Parenting & Starting a Business in Another Country

Navigating how to build a business and raise a family in a new country with Ben and Connie Spiske of SunConsult Home Service Company.

Ben and Connie share what it was like to move from Germany to the United States, raise their daughter, and start SunConsult after years of working in architecture, real estate, and construction. They open up about the realities of parental leave in Germany, the emotional and financial challenges of launching a company from scratch, and the importance of having a strong support system.

The conversation covers:

•The difference between parenting support in Germany and the U.S.

•Why their business started organically through word of mouth

•How they financed their company with personal savings

•The value of mentorship and outside guidance

•Why knowing your numbers is essential

•How seasonality affects their business in South Florida

•Why clear expectations and saying “no” are critical in business

•The role of trust, quality, and long-term client relationships

•What it’s like running a business as a husband-and-wife team

Ben and Connie also share their advice for aspiring entrepreneurs: build systems early, understand your finances, protect your time, and commit fully to the journey. Their story is a powerful reminder that business growth is not just about hustle — it’s about consistency, discipline, and trust.

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TOP TAKEAWAYS

1.Know your numbers. Financial clarity is non-negotiable.

2.Mentorship matters. Outside perspective can help you grow faster and avoid costly mistakes.

3.Quality beats quantity. Saying no to the wrong jobs protects your brand and your margins.

4.Systems create stability. Even simple systems can help small businesses scale more effectively.

5.Trust builds longevity. Strong client relationships and referrals are the foundation of sustainable growth.

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ABOUT BEN & CONNIE SPISKE

Connie and Benjamin Spiske are the leadership team behind SunConsult® Home Service Company, bringing together design expertise, construction knowledge, and value-driven real estate strategy. Based in the Fort Lauderdale–Miami region and working internationally, they specialize in property modernization, furnishing, and smart upgrades that enhance functionality, aesthetics, and long-term value—without unnecessary new construction.

With over 40 years of combined experience, Connie contributes a strong commercial and client-focused background spanning marketing, sales, project coordination, and home furnishing, while Ben brings architectural leadership as a licensed architect and Florida Certified General Contractor with global experience in real estate development, construction systems, and advanced aviation infrastructure. Together, they deliver pragmatic, high-quality solutions that bridge design, budget, and execution for homeowners, investors, and developers.

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LINKS

• Website: sunconsultservice.com
• Instagram: @SunConsultService
• LinkedIn: SunConsult Service

