From the Ground Up — "Co-Founders in Sync: Balancing Passion, Partnership, and Purpose"

Podcast: From the Ground Up
Host: Abigail Bassett, Inc. Custom Studio
Guests:

• Rika Kendrick Palmer (Co-founder, BlackFlox)
• Tasha Kendrick Palmer (Co-founder, BlackFlox)
• Robert Hines (South Region Area Manager, Chase for Business)
  Date: December 8, 2025

Overview

This episode explores what it truly takes to build and sustain a successful business partnership—especially when co-founders are life partners as well. Through candid conversations with Rika and Tasha Kendrick Palmer, co-founders of Houston’s BlackFlox, and Robert Hines of Chase for Business, host Abigail Bassett delves into balancing passion, partnership, and purpose. Topics include the origin of BlackFlox, the complexities of working with a loved one, communication, financial transparency, the power of community, and practical advice for new partners.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Realities of Business Partnerships

• Survival Statistics & Sustainability

  • Robert Hines highlights daunting statistics: about 430,000 businesses start each month, but only ~45-50% last five years ([01:13]).
  • Key sustainability factor: "Treat your business relationship like any other key investment, with trust, transparency, and alignment of shared goals." (Robert, [03:22])

• Unique Partnership Challenges

  • Co-founders juggle work-life balance, communication issues, and lack of defined roles. These can lead to misunderstandings both at work and at home ([02:17]–[03:29]).
  • Memorable quote: “Work-life balance… becomes a little bit challenging to switch off at times. So consequently, those conversations follow you home.” (Robert, [02:17])

BlackFlox: From Passion to Business

• Founding Story

  • Rika (nurse, 20 years) and Tasha (respiratory therapist) started BlackFlox at the start of COVID, making a candle to comfort a grieving neighbor ([03:43]).
  • Their workshops aimed to help people disconnect from pandemic stress and find common ground.

• Healthcare-Inspired Business Model

  • They leveraged healthcare time management, empathy, and logistics in building their brand and community ([05:08]).
  • Workshops offered a way to bring people together and foster community even amid political and pandemic stress ([05:40]–[07:55]).

• Evolving Vision: Workshops vs. Product

  • Tasha initially resisted starting a business, and was hesitant about workshops. She preferred focusing on product/e-commerce; Rika was passionate about community-building events ([09:04]–[10:41]).
  • Financial reality (“I took some money out so that we could keep making candles with people…”) forced them to agree on blending both approaches ([11:28]).

• Defining Roles & Embracing Differences

  • A pivotal moment: Tasha mandates that before more personal funds are invested, inventory candles need to be sold. This hybrid model ultimately sustained them financially ([12:35]).
  • “We sold more, probably two or three times more, of our inventory candles than we did workshops.” (Rika, [12:35])

Managing Communication and Financial Transparency

• Respecting Strengths and Working Styles

  • Robert: "Celebrate the differences, right, because they can actually make your business stronger..." ([13:54])
  • Advice: Regular roles review, explicit responsibility division, and “BLT—Believe, Like, Trust”—as key principles ([14:19], [16:04]).

• Systems & Transparency

  • Clear, separate business accounts and written agreements set a foundation for trust ([14:19]).
  • “System: Saves you Stress, Time, Energy and Money.” (Robert, [14:19])
  • Rika and Tasha mimic their personal financial strategies for the business, ensuring clarity and resilience ([16:38]–[18:39]).

• Work-Life Boundaries

  • The couple schedules “no business” days (Tuesdays for Rika), formal board meetings (Wednesdays), and date nights to carve out personal time ([19:03]–[20:09]).
  • “We had to set those hard lines on: Hey, I can’t take any more.” (Tasha, [19:37])
  • “To you that means you made a decision. No. She often says to me, ‘Did we actually make a decision on that? Or was that just a conversation?’” (Rika, [20:09])

The Impact of Community and Mentorship

• Chase for Business Relationship

  • As longtime Chase customers, Rika and Tasha credit their local business banker for prompting strategic thinking and personal support ([22:10]–[24:33]).
  • “He really was vested in making sure we had a plan beyond tomorrow, you know, and letting us know that it’s those things that will derail you.” (Rika, [24:33])

