The Podcast

EPISODE #44
Lovin' IT: Amy & Elden Quesinberry of Layer 8 Consulting, Part 2

We continue our conversation with a couple whose businesses isn’t exactly romantic, but has definitely improved their life and their lifestyle. Elden & Amy Quesinberry of Layer 8 Consulting have experienced change in their lives and in their careers. We hear about their business philosophy, which treats employees like family. But why does that include interviewing a job candidate’s spouse? We also look at what happens when you think your partner is capable of doing something in the business—but adamantly does not want to do it. Conflict? Perhaps.

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THE SHOW NOTES

Elden and Amy Quisenberry talk about their business philosophy, why Amy almost gave up working in the business, and what makes running a business together work. 
 
Takeaways

• How they can give each other a different perspective
• That working together has made their respect for each other to grow

  
Summary

• How they turn off work (02:17)
• How their business grew through referrals and word of mouth marketing (02:52)
• Their business philosophy (04:01)
• Why, when they interview a prospective employee, they also interview the spouse (05:04)
• How they make each other better (06:50)
• The moment Amy almost gave up on being a part of the business (10:38)
• Why they feel blessed to be working together on their business (12:30)
• Elden’s persistent chasing after Amy for a date (16:09)
• How their relationship has changed through working together (18:08)
• Elden admits to being an ass (20:35)
• Who they would hire, if they could hire anybody (21:26)
• Amy describes Elden as anal (24:31)

​Links
Layer8 Consulting
https://l8c.com/

THE TRANSCRIPT

Blaine: 00:00 We've got a plane. We've got cars going by. One of the problems with recording on the street in Los Angeles. Cars and leaf blowers.

Honey: 00:10 Leaf blowers.

Blaine: 00:11 Leaf blowers. Those guys done?

Honey: 00:13 I think so, but I think they're playing music.

Blaine: 00:15 Right. Welcome to CoupleCo. Working with your spouse for fun and profit.

Honey: 00:20 It's business, and it's personal.

Blaine: 00:21 I'm Blaine Parker.

Honey: 00:22 Which makes me Honey Parker.

Blaine: 00:24 And as a couple in business together, we're coming to you from the CoupleCo [inaudible 00:00:29] transamerican [inaudible 00:00:29]

Honey: 00:29 We are navigating the nation in search of standout couples in business together.

Blaine: 00:33 And we're bringing them to you so you can hear their inspiring stories of crushing it in business without crushing each other.

Honey: 00:38 The show is also brought to you by a couple owned business.

Blaine: 00:41 Smoking Mary. Smoked bloody Mary mix.

Honey: 00:43 Made in small batches with no reconstituted tomato juice. They only use fresh whole beautiful succulent-

Blaine: 00:54 Today, today.

Honey: 00:55 -tomatoes.

Blaine: 00:56 Smoking Mary. Smoked bloody Mary mix. Hey, nice tomatoes. Online at smokingmary.com. Are there any topics, issues or special interviews you think you need to hear on this show?

Honey: 01:07 If so, we wanna hear from you. Just send an email to [email protected]

Blaine: 01:12 We are interested in any and all input from the CoupleCo's who listen to this show and that includes you. So like the woman said, send an email [email protected]. Last week, we started a conversation with a couple who runs one of those businesses that isn't quite so romantic, but has definitely improved their life and it's giving them quite a lifestyle.

Honey: 01:35 And a lot of people listened.

Blaine: 01:39 I think this speaks to the difference between the pragmatists and the starry-eyed dreamers.

Honey: 01:41 It was very interesting. Elden and Amy Quesinberry of Layer 8 Consulting have experienced a change in their lives and in their business.

Blaine: 01:49 And today we'll continue our conversation with Elden and Amy and we're gonna hear about their business philosophy, which treats employees like family.

Honey: 01:56 But why does that include interviewing a job candidate spouse?

Blaine: 01:59 We're also going to look at what happens when you think your partner is capable of doing something in the businesses?

Honey: 02:04 But he or she adamantly does not wanna do it.

Blaine: 02:08 Conflict?

