Being in Business with your Partner | Adorée Lifestyle Concrete
Ever wondered what it’s like to be in business with your partner or thinking about going into a business venture with your significant other? Today’s blog post might be of inspiration to you if you answered yes to any of the two questions above.
We’ve collaborated with Carondina and Orlin from Adorée Lifestyle Concrete as they will share their inspiration behind their business and what it’s like working together.
But first let’s rewind to how it all started. Adorée Lifestyle Concrete was founded during the pandemic in 2020, it started as a creative process for both Carondina and Orlin and quickly became something that they wanted to share with the rest of the world. The business idea behind Adorée Lifestyle Concrete started with a simple need for a doorstop that they needed at home.
During lockdown, Carondina and Orlin got creative and with enough time on their hands they started experimenting with cement and fell in love with the versatility of concrete, and so they created their first product- a doorstop. “Concrete is the most commonly used building material yet it’s a medium that can be presented in a very delicate and elegant way, which is what intrigued us the most.” says Carondina.
The vision behind the product
When asked how Carondina and Orlin view Adorée they say that their goal is to create high quality concrete accessories for every space in the home and office. “At Adorée we believe in quality over quantity. All our concrete pieces are unique. Each batch is hand poured, hand sanded and sealed in Aruba. We just hope everyone loves them as much as we do.” We are sure that the public does, just take a look at their beautiful creations here.
On working together and launching a business
We were curious to know- what is it really like working and starting a business with your partner? Sure, you tend to hear all kinds of different stories but it’s always interesting to hear from the business owners themselves. Carondina and Orlin tells us that working together on Adorée has been challenging but also rewarding at the same time. “We trust and respect each other’s opinion and judgment call. We also complement each other very well. I’m more focused and interested in the creative part of the business and Orlin is more structured and business minded says” Carondina. So what we can take so far is that having balance is key, and balancing each other out is very crucial. For the couple, it’s truly rewarding to know that people like their products, this gives them the motivation to keep going. The challenges they face as a couple working together is mostly about work, Adorée and life balance but they make it work.
Balancing full time jobs while running a business
Carondina and Orlin tell us that they are well aware that the past year has not been easy for most people. They are both very grateful to have full time jobs and feel thankful to have the opportunity to have their own small business. Their biggest challenge? juggling a full time job and Adorée which can be time consuming, since all products are handmade. Time feels like it’s one the most challenging factors for a lot of small businesses and business owners. “We make concrete products on weeknights and weekends which hasn’t always been easy. We are still figuring out how to cut down on our production time while maintaining our quality at the same.” Practice makes perfect and we are sure that Carondina and Orlin will find their perfect balance in juggling it all.
3 tips for the ones who want to start their own business
Both say to just start! The biggest risk is doing nothing. Don’t wait for every detail to be planned. It will never be perfect and there will always be something to change, tweak or adjust.
Secondly, don’t give up but adapt. Failing is an opportunity to grow, if something does not work you adapt or innovate. Lastly, passionately believe in your product or vision. This makes it easier to put in all the hours in your business and keep moving forward. We thank Carondina and Orlin for these great tips!
How can you purchase your Adorée Lifestyle Concrete product(s) of choice?
Customers can place their orders through social media, whether on Instagram or Facebook. Adorée’s product catalog is also accessible through the link in their instagram bio.
So take a look and support this small business!
22/07/2021
