Ryan James’ Post

View profile for Ryan James

CEO @ Rocket SaaS • Bootstrapped to $3m ARR • Host of SaaS Marketing Weekly podcast

Who else works with their partner? Any tips?! Natalia James spent years as an unpaid consultant for Rocket SaaS until we finally took the plunge into her full-time employment as COO this year. I was wary of the saying "don't mix business with pleasure", but we set some rules which have been helpful: ✅ Avoid tasks that could lead to a bollocking, like client deadlines. ✅ When in disagreement, don't bicker like a married couple. Stay professional. ✅ Regular check-ins. Are we happy working together? Natalia joining the team was one of the best decisions we ever made. She restructured the Org Chart, which facilitated rapid growth, resulting in us flying past £2,000,000 ARR 🚀 If you've got any rules or tips, please add them in the comments!

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Renée France

The people behind your people

3mo

Clear and open communication is the key. I work with my sister, so the dynamics are a little different- we don't live together so there's space to switch off at the end of the day. I would imagine that work life bleeding into home life might be a challenge to negotiate for partners/couples.

Oliver Barrass

Digital Marketing Associate Director at Zimmer Biomet

3mo

A great double-team personally, and now professionally! My only suggestion would be clear communication with the rest of your team, no one wants to feel uncomfortable having to call out the "founders wife" or the "COO's husband", but creating an environment where everyone feels empowered to hold each other accountable is key to addressing problems early before they can develop into bigger issues. Much like married life 😁

Christian Bunke

Basck - Innovation & IP Strategy, Aalbun - LegalTech for IP tools, AI and services

3mo

Great to see and well done both and team Rocket SaaS! Confident it will be a roaring success just make sure you are not roaring at each others. One rule we try to stick by is to not talk business in front of the kids as they hear, understand and take onboard a lot more than you think. 😁 👍

Asma Rafat

Freelance Personal Brand Strategist | Help CEOs and founders build a strong online presence by clarifying their positioning and turn content into clients in 90 days | Engagement strategist | LinkedIn Mentor

3mo

Clear boundaries and celebrating wins together are key too Ryan. It keeps both the work and the relationship thriving.

John Pryor

360 IP Consultancy. Trade Secrets. Strategy. IP Adviser.

3mo

Very cool indeed onwards and upwards Rocket SaaS

Mercy Njoku

Content strategist & writer for conscious brands

3mo

It's another aspect of your relationship you both can explore. It might look terrifying, but I think it's empowering. Cheers to more wins together.🥂

Jane Couper

Co-Founder and CEO of Novello Healthcare 👩🏻⚕️Chair Person for APSCo Founder at Red Wolf Software 🚀 🪑Female Founders Rise Accelerator 💹 Mental Health Speaker ❤️

3mo

Impressive but no absolutely not 😂 kudos to you both and hopefully will meet Natalia on our journey with you 💪🏻

Robert Nowacki

Compliance Surveillance SME

3mo

Congratulations guys - well done! Hope no one ever gets to sleep on a sofa 😆

Alex Arnot

40+ Founder Exits | £100Ms Delivered | 25+ Board Roles | Helping tech & recruitment founders grow, scale, and exit at maximum value 🚀

3mo

Get a great board advisor to mediate!

Alan Wigley

Founder — Inside Edge Productions

3mo

The Dream Team

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