Honey: 02:08 Perhaps.

Blaine: 02:09 Here now, part two of our conversation with Elden and Amy Quesinberry of Layer 8 Consulting in Westminster, Maryland.

Elden: 02:17 Are you ever able to just turn off work? I mean, you can turn off work.

Amy: 02:21 We can turn it off and I think we turn it off at the same time and that works.

Elden: 02:26 Well, and you pick up on each other's signals, like you might start talking, I might be babbling on about work and she'll ignore me while she's getting dinner or put the hand up and you learn what the signals are, so.

Honey: 02:26 Yeah.

Blaine: 02:39 The ignoring you part works really well, doesn't it?

Honey: 02:47 That's the manana hand. That's the bring it hand.

Doing the woman owned business didn't really pan out. But what is something that did pan out, as far as a marketing effort to bring in more business? Or do you market? Is it all word of mouth?

Amy: 02:59 We don't do a whole lot of marketing. A lot of our business is referrals. It's word of mouth, which is great. And now we have this salesperson, so we'll see how that goes. But I mean, our business grew naturally. It grew from clients talking to other people and getting new clients from these clients and we haven't done a whole lot of marketing. I mean, we have a webpage.

Elden: 03:23 Marketing through just ... yeah, talking to other people and all. I mean, I guess my background's a techie and not a salesperson or marketing, so, all I know is the honest approach. Here's what we do. I'll tell you if we can't do it. Our rates are fair. Our client retention rate's great. Once we get our foot in the door and start working, 98% of the time they love us. We've never had anybody that's hated us and kicked us out. And I can just say, "Here's a good marketing thing. Which one of our clients would you like to talk to for referral? They're all references."

Honey: 03:57 That's great.

Elden: 03:57 Pick any one. I'll give you a list. You pick.

Honey: 04:00 Do you have a business philosophy? Is there a Layer 8 approach to business like, we do things this way or it always has to be this way? We stand for this. Anything like that?

Amy: 04:13 We have a trademark.

Elden: 04:14 Trademark tagline, now officially trademarked.

Blaine: 04:17 Congratulations. Add that tagline [inaudible 00:04:19].

Elden: 04:19 Clients doused, results driven.

Amy: 04:22 So we focus on the client and the results they want and that's what we strive.

Honey: 04:27 Did you come up with that tagline yourselves?

Amy: 04:30 Yes.

Elden: 04:30 We did. And actually, maybe not surprisingly, I went out to look a couple years back and it was more of a service mark than a trademark, I guess it's the same thing at the patent office, but we looked and it was taken. I'm like, "Ugh." So we just waited and waited it out and they basically abandoned it in their terms and we snagged it, so.

Honey: 04:50 That's smart. Yeah, a lot of them do get dropped.

Elden: 04:53 But now, with the advent of hiring the sales guy, which was a scary venture for me, that's an exciting thing now. Scary and exciting at the same time.

Amy: 05:05 Getting back to philosophy too. Layer 8. We wanted Layer 8 to run like Rob Miller ran RPM. Rob Miller was-

Elden: 05:17 Shameless.

Amy: 05:19 -personable and he cared about his employees. Cared about his clients. He was in touch with all of his employees. And that's kind of how we wanted to run our business. When we interview a consultant for a job, we include the spouse. We want the spouse to be comfortable with this-

Elden: 05:38 Arrangement.

Amy: 05:38 -consultant coming on board with us, because she's gonna be a part of Layer 8 too in an offhand way. Maybe not directly, but indirectly, she's a part of Layer 8. She's going to be a part of the Layer 8 family.

Elden: 05:38 He or she.

Amy: 05:52 He or she. So we include the fam.

Honey: 05:59 That's very interesting.

Amy: 06:00 So we like to be more family-oriented. A lot of our clients become friends.

Elden: 06:07 We'll drink in happy hour and-

Amy: 06:07 Right.

Elden: 06:09 Actually, here in a couple of weeks we'll have a big Layer 8 barbecue in the backyard with barbecue and kids running around and beer and wine.

Blaine: 06:19 I'm sorry to be missing it, even though we haven't been invited yet.