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Transcript

0:01

We had a couple of times already, I would say it's either me or him saying, okay, why did we do that? Can we just go back, live our simple life, nine to five, you know. Because it's crazy, but at the other hand, it also makes you super proud. You get up every morning, you work for yourself. It's just a different lifestyle, I would say. Are you a business owner or are you not? Welcome back to the Bringing a Business podcast, where we talk about raising a business with a family. If you are a business owner who wants to scale while showing up for your kids, you are in the right place. I am your host, Kaila Sachse owner of a marketing and creative agency called Yumari Digital. Yumari Digital supports small businesses with websites and marketing, so entrepreneurs can focus on what they do best. I am also proud to call myself mom. I have an almost three-year-old who I get to hang out with every single day. On today's episode, we get to hear from Ben and Connie Spiske, and we're going to talk about what it's like to raise a business and a family in a new country. Ben and Connie are the leadership team behind Sun Consult Home Service Company. and they moved to the States all the way from Germany. Now based in South Florida and working internationally, Sun Consult specializes in property modernization. Connie and Ben, I'm so excited to have you both here and welcome to the show. Thank you very much for the invitation. Thank you, Kaila I appreciate it. Yes. Yes. Thank you for the chance to talk to you.~ happy to, happy to. And I've been so excited to dive into this discussion it's so fascinating to me how you've been able to pull it all off. So let's go ahead and dive into your business and parenting journey. Mm-hmm. What came first for you? Our daughter, family. So we had our daughter in 2014 and we started the business in 2021. So we were employed before, Got it. so all the young years with our daughter, we were still employed. And then she was actually six years old when we started with the business. Got it. Okay. And when you had your daughter, was this in Germany or was this in the States? She was born in Germany and she was seven years old when we moved to the United States. Wow, okay, so you had her in Germany and then you decided to start Mm-hmm. the business when she was six and then you moved to America a year after. Mm-hmm. ~ That is a lot of transition all in one year. So let's dial back for a moment. Correct. If you can remember, what was that postpartum support period like right after you had your daughter in Germany? Well, actually in Germany it starts before you give birth.~ so but don't forget we pay a lot of taxes. So it's a very high amount we pay. So it's 50 or even more percent of your income that goes to the government. So there is a thing called "motherhood protection," I would translate it. and it starts six weeks before the birth date. So you can stay home. The employer may not let you work at this time. If you want to, you have to put it in writing. You still want to work. There are a couple of professions you really can't do, being a doctor or even a veterinarian can be tricky. If you are the business owner, you may work. That's a different situation. As I said, you stay home, you get money from the government supported health insurance during this time. So you have the same, almost the same money as before. It's just not an income. It's going to be paid by the health insurance. And then when you give birth it's an eight weeks, still same thing, motherhood protection. And then you're basically okay with going back to work. But we have a parental leave period that goes up to three years. And you can split it. You can go back to work, which almost nobody does, because it's ~ very comfortable to be home with your child. And I really ~ enjoyed it. also, I mean, I have seen moms here handling it. I don't know, they go back to work like eight weeks later. like, I was a mess. I was a mess. I don't even know how they do it. Yeah. Yeah.~ But it's amazing. I mean, what the government gives you, it sounds great, but... you have to think about, I started working when I was 16, so the amount of taxes I already paid until I had my daughter, I was 31 years old when I had my daughter, so there was a lot I already invested in the system. So the one important thing I want to mention is so the employer for Yeah. all those three years, they have to hold your position. Which doesn't mean they cannot employ anybody else during that three years. So somebody else has to do the work. Of course, that's no problem. But it's a limited time. It's a time contract. Basically, they have to tell them, OK, listen, there's a mother staying home with the child. She's coming back in two and a half years or in three years. And you can have the position right now. But if she's coming back or when she's coming back, then you have to go. And this is how it works in Germany. That's important to know, I think that. That's perfect because you don't have to be scared, you don't have a chop afterwards. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. I was wondering how that would work too. You know, how would the business fulfill the ongoing work while the mother is out? And sometimes even the father, is paternal leave a thing in Germany too? Yeah, yeah, I was going to answer this question as well already in advance I had also the chance to stay three months, let's say, with Connie in the beginning. Or let's say we didn't have we haven't done it in the beginning, but we decided after almost a year that we do it together and use the time together to grow as a family. And I think it was important to see also to your child getting the right connection because the father roles always a little different because obviously you don't give the birth to give that, let's say. You laugh, but you know. I think it is, Yeah. you can split it equal if you want to. Let's say both have ~ a job that's equally paid. Then you could split it. You can tell him, okay, it's three years. You do one and a half year and I do one and a half years. That will be possible. Most couples I know or we know, they split it like three months, the dad, and then the rest of the time, the mom or... I did it even totally different. had ~ two years, I stayed home, then I went back to work and then I had another year left and I took it when she was ~ six or so. Before she came to school. Correct, wow. because you have the option to take the leftover time, so it's not lost. Even if you tell them, okay, I'm coming back after a year, the time is not lost. You can take it up until the eighth year of the child. Yes, until they are eight years. Okay, up until the kid is eight. it is. That makes sense. So let's talk about what that initial seed was. What planted this idea for you to want to start a business? Because it's a big endeavor to go out and start something new. So what was that like for you? Do you want answer? Yes. Good question. think we had always family here. as I'm an architect, I'd always connect to real estate. So there was always an access point. And we got asked the last years, always, you're an architect. It would be great for you to work in Florida. There are so many opportunities. You're good. You're good. That's fine. Now, but to be honest, I mean, It's the thing with Florida, if you like it, it starts from one time a year per vacation, then a little more. I mean, for us, it was a little different because we have already family here since years. And we had the chance to see Florida from the working and professional life perspective. I was working on an international level. So the step going to Florida was not that bad, but going back to my profession as an architect and then later on I learned, okay, I cannot use that. Maybe it's good for a general contractor license So we also said in the beginning, we got the request of remodels and renovation jobs already before we had the company said, we don't do it. But then it came up that it came really. feasible that why not to do that and it makes sense to do that So we founded a business we came on a job and What was worth to to make all the foundings to finance that and be financed everything out of pocket so we never used a external third party financing or let's say a loan or whatever that came everything out of pocket so far our savings basically Yeah, I'll say our savings to build our business Whoa, okay, so there are a few different moving parts here. you So first, when someone starts a business, it tends to be one of two roads, right? Either somebody has an idea and they go out into the market Mm-hmm. and they test that idea and they see whether or not the market wants it, whether or not someone's willing to pay for it. The other road is to have an organic calling for that opportunity. So, It sounds like in your case, people were reaching out to you for your services before you even started the business. And so it was more of an organic route. Yes, because we I would say so because we spend a lot of time already here and we have family here. So whenever we were here for a longer period of time, like more than three weeks or so, of course you talk to everybody.~ You know, you meet people, you make friends and then you tell them what you're doing in Germany. it's, funny because they say, why don't you come here? as it would be so easy to just move to the United States, start a business and then be successful. That's not the case, right? it's pretty hard. But somebody told me the other day, he said, well, if you're an adventurer, you are an adventurer. And if you're not, then you're not. And that was the simple answer. And that made sense for me because I said, for me, or for us, I'm speaking for us both, we had the feeling there must be something. This is it now. I worked in my job for a while. I liked my job. I liked Germany. It's not that we ran away from Germany because it's so crazy And no, that's not the case. We just wanted to see more. And the closest idea was Florida because we had already experienced how life can be and yes everybody will say now this was vacation that was has been that's maybe totally different yes it is totally different but also we knew there are some people we can ask for help or we have some kind of support we wouldn't be alone that's also important right if you move to another country and you're alone starting from scratch it's It's harder, but if you have somebody where you can say, my gosh, what did I do? You know, they just listen to you. That already softens the situation a little bit. And ~ we don't regret it. Yeah. We had a couple of times already, I would say it's either me or him saying, okay, why did we do that? Can we just go back, live our simple life, nine to five, you know. Because it's crazy, but at the other hand, it also makes you super proud. You get up every morning, you work for yourself. It's just a different lifestyle, I would say. Are you a business owner or are you not? Yeah, yeah. I love the way that you put it. Are you an adventurer or not? That's such a lighthearted way to look at it because it's true in a sense. Like that analogy works very well. When you're going into business, you really are embarking on a whole new adventure. When you're on an adventure, you don't know what you are about to discover and learn. You don't know how you're going to resolve things or even what types of issues are going to come up. So it's... It can be fun, it can be scary, but whether or not you have an appetite for it, you tend to figure that out during life. Mm-hmm. then especially when you start a business, you learn pretty quickly whether or not it's for you. Yeah, and you had mentioned Correct. how you had a sort of support system here in the States and that helped you transition from one to another. Mm-hmm. I completely resonate with that. I, my husband and I had taken a trip to Thailand and we ran across someone who was super friendly. She helped us get acclimated and, find the cash that we needed to get and, and find a ride to our place. And that really made that transition so much Now, granted, that's a micro moment. Mm. That's not as big as moving and starting a business, right? But, but having that, that person did help. Of course, of course, it always helps having people that are just willing to help you. And I think, to be honest, I feel in the United States, it's more common to help other people, especially when it comes to business purposes. People are open to help you, tell you maybe from their own perspective, hey, I did that, that could be a good idea. In Germany, it's more like, ~ I already been that road, you know, it was bumpy for me. I wouldn't give you that information because you have to look for yourself, right? That's a little bit... The Germans are not like that. They... Not for everybody, okay? We have great friends in Germany, everybody helpful and great. But when it comes to business and things you have to achieve, they wouldn't tell you the answer just because this is our culture. We wouldn't tell you the answer just because we know it. We would say, hey, I've been through that. It was hard for me. I'm not making it easy for you. That's... That's how the Germans are. So I would say this is easier here from my perspective. Can you agree? And also, yeah, I partly agree and more or less 90 % agree on that. But also we came to a moment after almost a year that we also get stuck in a sedation. We got stuck in a lot of sedation, how to handle clients, how to handle trades, how to handle problems in the business. So we decided to hire a professional, let's say, A mentor. A mentor. What was offered through a system. So on a network, we are part of that, similar to the Small Business Administration.