Business Partnerships Are Basically Marriages — Here’s How We Knew Ours Would Work

People love to talk about business partnerships like they’re all strategy and spreadsheets. Equity splits. Operating agreements. Roles and responsibilities.

Sure, all that matters. But at the end of the day, a business partnership is a relationship. And if you ask us, it’s a lot like a marriage.

Bill Phillips and I  go way back. We’ve been friends for nearly 30 years. We’ve grown up together — not just in age, but in mindset. We’ve gone from late nights, bud lights and football talk to raising kids, building careers, and figuring out what kind of men, husbands, and leaders we want to be. Our wives are close friends. Our kids are growing up side by side. Our families vacation together. So when we decided to start 608B Capital, it wasn’t just two guys going into business. It was two people who already had a deep level of trust and shared experience saying, Let’s build something bigger together.

Here’s why that works — and why we think great business partnerships have a lot in common with great marriages:

1. Trust Runs Deep

This one’s non-negotiable. In marriage and business, trust is the bedrock. I’ve known Bill long enough to see how he handles pressure, how he treats people, how he leads his family, and how he shows up when it matters. That history gives us confidence in each other when the stakes get high — and they do get high when you’re building something from scratch.

2. We Communicate (A Lot)

Sometimes it’s about deals and underwriting. Sometimes it’s about the pressure of balancing business and family. Sometimes it’s just checking in on life. Like a good marriage, we make time to talk. Real talk. We don’t sugarcoat things, and we’re not afraid of hard conversations — but we always approach them with respect. It keeps everything moving in the right direction.

3. Patience Is Key

Building a business isn’t a straight line. We’ve had our share of “what the hell are we doing?” moments. But like in marriage, we remind each other to zoom out and play the long game. We give each other grace. We take the wins when they come and ride out the tougher seasons without pointing fingers.

4. We’re Different — In All the Right Ways

This is a big one. Bill and I aren’t carbon copies of each other. He’s a machine with forecasting, analytics, and operations. I’ve spent years in sales and leadership. Where he brings precision and process, I bring energy and connection. Together, that mix gives us range. We cover more ground and stay out of each other’s lanes — which helps avoid a ton of unnecessary friction.

5. We Share the Same Vision

This one might be the secret sauce. We didn’t start 608B Capital because we wanted to just make money (though we plan to do plenty of that). We started it because we were tired of playing small in corporate jobs. We wanted more freedom, more creativity, more control. We wanted to build — not just climb ladders someone else built. And we wanted to do it in a way that sets an example for our kids. That shared “why” makes all the difference.

Here’s the truth:

You don’t just choose a business partner. You commit to one. You tie your outcomes together. If it works, it’s powerful. If it doesn’t, it can wreck everything. That’s why we’re so grateful our partnership came from something real — a long friendship, mutual respect, and years of doing life together.

If you’re thinking about starting something with a partner, don’t just ask, “Can we work well together?” Ask, “Can we go through the highs, lows, and everything in between — and come out stronger?”

Because in business, like in marriage, that’s what it really takes.