Honey: 06:22 No no no. But it's easier to just say [inaudible 00:06:24] [crosstalk 00:06:24]

Amy: 06:24 Interview's not over yet. You might have been invited at the end.

Elden: 06:28 October 20?

Amy: 06:30 20th.

Honey: 06:31 We'll be gone. I was gonna say, we're gonna be back. We're going to Europe in a couple days in [inaudible 00:06:37].

Blaine: 06:37 And by the way, if you're listening to this ... now wait a minute, we're back from Europe by the time this airs, aren't we?

Honey: 06:42 Yes.

Blaine: 06:42 Oh well, never mind.

Honey: 06:44 The CoupleCo is parked two houses away and we have to come back and get it in a couple of weeks.

Amy: 06:49 Well, good for you.

Honey: 06:50 Thank you.

Blaine: 06:53 Elden, this is an important question. It could get you in trouble with the answer. How does Amy make you better?

Elden: 07:00 How does Amy make me better? Well, for one, I don't have to deal with anybody else for something as to me, sensitive and confidential, the books, HR. She fits in well and the guys like her, call her for questions-

Honey: 07:19 Of course the guys like her. Look at her.

Elden: 07:23 Well, there is that.

Blaine: 07:26 She's blushing.

Elden: 07:26 I don't know what to say about that.

Amy: 07:29 Well I think I balance you. When you get all uptight and-

Elden: 07:35 Puckered?

Amy: 07:35 -stressed and puckered as we call it.

Honey: 07:39 No idea what that's referring to.

Amy: 07:44 And I think you do the same for me. But, I think we balance each other.

Honey: 07:48 It goes back to that yin and yang thing.

Amy: 07:52 He'll vomit a bunch of stuff out and I'll be like, we talk about it and I think that makes you better. You're able to look at it a little better and handle it maybe a little better. Vice versa.

Honey: 08:01 Yeah. So I was just gonna ask you Amy, how does Elden make you better? Is that what you would say, that he balances you?

Amy: 08:08 Absolutely. Yeah. He does.

Honey: 08:11 So what-

Blaine: 08:11 This is great. It's almost like they share a brain.

Honey: 08:13 I know. Well, what trap would you fall into if it wasn't for Elden? How does he pull you out of you personal trap?

Amy: 08:21 I can get a little uptight about stuff. I'll get frazzled or not knowing how to handle a certain thing and I'm not real good with ... I'll compose an email and I'm like, "Elden, you need to read this 'cause I'm not sure how this is gonna come across to this person. It might not be really what I wanna say." And so he'll read it, and he'll help me reword it maybe a little more diplomatically.

Elden: 08:46 It is kind of odd because sometimes she'll be frazzled about something and I'll come home and she'll say, "I don't know what to do about this." And within 30 seconds I'd be like, "Just do this this and this."

Amy: 08:57 We'll have it figured out.

Elden: 08:59 It's simple to me. And other times I'll come home or be here and say, "Oh, crap. This came up today and I'm thinking, I'm thinking," and she goes, "Just do this this and this." I'm like, "Why didn't I think of that?"

I don't know what you'd call that, but-

Amy: 09:12 Right, absolutely.

Elden: 09:14 It's the way it works.

Honey: 09:18 Perspective. [crosstalk 00:09:18]

Amy: 09:18 I'm not afraid. I'm not afraid to ask him for that kind of input where I most of the time don't take it wrong when he's like, "Just calm down and this is what you need to do."

Honey: 09:30 I mean, I think that that's definitely a plus of working with your spouse because while it's easier to say things to your spouse that might send them off, things that you wouldn't say to a different coworker, you can also say things to your spouse about needing help where you don't feel maybe as vulnerable as you would have if you had expressed that to a coworker that isn't connected to you.

Amy: 09:56 Absolutely. Yes.

Honey: 09:58 Because you know he's on your side so you know that if you say, "I'm having a challenge with this." He's not going to look at you like you just cried in a meeting or something.

Amy: 10:08 Right.

Honey: 10:09 I saw someone cry at a meeting. I got very upset with her.