~ But we are in a different profession at that network. And they helped us a lot to conquer, to get up to speed and provided us a really, really good person who helped us to learn from his mistakes. So that was, I think, literally the thing. And how he scaled the business to the next level. And back in the days that was so helpful to have a coach like that to really say, hey, I know this problem, I had the same, so let's do it like that, or I can give you the recommendation of doing so. And that was really neat back in the day. now... a ~ mentor, yes. Yeah, mentor is always a good choice. Or at least having people there. that is a fantastic call out. Absolutely recommend having a mentor. I've had many throughout my journey as well. receiving that professional insight from someone who is not financially interested in your company is such an ideal way to move about issues or embark on new growth strategies. because now you're receiving advice from someone who is completely neutral and has your best interest in mind. So I absolutely love that advice of getting a mentor. That definitely helps with the business side of things. Ben, earlier you mentioned how you had to navigate the financial impact of things. It sounds like you had to go out of pocket in order to float some things. I mean, what were some things that you had to handle out of your own savings? That sounds intense. Everything. Everything. Everything went from one account. Yeah. After I can tell you the reality, after almost six months, there was almost nothing left. So just a little something, we could survive another one or two months. And then we said, OK, because I tell you the reason for that. So the event, let's say, borderline because of expenses, we didn't expect it. So know your expenses, know your money. Know income and and that's that's really important. We knew that we did a lot of exercise around that but nevertheless Also to let's say refill your bank account Business-wise or privately you need to have jobs coming in what was holding us back was simplified the Contractor license what was a big thing for us because everything what we do do only license and insured and also to enable different shop levels or different shop sizes permitting big projects, foundings and so on, then you need to be licensed and insured. And that was the highest priority for us. And that took longer than expected. It was roughly six months longer, what I was technically spending time on that until I had the examination and until I get, let's say, finally approved by the board. that was a tough time, but at the moment we had the license in place, you have automatically a different, let's say, level of professionality and the different level of knowledge was also something I think it was a great step for me personally or for us to do that because you learn a lot around the industry, you learn a lot about health, need a lot of workers compensation, about lien loss, what is a big thing in Florida. That things you can only learn going by school or growing up as a native here in the business. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And then that's an important point to call out as well. Sometimes when we are building our businesses, there will be moments where we do have to go after some sort of certification in order to get to the next step. And instead of looking at it as this roadblock, which in your case, it sounds like six months longer than you initially I mean, that's a long time. That's a long time to continue to try to float while Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. you are working through this. But instead of looking at it as a roadblock, you look at it as an opportunity. What do I get to learn here? What more can I offer now because of this certification or this licensing? good. Exactly, exactly. I like to talk about the money because it's something that people don't talk about. It seems a little bit taboo. But also when we're going into business, it's about money. It's about being able to make a living, right, on our own accord. So you mentioned, Of course. right, like that's the point. That's the point of a business. So you mentioned a few exercises that you practiced in order to prepare yourself. Can we dive into what some of those exercises look like? I have some ideas what maybe a helpful for founding a business or number one business plan is always a good idea And I can tell you the business plan is the red thread through through the first years It's the red thread for potentially getting getting finding lenders to finance your business business Even if it's just your your local bank they do that but start with the fundamentals Let's say having everything you have a clear idea what you really want to do secondly as erased Kaila is for sure knowing your numbers. I sit here every month, at least a day, getting my numbers under control, getting the numbers from Sun Consult under control. Yeah. And I also can tell you I spent my time during Christmas and New Year during the holidays ⁓ to get the numbers from 2025 under control and having a good understanding what I expect from numbers 2026. So what is my business growth year by year? What is, what are my seasonality in the business? Because we are here in South Florida, we have seasonality for sure. And the other thing is also respect on time, working timely, being also with the crew and the timely manner. It's about also providing quality. What is something you would like to, let's say, be different