A-Team (Alex & Andra)

It's a wrap! Season 1 of our A-Team Mini Series has come to an end. In this episode, we share some behind the behind the scenes along with Cory (our video producer). This was filmed back in May 2023 and so much has evolved since we filmed this already. When we filmed this, we were just starting out on YouTube, had no idea what our channel would turn into. At this stage, we hadn't pitched any sponsors so far, but knew there was a way we could partner with software companies and share some of our Top Picks with viewers of the podcast. Listen in to our conversation around our hopes for this channel, what we don't want it to turn into and some of our motivations for creating the mini-series in the first place!

P.S. Leave us a comment on YouTube if you want us to record an updated behind the scenes with our learnings from securing sponsors, editing, posting, and figuring out our business model around this channel!

Video Version Available on YouTube: efficient.link/youtube
Review Us on Apple Podcasts: efficient.link/ateam/review

SPONSOR 🫶
↳ efficient.link/s/copper (Free trial)

SOFTWARE MENTIONED 🚀
↳ Copper: efficient.link/s/copper (Get 30 days free)
↳ Mercury: efficient.link/r/mercury (Free)
↳ PartnerStack: efficient.link/r/partnerstack (Affiliate Software)
↳ Secret: efficient.link/r/secret (Get Software Discounts)
↳ Learn more about the best software: efficient.app/top-picks

Visit efficient.app to learn more & get software recommendations.

Podcast hosted on Transistor (efficient.link/r/transistor)

*Affiliate Disclosure: Many links used above and across our channel are affiliate links and we may or may not get commission depending. Purchasing through the link helps us to continue creating content and does not impact the outcome of our opinions in our videos. You can read more here: efficient.app/about

Video Version Available on YouTube: efficient.link/youtube
Review Us on Apple Podcasts: efficient.link/ateam/review

SPONSOR 🫶
↳ efficient.link/s/gelt (Skip the waitlist)

SOFTWARE MENTIONED 🚀
↳ Gelt: efficient.link/s/gelt (Skip the waitlist)
↳ Learn more about the best software: efficient.app/top-picks

ABOUT THE EPISODE 🤔
↳ I WILL NEVER get another business partner! 🤬
(An unwavering decision that Alex made 6–7 years ago after 2 failed partnerships)

I learned that even with the best intentions from all parties, resentment can (and will) build—it's almost guaranteed. 🫱❌🫲

This happens for a myriad of reasons:
↳ 🥇 If you have an “ideas person” vs “executer”, the executor will quickly feel like workload is falling solely on them (unless there's no sales coming in, then the reverse happens).
↳ 🥈 You can have different visions for the business—do you scale at all costs or keep it a lean lifestyle business?
↳ 🥉 One person becomes obsessed with work—working 24/7—while the other may want more work-life balance, especially if they have a family.

This happen with bands all the time, they make amazing music while together, but someone always feels like they are the cog to success, so they break it off (due to resentment), only to learn that maybe it was the group. Heck, it even happened to Ben & Jerry's!

The reason is, there's just so many opportunities for disagreements to arise, and rarely does it make sense to truly put in the time and work to flesh out every single disagreement as it goes directly against moving quickly.

What might seem fair at the start (a 50/50 partnership), will be the first point of resentment to grow as how does one assign such expectations and value before ever working together. Not to mention, 50/50 implies equal power, and thus results often in having 2 captains steering the ship. It simply won't end well. (In-fact, I hear that's actually what happened with the Titanic).

I had two failed business partnerships, talked to everyone imaginable about if it could work (even asking @theChrisDo back in the day on a live stream—he's actually who gave me the Ben & Jerry's example 😂) and after years of debating, the consensus was in—never again. ✅

Then as the saying goes: when you least expect it—someone enters your life and changes everything you thought you knew. (Andra Vomir 👋😅)

BUT there is no romanticizing it: ANY successful business partnership takes hundreds, if not thousands of hours of conversation: negotiation of ideas, working through conflict, expectations, power dynamics, heck, even a contingency plan if all goes to 💩 (e.g. disillusion agreement).