Blaine: 10:12 Just for the record, nobody at [inaudible 00:10:13] marketing has ever cried in a meeting except for possibly our clients.

Honey: 10:17 Our clients. Our clients have cried in a meeting, but tears of joy.

Blaine: 10:20 Yes, we make them cry for the right reasons.

Honey: 10:22 We presented people's brands and they've cried, which we didn't think was gonna happen.

Blaine: 10:25 I think that's a good marketing slogan. We make our clients cry for good reason.

Honey: 10:29 We will make you cry.

Blaine: 10:30 I'm going to guess-

Honey: 10:31 No.

Blaine: 10:31 -the answer to this question. I'm gonna ask it anyway. But knowing full well how they're going to answer it.

Honey: 10:31 Okay.

Blaine: 10:36 I think. Has there ever been anything that's almost broken you and made you say, "We can't do this."

Amy: 10:43 Yes.

Blaine: 10:44 Really?

Amy: 10:45 Yes.

Blaine: 10:45 Didn't see that coming.

Honey: 10:46 Wait. Heres the sound of me whipping off my glasses.

Blaine: 10:50 Wow. I hope that comes across. I think dubbing a sound effect if necessary.

Amy: 10:55 Well, yes, it was very ... it was kind of early on after I came onboard and I came onboard doing the books.

Elden: 11:06 I'm not sure what's coming, by the way.

Amy: 11:07 And then he added this, like, "Hey, how about you take on this? And hey about you take on this?" All of it was kind of fine, until it came to the point where "Maybe you should try to go out and do some sales?" And I'm not a salesperson. It's not my personality. That's not me. I'm just not a salesperson. But he pushed it and pushed it and pushed it and then that may have been the one time that we had ... we probably didn't talk for a couple days and it was like, you know what, it's not what I wanna do. I don't wanna do sales. I don't wanna go out and do sales. I don't mind going out and being around the customers. But I don't wanna go out and sell. I just don't wanna do it.

Elden: 11:51 See, I thought she'd be a natural, right?

Honey: 11:52 Did you know that she was that upset about this?

Amy: 11:56 Yes.

Elden: 11:57 I learned it pretty quickly.

Amy: 11:58 Yes, he knew that.

Elden: 12:00 I just thought it was like, she's not a extrovert-

Amy: 12:01 He thought it was natural.

Elden: 12:03 -extrovert by nature. So I thought, just a little bit of coaching and "Hey, you'll be a natural. You just go out and talk to people and be honest with them and you can do it." I was 100% confident and she was adamant and the more I pushed, the more she pushed back and yeah, somewhere along day two I realized yeah I crossed a border there.

Honey: 12:24 Day two.

Blaine: 12:24 I think I can see exactly why you might have thought this, and Amy I can see exactly why you would push back. So, conversely, has there ever been a time when either of you said, "I can't believe I'm lucky enough to be doing this with this person."

Amy: 12:39 A lot. We say that a lot. I say that a lot.

Elden: 12:42 This is gonna sound all coached and whatever, right? But no, it is.

Amy: 12:46 I say it a lot. I feel very blessed that I can work from home, with my husband, in a business that's successful. I feel very blessed.

Elden: 12:57 And 90% of the time, get along and not have any issues. I mean, there's a lot of advantages to being both employees of the company. Financially, and otherwise, but, retirement accounts and we do company contributions, our retirement accounts, so we're two employees of the same family so we each get contributions. I mean, it's nice.

Amy: 13:25 Yeah.

Elden: 13:25 So if our employees are glistening to this, yes, it's the same contributions that you get.

Honey: 13:31 At least every other day Blaine says, "We win." And that's what that's about.

Amy: 13:38 I mean, how great is it? Now, it's to a point where we're flexible enough that we have a place in Florida, that we can go to Florida. We can work from home in Florida.

Elden: 13:38 Because of the nature of the business.

Amy: 13:50 Because of the nature of the business. We can work down there, so we might get up and work a half a day and then we go to the beach.

Blaine: 13:57 Have you got an office in your house in Florida, with perpendicular desks?

