Her weakness is her slicked back hair,” Drew Scott says without flinching.
The usually serious half of the popular HGTV twin duo aren't afraid to throw a few jabs every once in a while.
"Drew is a robot!" his 4-minute older twin lines, referencing Drew's workaholic tendencies.
Brothers shoot final episodes of Brother vs. Brother in Texas , one of their four home improvement projects, shows that over the past six years they have garnered a devoted following of over 18 million viewers.
Yes, the duo, both 6ft 5 inches, could rightly be called tall, dark and handsome (they receive hundreds of marriage proposals every week on social media), but their real appeal lies in the down-to-earth humor and playful sibling rivalry.
“We like to use humor as a way to defuse any tension,” says Jonathan. “We take the work seriously but not ourselves.”
It seems to work. Since launching their first show, Property Brothers , in 2011, they consistently rank among the highest rated programs on the HGTV network and continue to expand their offerings, the latest being Brothers Take New Orleans .
Related: The Property Brothers share 4 tips for budding entrepreneurs
Their big smiles and childish on-air pranks bring a wave of nostalgia to anyone with a sibling. But behind the playful banter are brothers who have spent the past 30 years building a multi-million dollar digital and media production brand from the ground up.
It started when they launched their first company in age 7:making and selling nylon hangers. While the rest of their neighborhood friends busied themselves kicking soccer balls and playing in the mud, the twins drew business cards on construction paper with crayons. The name of the company:JAM Enterprises, which stands for Jonathan, Andrew, Mom Enterprises.
“Our slogan was 'We take care of your fittings,'” says Jonathan with a laugh. "We've always been a bit enterprising. ”
With a little paid help from their mother, Joanne, her older brother, JD, and their friends, the young business partners handled all aspects of JAM, from manufacturing and door-to-door marketing. gate, right down to growth plans. A neighboring woman owned a chain of Americana stores in Japan and she ordered thousands of hangers that summer. They later invested in real estate, flipping their first home at age 18. Now they have a line of furniture, a New York Times best-selling home design book, four popular home improvement shows, and a multimedia strategy and production company, Scott Brothers Entertainment.
Avoid conflict by defining the specific roles of each person in the company, both at the start and as the brand continues to grow and develop.
Although Drew and Jonathan have worked together most of their lives, things haven't always worked out as well as they do today. Working with family members adds complex layers that many new businesses can't resist. The brothers had to figure out how they interacted with each other:who would manage which parts of the business and how they would resolve conflicts as business partners first and brothers second.
COURTESY OF HGTV
“People saying they can't work with their family, that's just not how we work,” says Drew. “For us, we have a no-B.S. Politics. »
Siblings should make the best business partners. And twins often know each other better than they know themselves. The majority of sibling research focuses on the relationship at developmental stages. After all, the relationships we form with our siblings allow us a (mostly) inconsequential sandbox to test our social skills as they develop. We learn to manage conflict. We maneuver, decide when to compete and when to retreat. As Laurie Kramer, professor of applied family studies at the University of Illinois, says, siblings are the true agents of socialization and the ultimate shapers of our future. And a 2009 study by Jill Suitor, a sociology professor at Purdue University, found that the majority of adult siblings have good feelings for each other.
Related: All in the family
So why aren't more siblings signing up as business partners? Because, Jonathan speculates, we expect more from family members than from a friend or colleague. And we often don't communicate that expectation, leading to resentments that can quickly implode a budding startup.
Veteran businessmen siblings offer this advice to anyone considering mixing business and family .
1. Identify your strengths and weaknesses.
Drew is charismatic and knows how to work a piece, says Jonathan. “He has no problem dropping by immediately and introducing himself to anyone…. It is a very good thing in business to be able to create these relationships and move forward. »
Jonathan likes to keep his head down and get to work. As a laid-off contractor, he's the one who usually handles the dirty work while Drew handles more of the brass side of the business.
Sit down with your sibling during the early stages of Planning. List your strengths and weaknesses and ask your sibling to rate you. He or she might be able to offer valuable information and a different perspective.
2. Know (and voice) your expectations.
We have high standards for our family members. We inherently know which brother to go to when we're feeling down and who to trust when we're struggling to find a particularly difficult problem. But, as Drew and Jonathan warn, don't expect too much when it comes to business. Just because your siblings are good at creating a personal financial budget doesn't mean they want to manage the company's books.
Avoid conflict by defining each person's specific roles in the company , both in the beginning and as the brand continues to grow and develop. “No matter how much you love yourself,” says Jonathan, “treat it like a business.”
COURTESY OF HGTV
3. Divide and conquer.
Jonathan designs and renovates over 50 homes a year for Property Brothers and Buy and Sell , while Drew handles the face of the brand. It’s a strategy that aligns with their individual strengths. But that requires trust and sometimes compromise.
If Drew disagrees with a particular design that Jonathan chooses, for example, he can (and should) voice that opinion. But at the end of the day, Jonathan's strength is design, and Drew says he had to learn to trust his brother's instincts.
Healthy relationships are built on trust, communication and respect. These are essential at all times, but especially when you're on separate pages and making business-related decisions. Remember each other's strengths and who should have the final say.
If your sibling doesn't agree with a decision you've made in one of your strength areas, listen , heed their advice, but remind them respectively that you are the leader. Explain the reasoning behind your decision, as your sibling may just have to look at the issue from your perspective.
4. Align your goals.
Drew and Jonathan have a 10-year plan. They each listed their personal vision for growing their brand, then sat down to see how those individual visions came together into a cohesive goal. Understand that there could be give and take. You may have to trade off a lesser urge to capitalize on a more realistic goal.
“Drew and I are always looking at our situation, taking calculated risks,” says Jonathan. “You constantly have to adapt. »
5. Establish a no-B.S. politics.
Sibling rivalry is inevitable, especially between two naturally strong and competitive people like Drew and Jonathan.
“If we have a problem, we solve it and we solve it”, explains Drew. “Being stubborn is not an asset. You must be able to see things through the eyes of others…. It will help you grow. When trying to resolve a conflict with your brother, Jonathan advises, remember that there is never only one solution to a problem. Look at what you're trying to achieve as a brand and as a team, and choose the solution that best suits those goals.
6. Leave your personal feelings at home.
Drew and Jonathan shoot over 60 one-hour episodes a year. Combine that with running a growing furniture line, selling books, a media production company, and a thriving social media presence, and the brothers are spending a lot of time together.
“We hear so well," says Jonathan. “I guess that's the advantage of having an identical twin. But we certainly have clear and concise communication about what the company is and what it is not. »
7. Don't let success go to your head.
Part of Drew and Jonathan's 10-year plan is to hit half a billion dollars in business by the end of 2018.
"This been a great year for us,” said Jonathan. "Some people will say to us, 'Wow, you're like that overnight success,' which we laugh about because we're like the longest overnight success. »
“Being stubborn is not an asset. You must be able to see things through the eyes of others…. It will help you grow. »
No matter how big or how fast your organization is growing, remember why you started it in the first place. An episode of Brothers Take New Orleans tells of a woman who was duped by a contractor after Hurricane Katrina destroyed her shotgun-style home. Broken and displaced, she has lived in a tiny apartment with the most basic furniture for 11 years – until the brothers heard her story. They partnered with a local disaster relief organization to overhaul the house and return it to the original owner. For them, this is the definition of success.
“We inspire families. We are changing their lives in a positive way,” says Drew. “The bigger our brand grows, the better we can help more people. »
Related: True success begins the second you start giving back
This article originally appeared in the March 2017 issue of SUCCESS magazine.
