#66 – My Wife and I Built a Business Together – This Is How We Made It Work
Starting a business is hard.
Starting one with your spouse? That’s a whole different level of risk.
In this episode, I sit down with Joe Fraher, an architect who, alongside his wife Liz, built a boutique design and build firm in Central London, right in the middle of the 2008 financial crisis.
Joe shares the real story behind how they made it work: from opposite views on risk, to navigating financial pressure, managing a growing team, and raising a family at the same time. He opens up about going sober, leading through chaos, and the mindset it takes to grow something meaningful without losing your relationship, or yourself.
This is an honest conversation about ambition, business, marriage, and the messy parts in between.
- Giving up alcohol to take control of his life again
- Redefining success beyond money and titles
- Teaching his children about wealth, risk, and responsibility
- Balancing love, family, and business without losing either
- And why the future of construction lies in digital manufacturing and AI
This is a raw and revealing conversation about what it really takes to build something meaningful, and the mindset shifts required to survive it.
00:00 Introduction to Risk-Taking
00:41 Starting the Business Journey
00:57 Architectural Services and Turnkey Solutions
02:08 Challenges and Growth in Architecture
03:29 Navigating Redundancy and Building a Business
07:52 Managing a Growing Team
09:14 The Importance of Risk and Ambition
11:08 The French Alps Project
15:15 Hiring and Team Dynamics
22:25 Education and Career Pathways
29:02 Client Relationships and Long-Term Projects
31:49 Liz's Role in the Business
32:14 The Importance of Listening to Clients
32:44 Emotional Investment in Projects
35:22 Client Profiling and Matching
37:55 Trust and Transparency in Business
38:34 Adapting to Economic Challenges
45:35 Leveraging AI in Business
52:32 Financial Education and Generational Wealth
01:02:55 Leveraging Good Debt
01:03:36 The Pitfalls of Bad Debt
01:05:02 Balancing Risk in Family and Business
01:06:23 Aligning Ambitions with Your Partner
01:09:36 The Future of Work and Personal Goals
01:13:32 Challenges of Entrepreneurship
01:14:44 The Impact of Government Policies on SMEs
01:25:59 Personal Habits for Success
01:30:42 Concluding Thoughts
Discover Joe and Fraher
Website - https://www.fraher.co/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/frahergroup/
LinkedIn - https://uk.linkedin.com/in/joseph-fraher
Get In Touch
LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/jay-lawrence-5a4b3357/
Website - ambitiousmindspodcast.com
Instagram - www.instagram.com/ambitiousmindspodcast
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