Amy: 14:01 As a matter of fact, we do. We share a desk.

Elden: 14:03 We share a desk in Florida. We have a folding chair that we pull up to the same desk.

Honey: 14:09 You know, for us to correctly do this, I think we need to go to Florida to take pictures of that office. [crosstalk 00:14:13] we're half representing the business.

Elden: 14:16 Come on down. We're about, what, 20 minutes north of Clearwater?

Amy: 14:20 Yes.

Blaine: 14:21 [inaudible 00:14:21] north of Clearwater. Okay. I like the golf course. My mother's got a place in Boca Grande and we've got a friend in Tampa.

Amy: 14:28 Now that was a funny story, because that's the one time I actually did get involved outside of the office. The admin part was ... we had that job in Florida for one of our clients.

Elden: 14:40 You have ... you have done other things.

Amy: 14:40 Not very much.

Elden: 14:42 We did the security assessment in St. Petersburg.

Amy: 14:42 We did a security assessment. Yeah.

Elden: 14:46 So we went down there-

Amy: 14:47 I actually went out and helped him do the security assessment, so that was kind of cool.

Elden: 14:52 Took notes. Asked questions on the interview. It was kind of cool.

Amy: 14:55 Yeah.

Elden: 14:55 You did work when we were doing the data center in Columbia, the big data center build we did. You actually were ringing out and testing cables and all.

Honey: 15:03 Testing cables.

Elden: 15:04 Testing cables. My clients who knows us really well are like, you know, "You're just a pimp. You'll bring members of your family, your kids, your wife out, if they're a [inaudible 00:15:16] resource." I'm like, "Why not?"

Blaine: 15:18 And Larry 8 changes their name to Mac Daddy Consulting.

Honey: 15:23 Mac Daddy 8.

Blaine: 15:24 And Mac Daddy 8, right.

Honey: 15:25 Consultant. [crosstalk 00:15:26] I was gonna say, Mac Daddy 8 might be available 'cause that's bizarre.

Blaine: 15:32 Okay. So what would you tell somebody who thinks they want to start a business with a spouse? Preferable their own spouse. Not someone else's spouse.

Honey: 15:44 That was funny.

Elden: 15:45 Again, you gotta make sure that foundation is there because if there's crinkles in the foundation, I will guarantee it will be a house of cards and it's gonna come down at some point. And I have seen people ... maybe not business owners, small business owners, but people that work in the same company and when things go bad, yeah it gets ugly at work. So.

Blaine: 16:09 And the way you know you've got the right relationship is if you had to stalk your wife and convince her to go out on a date for months.

Honey: 16:17 That is kind of fascinating. Okay, I'm just curious. Had you ever stalked anybody else?

Amy: 16:24 Let's answer that question. [crosstalk 00:16:27]

Honey: 16:27 Because even after this, that was a major ... this person who doesn't wanna date me, I need to make this happen, did you ever do that before?

Elden: 16:37 Well, to keep the story short, I didn't go into everything, but here's my friend Ray and Mary. So we would go out on bike rides. We would do stuff. Ray and I have known each other for years and years before this whole introduction thing, and I had hit kind of a dry spot. When you're dating, you get these roller coasters where you might have two dates in an evening or a weekend and then-

Honey: 16:57 Two dates in an evening?

Amy: 16:58 He's bragging. That might be a little [crosstalk 00:17:01]

Elden: 17:01 Back in the day. Or it would be two months between a date and I was in one of those dry spells and Mary's like, "You know, I got this girl. This girl I used to work with. Cute little brunette. Bla bla bla." And I'm like, "Come on Mary, cough it up." And she's like, "Well, let me talk to her first and see." And then weeks would go by and a month would go by and I'm like, "Mary, you're holding out. Come on."

Blaine: 17:23 I can see why you pursued this. Okay.

Elden: 17:25 So yeah, Ray was like, "Yes." And I'm like, "Ray, come on. She's just trying to ... she's puffing things up." And he goes, "No, she's kind of hot." I'm like, "Come on, help a brother out." So, yeah, after a while, she's like, "Well, you know, I worked with Amy Lucas." And I'm like, "Oh, first name, last name. Got it." And I just kind of took it from there.