than the local contractors? We have the German influence, that's how we use also. building products, we reach out to a lot of German suppliers. That doesn't mean we, so let's say import from our owner, just saying we're using a lot of German browser available in the US American And that's also already a game changer and it brings in a different position. So, the professional professionality, the systems you're using, also talking about systems, how you organize or manage your daily life with your business. So we just invested in another platform to get a little more the interior design and also the project management under better control, to have more, let's say, insights in our daily basis, more also opportunities for our clients to have a dashboard available to see the approach is growing, also the thoughts we're bringing in the project, also reflecting the thoughts or monitoring the thoughts and developments with project with our clients together. Brilliant, brilliant advice. Checking in regularly with your finances. That's what I'm hearing. So you're checking in regularly throughout the year. And then at the end of the year, you are doing that recap so that you can prepare for the next year. It also sounds like you've pulled in a system that can help reduce your overhead. Does that sound correct? Yes, but overhead and let's say margin, let's call it margin optimization. That's always a difficult thing. Yeah. There are a lot of things you cannot get under control. I mean, it starts wrong from the beginning. If your bid is too low and you cannot recover your costs, what you have, and that would be the worst, let's say, biggest mistake you're doing in your business that you don't work with your chops and with your costs and profits, let's say efficiently. And yes, you need a system for that. of you whatever system it is if it's I do a lot let's say based on my experience of 20 being 20 years in construction and architecture so I have a good understanding what what what let's say cost on construction mean also how to that's maybe the different story how to agree on costs and and allowances for projects together with the clients because that's also managing expectations managing budgets and by the end having no over cost, let's say like that a job by the end and the client is not happy because he spent literally too much money on that. Yes, absolutely. There's nothing more heartbreaking than going into a project. Everybody is excited, right? Because you're starting something new. And then towards the end of the project, you realize you've gone in way over your head, but you've made this agreement with the client and you haven't set those expectations ahead of time. So yeah, it's keeping your arms around what all of the actual costs are going to be and trying to anticipate any additionals. You had mentioned seasonality and how your business ebbs and flows throughout the year, right? There are hot moments where projects are coming in and then there are the low moments where maybe they're not so much. So how do you balance that so that you are floating throughout the entire year? Difficult question and let's say valid question. So I think on as we have, let's say three business units, let's say like that. So we have the interior design, what Connie is leading obviously. She's much better than me in doing that. We have the construction remodeling part, what I'm leading. And we have on top of that, let's say property management for our clients, if they are abroad and they would like to have us to taking care of their properties also in the future, what is connected to vacation rentals. what is not an untypical business model, but it's untypical in the United States or specifically in Florida to have to combine them to one service solution at 360 degree solution. I think that's a full package what we offering to the clients in order to recover our costs on a consistent flow. Let's say like that, So it's balanced out nicely. On the other hand, during these times, we are preparing for new projects and we are not a short term. Let's say project, typically our projects take six to 12 months, including the whole process from beginning of the first, let's say, design phase over the, let's say, implementation of, let's say, everything what the client wants and then starting the job on itself, including permitting, including planning, including, let's say, executing the job, what a project like that is six to 12 months, I said, depending on the size may be long. Mm-hmm. I can see how your additional offering of the long-term management can help float the times when you're not necessarily collecting revenue, but instead you're in the thick of doing the actual project. So that can help balance out the entire year. But that's not the goal, just to be clear. mean, the goal is to be busy all the time, right? But in cases when you don't have a lot going on, Right. then at least you can take care of other, let's say, portions in your business. And that's the good thing when you don't only focus on one thing, okay? So I'm very thankful that we have those three pillars in our business where we say, we can work on this or if there's not much to do then let's focus on here and so on and it's basically one ball is always rolling minimum and but the goal is of course you want to grow you want all the balls all the time rolling that's that's how it is Absolutely. It's like you're aiming for the moon, You do want more business. And also sometimes it's not rolling in the Yes. way that we expect. And so let's move, as you say, the other balls, the other pillars in order to continue moving so we're not just static and stuck. Correct. so let's talk about your daily life, both back when you moved and then to today. Your daughter is now 11, what was it like when you first moved here? How were you managing all of the things? I mean, you're in a new country, you're making new connections, but also nourishing your current and existing connections. Mm. You have... I'm assuming you have schooling for your daughter, you've got work. I mean, that's a lot. That's a lot to manage all the same time. So did you have some sort of a schedule to help keep you on track or, Yeah, it is. I would say... I would say in the beginning it was kind of crazy for me because I like to be organized but I'm not too organized. think ~ Ben is more organized when it comes to work than I am. I also like to live in the day but I have to tell you for me it was hard to not have work because that's also ~ I'm thankful for this experience in my life because I realized I like to work.