The unique experiences of some of our entrepreneurs will inspire you!
Working with your spouse is an interesting twist on the entrepreneurial journey. It’s not for everyone, but if it works, it’s a great way to blend life and work in an almost seamless effort.
Working with a partner makes running a business—particularly a new business—easier. Working with your spouse creates an added layer of trust and synchronicity. You know each other well, your quirks and your pet peeves. There’s not a lot of second-guessing what’s going on in the other person’s head!
However, being an entrepreneurial couple does come with challenges: a new business is a lot of work, and having to go home with your business partner whom you have already worked with all day can make it seem, at times, as if you’re joined at the hip!
Here are excerpts from an interview with one local entrepreneur couple, Richard and Amy James.
Who are Richard and Amy James?
Richard and Amy own FlyPress Inc. and run it from their home office in Innisfil, though the nature of the work has them on the move throughout the province, and even Canada. So, what is FlyPress Inc. all about?
In their words: FlyPress is a video production company. We specialize in video storytelling for
businesses and corporations. We help businesses lead their industry by creating excellent quality videos that clearly communicate their brand message. We conduct interviews, write scripts and record voiceovers and film engaging video content. Many of our clients come to us for a video that captures who they are and we call that a ‘brand video’. This type of video lives on their website. Many of our clients return to us to continue with video for their social media pages, internal or training videos or product videos.
Why Innisfil?
Richard grew up in Innisfil, as did his parents and grandparents. We have family roots here and when were married we chose to settle here because we loved the charm and nostalgia of this area. We love living so close to the water and being surrounded by so much green space. Richard went to Goodfellow Public School in Innisfil—where our children attend now—so it was a natural move to settle here 13+ years ago, after we got married. We started our business 7 years ago.
And Richard and Amy’s daily commute? Our office and studio are in Innisfil, more specially attached to our house. So on the days we aren’t travelling to film, work is only a few steps away. Filming days are a different story. Most of our work is contained to Ontario but it’s becoming more common for us to travel from coast to coast, to film our videos. Our favourite, however, is when a project comes up within our own community.
Favourite Hidden Gems in Innisfil
We recently discovered fantastic water access and a brand new playground at the bottom of the 12th line. It’s not sandy beach access, but great for wading in the water or putting in the stand up paddleboards.
It has gained quite a bit of popularity lately, but for a lot of years, the 7th line park was a hidden gem. We enjoy walking trails, around the pond, and playing on the brand new park equipment.
Favourite summer activities?
Bike riding. It’s nice to have so many destinations for an evening bike ride with the kids: to the lake, playgrounds, coffee shops, and so on. And of course swimming, both at the beach and jumping off the dock at the end of Innisfil Beach Road.
Favourite winter activities?
We love going to the toboggan hill by the baseball diamonds at Innisfil Beach Park. We also like to bundle up and go for walks on the lake.
And favourite eateries?
We love taking our kids to Wild Wing and Eggsmart because they are just a couple blocks away and it’s nice to walk to restaurants instead of driving. We’re also particular to Pizzaville, despite having every brand of pizza joint all within Alcona!
The Most Exciting and Relaxing Things Richard and Amy Have Experienced
We enjoy the many community events Innisfil has to offer: Santa Parade, MakerFest at the IdeaLab, Fresh Air Flicks (outdoor summer movies); Rotary events, and the kids even really like Pitch-In day, picking up litter and making Innisfil even prettier than it already is!
And the most relaxing?
We bought a couple stand up paddle boards this past summer and we made great use of them because we live so close to the lake. We can easily throw them on the roof and go down for an hour in the morning or evening during the week (avoiding weekends) to enjoy the beauty of Innisfil Beach Park from the water.
Richard and Amy’s Advice for Entrepreneurs Thinking About Moving Their Families and Businesses
This is a wonderful community for kids and families. The people are kind and interested in a connection. The community programs at the library, YMCA, local churches are all intentional to connect people and build a stronger community. There is a small-town feel here in Innisfil, but development is happening fast and bringing with it lots of convenient establishments that make the daily routine of work and family easier.
A Few Final Words
Working with a business partner, indeed a life partner is a perfect way to blend family and work. Having the support of organizations like the Innisfil Economic Development Team, The Innisfil Accelerates program and other groups, it’s possible to find the balance that families and businesses need to thrive in this gorgeous lakeside community we call home.