Blaine: 17:47 Good for you. As somebody who had to be persistent in his own relationship-

Amy: 17:54 Yeah, so what's your story?

Blaine: 17:55 That's another episode.

Honey: 17:57 That's another episode but I said no a lot.

Blaine: 17:59 Yes you did. So-

Elden: 18:05 Yeah, there's a story there.

Honey: 18:06 You were talking about having to have a solid foundation if you're gonna take on something like this. Obviously, you had a solid foundation. But, I'm curious to know, has working together made you better as a couple?

Amy: 18:19 I think the respect grew. I think that we respect each other. When I first came into the business, and I did go out and visit some clients with him, I was amazed at how he could talk to these people and just talk about what he did in our business and I think the respect grew.

Elden: 18:40 Yeah, because a lot of times you have husband goes this way and wife goes this way to work. I mean, there's some talk and you know what each other does and all that, but until you actually see it, go there and see it, you don't really know it. You might go to an office party and people were talking and you're like, "Wow, people really like my wife or husband or whatever."

Amy: 19:03 Trust grows. You trust me to be able to handle certain things and I trust you to handle certain things and it's differ tn. You're trusting ... I'm trusting him with something different than maybe a couple who did not have a company together or work together. But, I think the trust grows. The respect grows.

Honey: 19:24 I guess why I ask is because I feel like, and I feel like I see it in you guys, I feel like you have to be better at everything to make this work. It's completely worth it when you're doing this with the right person and it's the right project. I think it makes you better at everything.

Amy: 19:40 Yeah.

Elden: 19:40 It's really corny, but the whole communications, trust, everything. I can see it being the analog db meter, right. It either slams to the right or it slams to the left, and you'll be that. But, yeah, if you don't have the foundation, or there's cracks or whatever, meter slams this way but as you work together and it really works, the meter goes the other way and there might not be anything in between that. I don't know.

Honey: 20:05 That's interesting.

Blaine: 20:05 Yeah.

Honey: 20:07 You may be right. I mean, nobody's ever said that, but you may be right. There may be nothing in between.

Amy: 20:13 Right.

Blaine: 20:14 So we're going to take that with nothing in between, that's an example of a really good one.

Honey: 20:19 Yeah.

Blaine: 20:19 All right. You know what that means?

Honey: 20:19 It's time.

Blaine: 20:22 It's time. It's time for the lightning round. Ding ding ding ding ding ding. Okay. This is the first time we've ever had music.

Honey: 20:28 We've never done sound effects.

Blaine: 20:29 Yeah. Okay. This is the fearsome five. Are you ready?

Amy: 20:34 I guess.

Blaine: 20:35 Elden, what is her biggest pet peeve about you?

Elden: 20:38 Biggest pet peeve. I can be an ass. I can just press and press and press as she talks about me wanting her to go out and do sales. I can press until the hand comes against my forehead and says, "Enough." Sometimes I don't pick up on the little subtleties.

Honey: 20:58 All right. Amy, what is Elden's biggest pet peeve about you?

Amy: 21:02 Pet peeve about me. Well, I don't know. I think you're right with the extrovert. I'm not as extroverted as him. If there's a situation and he'll say, "Why don't you pick up the phone and call?" 'Cause I'm like, "Read this email." "Why don't you call this person?" That's probably his biggest pet peeve about me.

Honey: 21:02 Okay.

Blaine: 21:23 All right. Elden, what single person living or dead would you hire if you could?

Honey: 21:27 Or fictitious?

Blaine: 21:28 Or fictitious. Yeah, it can be fictitious.

Elden: 21:30 I got an idea of a perfect candidate. We've hired a number. They're working for us already. I don't know how else to answer that. Like, a given person?

Honey: 21:39 Anybody.

Blaine: 21:39 Anybody. Somebody who's-

Honey: 21:41 Anybody walking the earth. It could be somebody that everybody knows or it could be your grandfather's best friend.