~ And you don't know that when you don't have a place where you don't have work because then you think like, my gosh, I feel so useless. I'm, know, Ben was always telling me in the beginning when we didn't have clients, he's like, why don't you go to the beach and enjoy it? I'm like, I can't enjoy it. I mean, I'm not only worried. I'm also, you know, I want to get this, you know, now I'm excited. I have a flow. want to do something. So that's good. I learned a lot about myself. Thankfully, our child is a child that has been adapted very well. is, that's great. I'm so thankful we have this kind of child because I think there's also ~ personalities. I know other children, they wouldn't take it as our daughter did it.~ She just jumped right in and she didn't speak a word English when she had her first day at school. and I'm thankful for the school system here. I hear lot of parents that are, you know, they are complaining about, you know, the school system not being good and so on. I can only tell you good things. I've, she was in school in Germany the first year and then she was here. And ~ the support we got as a family with a child that does speak the language was amazing. So they were like helpful. There's a specific program for kids that can't speak English. We have a lot of refugees in Germany. There's not such a program. They sit in a school, they don't understand anything for the first six months. They are bad in school because they don't understand anything. Nobody's there to help you. ~ Here it was totally different. The teachers are amazing. We have a great school district, I have to tell you. She's going to public school. I love the public school. ~ I mean, in the first year when she has to do the statewide test of course like all the kids do and she was not good okay of course because she couldn't read the questions and~ What they gave us was ~ a voucher for I think Right. it was 500 bucks or so where we could I don't know spend it for anything I could have bought an iPad which we didn't but I invested in books that helped her to prepare for the statewide test and It took her, I think, two more tests and then she was a level five. So she is basically best in her class. And now she's been moved to the gifted class, which is amazing, right? But that was because the teachers saw what they... potential. The potential and what they have to do. They are prepared here. ~ And that's why I'm thankful. So that has been great because it took a lot of my pressure. away from me because I knew she loves the school, she loves the system, she has friends, forever she made easily friends. But here it's like everybody's from somewhere, especially in South Florida. Nobody's from here, right? So basically two kids in her class are from South Florida, the rest is from everywhere else. And that's great because there's no bullying about it, okay? Because they... you don't speak very well English, know, we all can learn from each other. And I think that's what she really liked. And I did like it too. ~ And since I had haven't had to worry about her, I could focus on the business and everything else, which is a lot, you know, getting your social security number, not only starting from that point, but you know, everything.~ is a lot. But since she was okay in school, I could focus on all of that and then the rest you have to manage like 50-50 or when you have time then go to ~ this office and then get this and get that and trying to get everything under one roof. It's hard but yeah. So much. So much. Yeah, yeah. I'm so glad to hear that you were all able to receive the support that it sounds like, Mm-hmm. I would say, I would call it a necessity, right? That is necessary to help you just move in, Mm-hmm. right? And just get acclimated.~ I know somebody who went to school in a different country when he was eight. And so you imagine, you know, up to eight years old, you know one language, he knew English, moved to this other country, did not speak English. And it's like just getting to the bathroom was a whole ordeal, you know? And there was zero support. All And that's something that has haunted him to this day as an adult. Mmm. It's like he's overwhelmed by that experience. I can only imagine being a parent in that situation too, and not having that support for your kid. Mm-hmm. On the flip side, I'm so glad to hear that you were able to receive the support that you had. It also sounds like moving into a diverse area also helped as well, right? Whereas like if you would have moved to, Mm-hmm. I don't know, middle of the Midwest, maybe that experience would have been different. Whereas you just only have people from that area. I don't know. Yeah. I don't know. My experience is great just because I'm maybe here or is it everywhere? I don't know. I cannot answer this question. I think it's specifically South Florida. That's what my feeling is. But I don't know everything about the United States, right? I don't know any other state yet. to adventure. Yeah, go ahead. I would say it doesn't matter where you go, just go and try it out. And then if you realize, okay, maybe it's not my thing, it's okay. Yes. mindset, that ability to say, "you know what, it doesn't work. We tried it out. We could try something new." That's wonderful. Yeah. But don't give up too early. Ooh, okay, well, let's dive into that for a moment. when would we know when to pull the cord, right?