How A business Can live to tell the tale A Breakup

Breakups are tough enough as it is. but how do you cope when your ex is also your business associate?

February 10, 2015

Laura O’Neill and Ben Van Leeuwen make very good industry companions.

since starting their industry the day after they obtained married (with Van Leeuwen’s brother Pete) in the sping of 2008, Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream has grown to incorporate six ice cream vehicles (4 in NYC, two in L.A.), and three brick and mortar storefronts in the East Village, Greenpoint, and Boerum Hill. through the tip of February, a West Village location will open its doorways and in March, a Williamsburg one will apply. Later this 12 months, the operation is predicted to open two retail outlets in L.A. and a cookbook, titled The Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream e book, will likely be released.

loads of couples start companies collectively, but what makes O’Neill, 33, and Van Leeuwen, 31, distinctive is that they’ve been separated for virtually three years, but Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream continues to successfully amplify. O’Neill says the trio is this sort of “a perfect crew,” the stress of the breakup didn’t influence the success of their Balinese restaurant Selamat Pagi, which opened after O’Neill moved out.

Couple-run companies are popular with three.7 million businesses owned with the aid of a husband and wife, consistent with a 2007 Census estimate. however most married business partners don’t continue to run the trade together once the connection dissolves. O’Neill and Van Leeuwen are making it work.

“We’re form of a domestic trade, but sort of now not … we’re more or less a brand new domestic,” she explains to fast company. “[After the breakup], neither of us wanted the opposite to walk away from the industry and we didn’t need to stroll away either. When it’s your own trade and you put so much into it, it’s an important part of you.”

the two met in London in 2006 when O’Neill, firstly from Melbourne, Australia, was travelling her father and Van Leeuwen used to be learning in another country for a university semester. After spending just a few days collectively, Van Leeuwen visited O’Neill in Australia and a protracted-distance relationship quickly blossomed. the next yr, Van Leeuwen graduated from college and convinced O’Neill to give up her job as an event producer and move to Brooklyn with him and Pete to start some roughly business collectively.

photo: via Sidney Bensimon

all over Van Leeuwen’s closing semester in college, he realized that despite the fact that there are heaps of ice cream vans in NYC, none served high quality ice cream. The more research the crew did, the more they realized that standard ice cream is made with “stuff it doesn’t in point of fact want”—similar to gum and corn syrup—”primarily to cut prices and reduce corners,” explains O’Neill. That revelation was the driver for the trio to create old school ice cream with natural ingredients such as hormone-free milk cream, cane sugar, and nuts, fruits, and spices from small producers.

whereas their trade experienced so much success, O’Neill’s relationship with Van Leeuwen took a flip for the worse and he or she moved out in June 2012.

“Working with a partner, it’s surely a make or break,” she says. “We bought married really young and there were different contributing factors. whilst you’re living in each other’s pockets, that’s going to play into it as smartly.” despite the separation (the 2 are nonetheless legally married), neither wished to leave the company they had worked so hard to build. They persisted to work collectively and lately, O’Neill says their professional relationship is healthier than ever.

here is how she thinks her industry has survived her breakup.

appreciate is a must since you wish to be in contact overtly and in truth, but, at the related time, have recognize and compassion for every other’s emotions, says O’Neill.

“We talk in regards to the trade always,” she says. “We’re very so much nonetheless in the ‘head-down’ phase to develop the business into one thing that may sustain the three of us … no person is getting wealthy presently. It’s all about all and sundry working in reality arduous and being truly respectful of each different and making it an excellent work surroundings.”

She describes her and the Van Leeuwen brothers as “household” who can also be actually frank with one some other regardless of how troublesome the dialog.

whatever happens in their personal relationship, O’Neill says the trio is all the time on the same page about the place they want the industry to go. She advises couples fascinated about starting a industry collectively to be in reality clear from the beginning about what they want so that nothing comes as a surprise in a while down the highway.

picture: Flickr user Jaysin Trevino

despite the fact that it’s going to appear counterintuitive to spend extra time with your ex out of doors of work, O’Neill says it is crucial to have a relationship with each and every different out of doors of labor as a result of that’s how you make stronger your bond. She says she’s shut friends with Van Leeuwen first and foremost, and whereas they gave every other area after the breakup, it was really vital to both to rebuild their relationship although they weren’t concerned romantically. as of late, O’Neill says their friendship is so robust, there’s little the 2 can’t openly share with one some other. Van Leeuwen is supportive of his ex and even attends her shows along with her bandmate and present boyfriend.

while O’Neill admits that her situation isn’t the norm, she says that ex-couples in similar eventualities must get to know each different once more, because a robust relationship is needed should you’re going to run a a hit industry together.

in truth ask your self, “is that this a good partnership?” advises O’Neill as a result of if there are any cracks in the relationship, it is going to come to gentle after experiencing one thing as stressful as beginning a business together.

“check out the relationship similar to you possibly can any trade associate,” she says and really ask yourself if your partner is the absolute perfect one you can have for this type of business.

one of the crucial highest items of recommendation O’Neill says she’s been given is to attend 24 hours prior to responding all the way through conflicts as a result of it prevents you from pronouncing something you’ll later regret. in most cases, the trio will discuss the struggle collectively and decide or “take some space and revisit later.”

as the Van Leeuwen operation proves, it’s possible that exes can push apart their non-public feelings to focus on their industry. most people gained’t be as close as O’Neill and Van Leeuwen, however as long as you’re in a position to exhibiting respect and speaking brazenly, there’s a possibility you’ll have the ability to separate your enterprise from what happened in your relationship.

[Photo: by Sidney Bensimon]

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