Blaine: 21:44 We've had Bill Gates, Abe Lincoln, Harry Potter was one.

Honey: 21:50 George Clooney came up.

Blaine: 21:51 Oh yeah.

Honey: 21:52 Mostly because somebody thought that he'd just be good company.

Blaine: 21:56 Well, I think it was a guy who said that.

Honey: 21:58 And that was a guy.

Blaine: 22:00 Yeah.

Honey: 22:00 But the wife was like, "Yeah, he could work there."

Elden: 22:03 I don't know that I have other than ... no, I don't really know. Because I think in everybody there's things, pluses and minuses I could see in people. I have no idea of a perfect candidate and candidates, guys, girls, but I don't know that I could-

Amy: 22:20 You can't even think of something fun to say.

Honey: 22:22 All right, Amy. What single person, living, dead, animated, anything, would you hire if you could?

Amy: 22:33 I don't know either. But I was thinking Bill Gates just because of the technical thing and how innovative he was and I was thinking, "He could help us with all of that, but he might be a different technical [inaudible 00:22:43]."

Blaine: 22:43 Spoken like PC users.

Honey: 22:46 Well, he'd probably be a plus for the company.

Amy: 22:46 Right.

Blaine: 22:49 No Steve Jobs here.

Elden: 22:50 Now if we're talking about pure humor and dumb stuff-

Honey: 22:53 You can pick for any reason.

Amy: 22:54 Well we already have a nickname for Brandon. The Oracle. So that would be a fictitious oracle.

Elden: 23:00 Right. I was thinking of Dilbert just because I enjoy the-

Blaine: 23:03 You'd wanna have Dilbert around. That's a pretty good one. I like that. All right.

Honey: 23:07 Amy, do you have any balance for Dilbert?

Amy: 23:09 No.

Honey: 23:09 Okay.

Blaine: 23:10 Okay. All right, Elden. What do you do just to get Amy's goat?

Elden: 23:16 Probably that same thing. I just know things that will make her call me an ass, so sometimes I can just do that. Especially on a Friday afternoon. Just push and push and push and just watch her get steamed until she just breaks and then I laugh and I'm like, "I'm just kidding. J/k."

Amy: 23:33 Then we both end up laughing.

Honey: 23:36 At least you both end up laughing. Okay, so Amy, what do you do just to get Elden's goat?

Amy: 23:39 I don't know that I really do anything just to get his goat, 'cause to get his goat is bad. That's not a good thing.

Blaine: 23:46 Wow.

Honey: 23:47 She pretends to be an introvert and in about five years she's gonna tell you this whole thing has been a ruse.

Blaine: 23:54 You're gonna find out she's got a one-woman show she's been doing for years-

Elden: 23:57 Right, exactly.

Blaine: 23:58 You thought she was going out with her friends.

Elden: 23:59 That will acquire a company and pay nothing and-

Blaine: 24:02 You can answer this next one separately or together. Since working together, what has been your best date night?

Honey: 24:10 Or at least a great date night.

Amy: 24:10 I'd rather not disclose that information.

Blaine: 24:14 That is not the first time we've had that answer.

Elden: 24:17 [inaudible 00:24:17] it'll be a steamy night tonight, as a matter of fact.

Honey: 24:18 Your second best date night.

Blaine: 24:21 It sounds like you both agree. Is that the case?

Amy: 24:22 You've really brought the best out of us tonight, so yeah, it might be a good night tonight.

Honey: 24:22 Okay.

Blaine: 24:22 It could be tonight.

Honey: 24:28 All right, we're gonna be packing up in a second.

Blaine: 24:29 Okay. Elden, describe Amy in one word.

Elden: 24:35 One word.

Amy: 24:40 I got this one.

Elden: 24:41 One word. That's two words. Completes me is two words. Synonym. Don't have my phone. Right hand. Hyphen. Hyphenated.

Blaine: 24:52 Okay, we will-

Honey: 24:52 We'll let that one ride.

Blaine: 24:54 We'll let that one ride.

Amy: 24:55 Well, I feel bad because are you gonna ask me that question?

Honey: 24:58 I am.