~ Yes, that's a very hard question. I mean, we had those times a couple of times, but the good thing and I'm really glad that it worked out with us both working in the same business because ~ it's either me or him and it's not both of us. Right. So if and we said this in the beginning before we started to prepare for the move. We said, okay, if one of us and that's including our daughter, so if she, me or him feels like I can't take it anymore, that's it. ~ I have to go back. This doesn't work for me. I'm depressed. I'm whatever, get sick or so. Then we all go back. And that was the agreement we did in our family. And then ~ I feel, and I think since we have been married for so long before we even did all of that,~ I know, I think I know when it's really serious or when he's just me, me, me, me, you know, and the same thing. I'm And the same thing, sometimes he doesn't even listen to me complaining because he's like, okay, tomorrow it will be fine again. But sometimes it's very serious. And then I tell him, this is serious. I can't take it anymore. This is it. I had a project and I really just went over my head, whatever was wrong. I couldn't take it anymore. And... I told him, said, "this is it, you have to jump in. mean, I need help." And then we split the work and then he helped me and then it worked out again. At the end we said, hey, glad we know we can trust each other. And then, we know when to pull the, you know, to help, let's say. Right, right. That's so beautiful. It sounds like you had social contracts where it's like, Yeah. But let me turn it in a different direction. okay, we're making this big, this big move. go ahead. Ooh. So I think, and also that's my business advice, it's good to have a partner. If it's the partner of your life, I'm not sure if this is working out in all the cases. So it's a challenging situation, but for us, it worked out nicely. because we know, we knew we can trust each other 100 % in private life. And now it's the same in business life. And as Connie said, the moment you come that you maybe cannot do it anymore because of a reason, you know how many people you meet in your life and you immediately realize, my gosh, there's no match, I cannot take this guy anymore, then we just change the position and the access point. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. You know, that, I've had a similar experience as well with my husband. So he and I co-own another business together. And it's the same thing. I know that I can trust him in my personal life. And so when I come to him with business stuff, it's like we're on the same page already. There's that foundation is already set. And also we can ask each other for advice. know, Connie, I've been in the same situation where I'm like, okay, I'm up to my neck in this thing. I need... other, I need help. I need an opinion. I need something else to help guide me because I'm feeling so stuck. And it's really nice to have a partner to go to and say,"hey, this is what's going on. What do you think? Let's collaborate on this idea." Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So helpful. So helpful. Let's dive into our lightning round. So first, what does your village look like? now. Difficult, but I think pretty simple to explain. your business village and your personal village. think it's our village is like a mix of trusted trades, long-term partners. I think a small circle, because it's not a full circle, what I believe, of people we can rely fully. I don't want to break it down to each single employee, but... We have a good net let's say core of the business group. Let's call it like that Skilled craftsmen what is sometimes a little a pain in there and yeah a pain in South Florida point point point point~ engineers designers consultants We have as well like mechanical electrical plumbing. It's it's always good to have people they know to do their job Brutal honest advisors or as we said mentors who tell us when something is not working or we have to change that. And I believe or we both believe in quality over quantity. So we always take on chops on a while. If it's getting too much, you cannot ensure anymore the quality piece. What is then maybe coming back. And yeah, and I think what is really important is a really good network. Yeah, brilliant, brilliant. And your personal life, what does that village look like as well? So luckily we have part of our family here. The family is growing. My cousin just gave birth to another baby boy. We help each other. ~ I would say we have very close and good friends.~ We have from our daughter's best friend, the parents, they help out. We help them, they help us. That's important. Our life is... It sounds crazy when I say that, it's simple. Not simple that we enjoy living in South Florida, doing a lot and everything. But I would say we don't need a lot anymore because we changed the focus a little bit. We enjoy time together. I think that that all changed from living in Germany, having the newest car or so. I don't... I basically don't need that anymore. You and me, both sister. I understand that. And what has been your biggest business win? The biggest win I think is reflecting let's say shortly before building Sun Consult from the ground up into a company with clients, with trust, with nice projects to design their homes and their investments. I think the biggest win is not only a project, a single project. think it's the point that you have clients, they honor what you do. They come back, they refer us, they give us full responsibility. I mean, as an example, we did apartments for people that were abroad six months and we just had a weekly call and that's it. And they come back and say, nice. It's a little like in these HGTV shows, but in a different, let's say, Timeline and project. ~ Yeah. I would say my biggest business win is when clients become friends. I understand that. I love receiving invitations to special events from clients Yeah. Yeah. because it's like, wow, we see each other in that light. And it's so great. It's so great. And that's great. That's great. And to your point, Ben, reaching that loyalty stage is such a huge win, right? It's like you've been able to make it all the way through that marketing and sales funnel. And now you're at the loyalty stage where someone... Mm-hmm. comes back to you and even refers you, yeah, it's like the crème de la crème. Okay. And so what has been your biggest business mistake and how were you able to overcome it? my gosh, there are so many mistakes you in the beginning. can tell you, trusting the wrong people, spending too much money on things you don't need to spend money. I don't want to dig into that, but let's say one thing is, is in the beginning you're saying too often yes. And I see that also from, from contracts, they're saying yes. And then finally they say to the wrong clients or it's not clear yet on, on, the scope of work. Yes to projects maybe they didn't align with your standards because you needed the money.