their machines.

Today, we still own different businesses but are involved with both. Sounds like a lot for one couple, but we are thriving—both personally and professionally. I do bookkeeping at Mike's shop and manage the vet clinic. Mike manages his shop and does all the handywork at the clinic. We respect each other's opinions and bounce ideas off each other all the time. One of us usually gives a perspective the other hasn't considered. We are always thinking of ways to keep our spirits up. We email notes or phone each other through the day to see how the other is doing. We give each other total support. I think it may be a little easier to understand the other since both of us has "been there, done that."

Two businesses in one family hasn't been easy. When people say we have it made and are "rolling in the dough," I get annoyed. Self-employment requires a lot of sacrifices. You know you have families dependent on your payroll. It is an all-consuming way of life. But it also has its perks, and we've found it's the best thing for both of us. Mike and I are both overachievers, and spent years working for others who would take shortcuts or not appreciate the extra mile we took. Self-employment gives us the gratification of knowing we did it to the best of our abilities, with pride and with determination. We're willing to forgo that security of a paycheck every month for the satisfaction of a job well done.

We have been married 15 years and owning two businesses hasn't taken a toll on our marriage. But we would rather work together all day than with others! We don't have specific rules about bringing work home—all self-employed people bring it home. But we make sure we don't let it consume all of our conversations or all of our time. Our problem is Mike's business is also our favorite sport, so topics always end back there! Self-employment has its ups and downs and it isn't for all people, but it works for us. It allows us to succeed at our pace with the free time to pursue other things (besides snowmobiling!).

Monica Cassidy is owner/manager of Central Pet Clinic in Missoula, Mont. Her husband, Mike Cassidy, is president of Fabcraft, Inc. in Florence, Mont.

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This article originally appeared in the January/February 2001 issue of MyBusiness Magazine, NFIB's member magazine.

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