Amy: 24:59 Okay.

Honey: 24:59 Amy, describe Elden in one word.

Amy: 25:02 Okay, I feel bad because I was gonna say anal.

Blaine: 25:05 Wow.

Amy: 25:08 Because that is really him.

Elden: 25:10 Interview extended.

Amy: 25:17 No, but-

Elden: 25:18 It's part of the job. It's just what we do. You have to plan to the nth degree and a lot of people don't understand that. And when I start asking question after question, they get tired of questions after a while.

Blaine: 25:30 I completely ... having done a lot of production and understanding what you do to some degree, I get it.

Honey: 25:35 You're just sticking up for the guy.

Blaine: 25:37 No.

Honey: 25:39 [inaudible 00:25:39]

Blaine: 25:40 I used to do production management and production and it's just similar. You've got to have all the wires there. You've got to have them all connected. They've all gotta do what they're supposed to do at each end.

Elden: 25:50 If you don't, it fails or you'll look bad and I'm not in for that.

Blaine: 25:53 Yeah.

Honey: 25:54 So Amy, were you gonna change your word? 'Cause you said you were gonna say anal.

Amy: 25:57 Well, I mean, it's the same thing. He's my best friend. He's my right hand. He's my safe harbor. He's everything.

Blaine: 26:08 Everything.

Amy: 26:08 I don't really have one word. Well, everything.

Blaine: 26:08 Say everything.

Amy: 26:08 He's everything.

Elden: 26:08 I like that.

Blaine: 26:14 I was listening and thinking, "What is the word?" And you said it. Everything.

Amy: 26:14 Everything.

Honey: 26:18 All right.

Blaine: 26:19 All right. Amy and Elden Quesinberry of Layer 8 Consulting. Thank you for sitting down with us and sharing your kitchen table.

Honey: 26:27 Thank you so much.

Amy: 26:27 Thank you, Honey and Blaine for interviewing us and sharing our story and-

Honey: 26:32 It's a good story.

Blaine: 26:34 It is a good story.

Elden: 26:34 You were interested enough to come over.

Amy: 26:36 As nervous ... I mean, I was nervous but it wasn't as bad as I thought it was gonna be.

Honey: 26:40 This is one of those interviews that makes me wish it was on video, because watching you two watch each other was pretty great. That was good stuff.

Blaine: 26:53 Thanks for being fun.

Honey: 26:55 Thank you.

Amy: 26:55 Thank you.

Blaine: 26:55 Thanks for being a good CoupleCo.

This has been part two of our conversation with Elden and Amy Quesinberry of Layer 8 Consulting in Westminster, Maryland.

Honey: 27:07 If you enjoyed this podcast, and you think it would be useful or fun for other couple entrepreneurs, please go to iTunes and leave a star rating and a review to help them find it.

Blaine: 27:16 And join us next time when we sit down in Tampa, Florida, with a couple you are going to have to hear to believe.

Honey: 27:21 Their story is like a movie. It's Stand and Deliver meets The Blind Side.

Blaine: 27:26 And I liked both of those movies.

Honey: 27:28 I think this is better than both of those movies.

Blaine: 27:31 Dominic and Andria Owen of Train Up First are an example of an almost accidental nonprofit organization that is impacting tens of thousands of kids.

Honey: 27:39 We sat down with them at about 8:30 at night after they'd already had a full day at work, and they were still energized and dynamic and gracious and wonderful.

Blaine: 27:49 It was one of those interviews I walked away from going "Oh boy."

Honey: 27:52 We need to be better people.

Blaine: 27:53 Yeah. Not just about a couple better people, but they told us a story that is incredible. Andria Rogers Owen, Dominic Owen, of Train Up First-

Honey: 28:01 Also known as TUF. T-U-F.

Blaine: 28:03 In Tampa, Florida. Next time, here on CoupleCo. Working with your spouse for fun and profit.

Honey: 28:08 Copyright 2018. All rights reserved.

Blaine: 28:11 Love you, baby.

Honey: 28:12 Love you too.

Blaine: 28:13 CoupleCo out.