This episode is a 1-hour conversation that condenses 3-years of learnings that came from working together as business partners. We share the early discussions that led us to become business partners, splitting the business 50/50 (spoiler: it was INCREDIBLY hard for me and we're STILL working through what exactly that looks like with legacy customers), setting boundaries, and ultimately figuring out the best way to work together.
What's it like working with your spouse? In this episode, we discuss our different routines, setting boundaries, income splits and the role of communication in our personal and professional relationship.

Visit efficient.app to learn more & get software recommendations.

Podcast hosted on Transistor (efficient.link/r/transistor)

Video Version Available on YouTube: efficient.link/youtube
Review Us on Apple Podcasts: efficient.link/ateam/review

SPONSOR 🫶 Sign up for Divvy (It's FREE): efficient.link/s/divvy
↳ Divvy is an expense management solution that we've been using for 3+ years in our business. Divvy allows us to create virtual and physical cards to put on file with every single vendor and subscription. It has helped us catch credit card fraud when someone stole our credit card and went on a shopping spree at Walmart and Home Depot. Divvy instantly returned our funds and we were able to catch the person who stole our credit card number 🚀 Plus we get a ton of cash perks & rewards when using Divvy. Best of all, it's entirely free to use (no credit card fees or anything!). Sign up here: efficient.link/s/divvy

GIVEAWAY 🎁
↳ efficient.link/giveaway/ep1
↳ Subscribe and share this video for a chance to win one of three 1-hour calls with us to talk about anything business/startup/angel investing/automation/integration by using the following link above to generate your unique sharable link (competition closes with the drop of Episode #2 on 9/19/23).

SOFTWARE MENTIONED 🚀
↳ Learn more about Divvy on our site: efficient.app/apps/divvy
↳ Superhuman: efficient.link/r/superhuman (Get 1 month free)
↳ Outsite: efficient.link/r/outsite (Get $50 off membership)
↳ Zapier: efficient.link/r/zapier (Get started for free)
↳ Copper: efficient.link/r/copper (Get a free 14 day trial)

ABOUT THE EPISODE 🤔
↳"Should we date or work together?" shares the story of how Andra & Alex first met and the discussions that ultimately led them to not only date but get into business together. Hear about how the couples serendipitous meeting at a co-living co-working house in San Francisco resulted in the couple moving in together after 3 days, which ultimately turned into 16 months of lockdown and a decision to join forces in business.

Visit efficient.app to learn more & get software recommendations.

Podcast hosted on Transistor (efficient.link/r/transistor)

Video Version Available on YouTube (efficient.link/youtube)
Review Us on Apple Podcasts (efficient.link/ateam/review)

A-Team is a mini-series featuring husband and wife team Alex & Andra. We're married, work together, and invest in startups. Follow along as we build the tools to overcome paralysis by analysis in life and in business. Join us in building efficient.app in public, struggles, unlocks, finances and all, and see what it's actually like being partners in business, and in life. 🦾

Podcast hosted on Transistor (efficient.link/r/transistor)

Video Version Available on YouTube: efficient.link/youtube
Review Us on Apple Podcasts: efficient.link/ateam/review

SPONSOR 🫶 GET 1 FREE MONTH OF SUPERHUMAN
↳ efficient.link/s/superhuman

SOFTWARE MENTIONED 🚀
↳ Motion: efficient.link/r/motion (Get 7 days free)
↳ Superhuman: efficient.link/s/superhuman (Get 30 days free)
↳ Sandhill Markets: efficient.link/r/sandhill (Get $588 off your first year) Invest in secondaries like SpaceX and OpenAI
↳ Learn more about the best software: efficient.app/top-picks

ABOUT THE EPISODE 🤔
↳"How we invested in Motion"

Visit efficient.app to learn more & get software recommendations.

Podcast hosted on Transistor (efficient.link/r/transistor)