Opposites attract! Chip Gaines and Joanna Gaines‘ Magnolia empire dominates the home decor market and one of the secrets to their success is using their different personality types to their advantage.
The couple opened up about the lessons they’ve learned as they built their company over the years on Wednesday, July 1, during the virtual event Salesforce Presents Stories of Resilience: A Conversation With Chip and Joanna Gaines on Finding Inspiration.
“I think that’s where we balance,” Joanna, 42, explained. “Chip has this amazing instinct and intuition and then I come in and do the fine-tuning and do the details, and that’s why I think we’re a great team.”
Chip, 45, added, “For me, I’m a natural-born hustler. That’s all I know how to do is hustle, work and then work again, and then work smarter, then fail and figure it out. That’s sort of in my DNA. It’s hard for me to communicate to someone like Jo who is on the opposite end of that spectrum.”
The New Mexico native said that working through their differences takes “hard work” and “determination,” which has opened the door for “infinite opportunities.”
Joanna added that they didn’t begin their business with a detailed plan for their company. The pair advise inspiring entrepreneurs to remain flexible with their goals and see where the journey takes them.
“We didn’t have a big vision for Magnolia,” the Magnolia Table author recalled. “Chip was more, ‘Jo, I want you to follow your dreams, if we only do $248 a day then great, I’m excited that you love what you’re doing and you’re finding value in your work.’ We didn’t have big dreams, we didn’t have a big vision. It was ‘This is how we stay open’ and from there, every day, something new evolved. It was about staying nimble, it was about pivoting when you needed to, it was really understanding gut instinct versus just going on a whim and having to really trust that. The more you hone in on that the stronger, I think, you become because you know you have to rely on your instincts as a business person.”
However, the path to success wasn’t always easy for the Fixer Upper alums. The Kansas native said there were plenty of times that she and her husband felt uncertain if Magnolia could become a thriving company.
“I remember moments where Chip and I would look at each other and just think, ‘How are we going to make it?’ Not seeing the end — not understanding you could actually get through it,” she said. “We would look at each other and say, ‘Do we just bail and get out?’ That seemed so much easier than having to figure out how do we make it through this.”
Chip and Joanna opened the first Magnolia Market in 2003. Since then, the company has expanded into other avenues including Silos Baking Co., Magnolia Table and a line at Target.
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