Valentine's Day Special: How Local Couple Built A Successful Business Together

Dan Driscoll is a civil engineer who got in on the burgeoning wired and wireless communications industry early on and sold a successful business in 2001. Never a slacker, Dan holds a BS from the United States Military Academy at West Point and an MBA from St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia.

Wife Jan Driscoll was a teacher and a coach and loved her career. Once Dan sold his business they made a big decision. Do we dare go into business together?

They decided to go for it and in 2005 Dan bought Paul Davis, a restoration services company that suited him fine with his degree and knowledge in civil engineering. Jan hopped on board in 2006 and since then the couple has built an extraordinarily successful enterprise that gives back to veterans among other things. Inspired by Dan’s career in the military, and a son-in-law who had lost a limb in service to his country, they converted a 90-year-old building into a house for veterans and other adult patients and their families who are being treated at the Roger C. Peace Rehabilitation Hospital, the only accredited brain and spinal cord injury facility in the state, in 2013.

The couple services the counties of Greenville, Spartanburg, Laurens, Cherokee and Union in addition to helping out in available territories (meaning there is no Paul Davis franchisee there as of yet) of Anderson, Oconee, Pickens and Abbeville.

So how does this experienced and intelligent couple keep their cool while working together and not let it spill into their marriage? Here’s a Q&A with their responses.

1) What’s the best thing about working together?

Jan: When we were raising our children but working separate jobs our common focus was upon doing our best to properly parent. Once the kids were "launched" however, working together gave us a new common purpose as a couple that brought us close together in a different sort of way. We have gained tremendous respect for the skills that each of us bring to the business and have come to realize that we are stronger as a team in business as well as in our personal life.

Dan: Jan brings such balance to my thinking that I don't feel as though I am functioning fully when she is not at work with me. Knowing that my best friend in the whole world has my back through thick and thin is absolutely the best thing about working together.

2) What’s the worst thing about it?

Jan: I know it sounds cliché but the toughest thing is knowing that we will either sink (fail miserably) or swim (fabulously succeed) as one. There is no longer a second profession to keep our heads above water if one career runs into difficulty.

Dan: Sometimes if I have an opinion about an area of the business that Jan runs, I find it hard to defer to her. It's as though I let my own ego get in the way of fully trusting her expertise. This doesn't lead to arguments between us but just some angst on my side.

3) Do you bring your work home with you and if so has it changed your

relationship?

Jan: Yes, but most of the time it just makes for good dinner conversation. During the work day we often don't see each other a lot so after hours is the time we catch up, discuss concerns and bounce ideas off one another. On the downside, bringing it home sometimes makes it difficult to ever let it go and just have fun.

Dan: We do bring work home with us and the good part of this is that it has led me to a deeper appreciation of Jan's business perspective. Sometimes though I wish we could turn it off and just leave our work thoughts at the office.

Overall advice? Go for it. If you respect someone enough to marry them, you should be able to work and build a business together.