Susie Matheson and Christy Ford began their careers on opposite coasts—Matheson started out in sales at a publication in San Francisco, and Ford in New York City as a photographer for shelter magazines. Post-marriage, they both found themselves in Charlottesville, Virginia, where they met and quickly became friends. In addition to raising their families (each have three children), the future partners engaged in professional pursuits; Ford joined her mother in opening an antique and home furnishings store, And George, while Matheson started and sold a bespoke handkerchief business and launched a blog, Scout Charlottesville, where she wrote about local treasures she discovered and interesting people she met while shopping and exploring in her town. The response to the blog was overwhelmingly positive, and from that successful formula, the idea for The Scout Guide was born. Matheson just needed a partner.

Matheson approached Ford in 2010, and proposed they collaborate on a beautifully produced guide that featured excellent independently owned businesses in Charlottesville. Ford would handle the creative—styling and photographing the businesses and business owners that appeared in the guide—and Matheson would handle the sales. “We launched the first book in three months, during the time when many magazines in New York were folding,” Ford recalls. “We never had resistance. Everyone was so excited about the concept.” Matheson credits the power of Ford’s creativity with the initial success. “It was so easy to sell because I said, ‘Christy Ford is going to style it and make you look beautiful.’”

Nearly ten years later, there are more than 60 The Scout Guide city guides in locations across the U.S., all dedicated to delivering on the duo’s initial mission: to support the local businesses found within your community. The Scout Guide is committed to telling the stories of the people behind the small businesses in each town, helping readers discover hometown gems, and educating about how to truly live in your community and be an engaged part of it.

As with any new endeavor, there were many learning experiences along the way. We sat down with Ford and Matheson to discuss how their relationship has evolved to incorporate not only an ongoing friendship, but also a business partnership, and how they’ve maintained these dualities through all the inherent growing pains of a new and fast-growing business. Here, they share the tenants of what makes a successful—and healthy—business relationship. 

Be clear on your core values. Stay true to the foundation of why you are starting your partnership in the first place. “Our friendship is at the heart of what’s most important and that’s where our priority lies,” Ford says. “Some people say they could never work with a partner. We simply couldn’t do this without each other. We complement each other and the sum of our parts brings more to our business.”

Take a compatibility test. Just as it’s important to acknowledge the dynamics and personality traits at play in a romantic relationship, knowing how you fit together in a business relationship is key. “We found that we were each like each other’s spouses, so there was a familiarity in how we work together,” says Matheson. “Knowing each other’s temperament more clearly helped us avoid emotional landmines in the future.”

Draw up a partnership agreement. From the very start, it’s imperative to meet with a lawyer and draw up a partnership agreement. It gives you a clear foundation of your roles and establishes important parameters. Yes, it’s scary to address all those what-if’s (“What happens if I leave the country? What if you die?”), but you have to address those questions when you’re level-headed and not emotional. This exercise will help keep you and your partner aligned, and gives you the opportunity to define the terms of an exit from the get-go should one of you want out at any point.

Differentiate your roles—and stay in your lane. It’s imperative to evaluate one another’s strengths early on and allow each other individual roles in which to shine. This requires understanding that one person can’t—and shouldn’t—do it all. “For us, Christy handles most of the creative side of things, and I handle the sales,” says Matheson. “As we’ve grown from producing one book to managing a franchise, we’ve had to reevaluate a bit as more has been put on our plates, but recognizing our strengths and taking on those jobs has remained the same.”

Hold yourself accountable. Ultimately, you need to be the type of partner you’d want your partner to be. “As we’ve grown, there are more people that depend upon us, and holding ourselves accountable is where it all starts,” Matheson says. “We are both really hard workers—we wouldn’t have gone into a partnership with each other if we weren’t. At the end of the day, we each ultimately depend on ourselves more than we do on each other. That foundation keeps us from being needy or codependent with one another.”

Give each other space. It’s important to allow breathing room in your personal and professional relationship when you spend 40 hours a week in an office together. To do this, carve out time when you consciously separate. “We’re good friends, but if we saw each other every weekend it would become stressful. You must protect your relationship by detaching your lives a little bit,” says Matheson. Respecting each other’s boundaries means you’ll enjoy each other that much more when you’re together.

Be willing to have honest conversations. It’s crucial to be open to constructive criticism from your business partner without taking it personally. Recognize that just like in any relationship, you have much to learn from each other. For example, Ford has taught Matheson a lot about biting her tongue, while Ford has learned to speak her mind more freely. Seeing these conversations as opportunities to grow will help you avoid pulling away with hurt feelings.

Know that responding and reacting are two different things. “This is a lesson we’ve both learned over the course of our partnership,” says Matheson. If you have a difference of opinion, that doesn’t mean you have to go to the mat. Avoid reacting in the heat of the moment by taking a breath and giving each other space to process your emotions. When you’re ready, come back and respond calmly and honestly about the way you’re feeling about the situation. 

Be there for balance and support. When you have a successful business partner relationship, you provide balance for one another and talk each other up or down, depending on what’s needed. “Our relationship is very collaborative, and we unfailingly have each other’s back,” says Ford. “We also recognize the yin and yang of any relationship. When one of us is weak, the other is strong.”

Most importantly, have fun. “This principle goes back to the foundation of our relationship,” Matheson says. “One of the keys to our friendship is that we have fun together, and we bring that fun into our working relationship, too.” From staff meetings to strategic brainstorming sessions to sales calls to work travel, leave space for fun and make it a point to enjoy each other’s company.

hear more from the scout guide co-founders, Christy & Susie, at Hatch Tribe LIMITLESS happening December 4, 2019 in Charleston, SC! Tickets are on sale now.

The Scout Guide (TSG) is a publication dedicated to living beautifully, living well, and living like an insider—wherever you are. We connect you with inspiration, as well as with makers and experts who can help you enhance your life, elevate your surroundings, and enjoy your community to the fullest.

In our print guides, we feature excellent independently owned businesses and business owners that both locals and travelers should know about in more than 60 cities.

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