~ We came to that point to say no, To learn how to say no, to tighten also. That's a learning, a big learning is tighten contracts and let's say, and really that what you deliver and what you don't deliver is also important. Also to set clear expectations with the client upfront. yet focusing on only on projects where it can really truly bring in added value. Ooh, that is powerful. To be able to say no, that is powerful. Mm-hmm. Yeah. And what has been your most successful marketing strategy? Marketing, we talked about the most successful word of mouth, but I mean, putting the clock backwards three years, we didn't have that. So we had to do marketing strategy. But I think it's nothing beats consistent delivering on projects. What is your marketing, the references, let's say like that and doing good marketing with the references. communicating clearly and standing behind what you're doing because also that was something in the beginning we learned we were not let's say that... skilled / proud of that what we did. Now we learned you can also be proud of that what you do. And we also know the level that we can and that's I think the good... thing that a lot of people jumping or clients do we have, yeah, I want to have a remodel, I want to have everything, explaining them and let's say educating them, it is good or not good, what is matching more from the construction perspective, setting up rooms or whatever. On the other hand, setting up the right expectations on color schemes, on interior designs, what Connie is doing greatly. That's... That's, think, the thing where the people start to understand what they are paying for and why. then it follows trust. Trust naturally of that what you bring and what you deliver. Well, marketing wise, I would say, yeah. first of all, we tried a lot, right? We did print, we did online. And this is, I heard this saying one day, said 50 % of the marketing expenses are always lost. but you don't know which 50 % it is. And that's exactly the case. especially in the beginning, Yeah. you should definitely have a plan to spend money on marketing because nobody knows you, right? So whatever it is, try out what fits best for you. And I know people, only work with print marketing and they do well. I know people, they only do online marketing. They work well or... We are different. We in our case, we try this, we try that, we try this, then somebody calls us. We think that's a good idea. We are in. ~ I like to be like everywhere a little bit. I don't know if that's the right thing. I don't know. Right now, luckily, we can say, OK, we already earn some trust in some high rise buildings where we have reoccurring jobs. That's great. That's also marketing, because it's not like you don't have to take care of those people.~ You go to their, whoever is referring you, you tell them thank you. Just a thank you. I've seen what you've done for me and I appreciate it. That's also marketing. People forget that working with other people is also marketing. And then there's a lot of network marketing, which I'm not good at because I don't know, I can't stand there alone on my own and then with other business owners. Ben is great. He likes it. He's open. He's like, yeah. what you're doing. there are different things out there. Try it. Marketing, you cannot get around. You have to have marketing, but try what suits you best and then also be open to change it from time to time. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Great advice. Great advice. And you mentioned there's this saying in marketing, you're not sure which 50 % is actually working or not.~ Have there been any strategies where you're like that absolutely flopped, Correct. that did not work, we're not doing that again? I think in my point of view, and that was Connie raised, is generic advertisement or broad messaging that didn't work out for us. spent thousands of dollars in this case for advertisement in papers or magazines and was the only option we have seen in the beginning. And we tried to appeal everyone on that, but we learned also that that was not the right. thing of attracting clients. SunConsole works best when it's really specific. So we have three business entities and we tackle specifically these high quality clients where we want to, let's say, brand ourselves or develop ourselves. So that's, think, the learning. At the moment, we stop chasing, let's say, total volume in everyone. And we focused on, let's say, specific ones to results and everything improved immediately. Man, you two are coming in with the wisdom today. That is so true. That is so true. Yeah, when you're just spraying messaging out to everybody hoping to cast this wide net, that usually doesn't work as well as actual targeted approach. Mm. And so what would your advice be to listeners who want to start their own business in another country? In another country, OK, that's a different point. I think it doesn't matter in another country. I think that's not the big trigger. But the advice from my end is, as I said, know your fundamentals, backslash your business plan. Do your exercise around that. Know your numbers. Respect your own time, because also yourself get overwhelmed with sedations and also need to step back sometimes to not to compromise on quality. Build your systems early. Even I think if you're small and you don't have the needed funds of really implementing good expensive systems, I don't say you need them, but you need a kind of a system, whatever it is, it's going to be Excel file or so. You need to be patient because also we are tending to being too aggressive in our growth ambitions. And I think a real business is built through consistency and discipline. I think I would not go any more shortcuts just to achieve a target or whatever. It is a kind of process you need to go through. Yeah, you got to believe in what you're doing and in yourself. If you don't have to believe it's working out,~ then you shouldn't even start. You should have to believe, OK, that's going to work. I'm fully into it. I have fire. And I want to do it. Excellent advice from both of you. Thank you so much. Ben, Connie, with SunConsult. Where can people find you? It's pretty simple. They can find us online at sunconsultservice.com. You can find us on Instagram and personally, all both of us and in LinkedIn under SunConsult Service typically or just put it in, you will find it in the search field. Feel free to contact us if you want the advice or have a nice project for us. In South Florida. Amazing. Well, thank you both so much for your time today. I can speak on behalf of the listeners. There were so many gems to be had from this conversation. So thank you so much. Thank you as well. Thank you. Thank you, Kaila.