After grad school I worked for my father for three years. It was a great experience because I was exposed to all facets of running a company. But one of the downsides was the father-son dynamic had to change to business partner-business partner, which was a difficult transition for both of us. When I left to work for Disney, I vowed never to work with family again.

That self-imposed rule lasted six years till the idea of My One Resource came to me one night at 3:00 am. As I pulled together research, the business plan and identified what was needed to actually proceed, there was only one person I knew I could count on to do this venture with:  my brother!

His background is sales, and mine is marketing, and if you know anything about those two roles they rarely get along. But my brother is one of the smartest and craftiest individuals you will ever meet – he could sell anything, to anyone at anytime.

But he doesn’t just sell, he’s strategic, boils everything down to their most basic level, and constantly challenges me and our team to question whatever decision we make.

He is without question my best friend and the person I know I can always count on no matter what. Don’t get me wrong, we still have our fights (which usually involves me apologizing), but nothing ever lingers and we have each other’s backs.

I am extremely lucky to have him as my brother, and even luckier to have started a company with him.

Most people don’t have a Kyle – most entrepreneurs are either on their own or are forced to find a friend or colleague to begin their journey with.  And sadly because there isn’t 100% trust, those relationships can end badly.  Stress, depression and financial hardship are just a few of the struggles that entrepreneurs face when starting a company.

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If you are starting a business or are thinking about adding a partner, ask yourself, “would you want to be in a fox hole with this person?”

Good luck finding your Kyle – I’d loan you mine but we’ve still got a ways to go with our company!