• Mentorship and Coaching for Impact

  • Programs like Coaching for Impact offer executive coaching, workshops, and intentional intros to drive both personal and business growth ([29:31]–[33:21]).
  • Rika: “The Coaching for Impact Program… helps us to really take a deeper dive into what we have. It doesn’t give you answers. It makes you do the work.” ([29:31])
  • Collaboration > Competition: They built peer partnerships that provide outside perspectives and emotional support ([37:33]–[41:03]).
  • “Confluence… when two rivers come together to form one, and that merging creates a stronger current… sometimes you’re a movement by yourself, but when you identify a partner, you become a force.” (Robert, [41:06])

Practical Advice for Entrepreneurs and Partners

• For Prospective Co-Founders:

  • Robert: “Get to know and respect each other’s strengths and working styles before you dive in… partnership is like any relationship, there’s give, there’s take.” ([42:21])
  • “My 100% may not look like yours.” (Abigail, [43:13])

• Lessons from Rika & Tasha:

  • Tasha: "Learn to say no, it is okay. Also, do that research… to save you a couple of coins. That trial and error can be costly." ([44:07])
  • "Allow yourself grace, as well as your partner grace." ([44:33])
  • Rika: "Don’t try to manage your partner in the business… do open yourself to that grace and those small wins." ([44:48])
  • "Make sure you know what you can do for free before you go pay for it… and learn the legal implications of anything you want to do." ([45:55])
  • Both use AI as business research and planning aids—“YouTube University is real.” (Rika, [46:43])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Partnership Strain

  • “Our relationship was tried—totally tried—and it had never gotten to that point before.” (Tasha, [09:06])

• On Business-Partner Dynamics

  • "Celebrate the differences… they can actually make your business stronger and keep your partnership healthy as you continue to grow." (Robert, [13:54])
  • “I cannot manage her. Tasha’s not shy about making sure I knew that I was managing her.” (Rika, [44:48])

• On Community

  • “Chase for Business partners… really talking about how you’re going to remain and grow in business, and not just how you’re going to remain a customer.” (Rika, [24:33])

• On Collaboration

  • “It’s more, you know, collaboration over competition… it is very necessary for your business. And I also feel it’s very healthy.” (Tasha, [40:45])

• On Confluence in Partnership

  • “You’re a movement by yourself, but when you identify a partner… you become a force.” (Robert, [41:06])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:13] — Robert Hines: Small business survival rates
• [02:17] — Partnership challenges: Work-life boundaries, communication, roles
• [03:43] — BlackFlox origin: COVID, healthcare, first workshop
• [05:40] — Workshop impact and purpose
• [09:04] — Personal challenges of co-founding with a partner
• [11:28] — Finance and shifting to a business model
• [14:19] — Systems for financial transparency
• [19:03] — Work-life boundaries and scheduled meetings
• [22:10] — Chase for Business’s role and mentorship
• [29:31] — Coaching for Impact and business growth
• [34:49] — Choosing Houston, organic community growth
• [41:06] — Confluence and partnership metaphors
• [42:21] — Final practical advice to new co-founders
• [44:07] — Tasha and Rika’s advice to their former selves

Takeaways for Listeners

• Start with clear boundaries, defined roles, and mutual respect for differences.
• Prioritize financial transparency: separate accounts, regular review, written agreements.
• Celebrate small wins and remember that business decisions can tangibly affect personal relationships.
• Seek mentorship and leverage free community or institutional resources.
• Collaborate with peers—don’t isolate; learning from others’ experiences is invaluable.
• Allow room for grace, imperfection, and personal growth—for both partners.
• Before investing heavily, do thorough research (and don’t overlook “YouTube University” or AI tools!).
• Community and mentorship—like that from Chase for Business—are critical to scaling sustainably.

“Confluence… when two rivers come together to form one, and that merging creates a stronger current… so as entrepreneurs, sometimes you’re a movement by yourself, but when you identify a partner, you become a force.”
— Robert Hines ([41:06])