63 www. ReadMPM. com | www.MountPl easantMagaz i ne. com | www. ShemCreekRes taurant s . com GROUNDING EVERYTHING IN LOVE With no set-in-stone formula, this next entrepreneurial couple found their solution by grounding everything in love. In 2009, entrepreneur Adam Dukes grabbed another slice of the American dream and founded GrandScapes, a full-service design, build and maintenance landscape company. Fourteen years later, he enjoys running and growing the company while his wife Kelly, with an expansive entrepreneurial spirit of her own, is a successful Tacori regional sales manager. The Dukes have two daughters, ages 6 and 4. They hope to add a dog to the family in the future. “Schedules and time don’t matter before kids,” said Adam. “Kelly’s schedule is very demanding of time. She does an amazing job and I help where I can.” Part of that demanding schedule involves a certain amount of travel every month. When Kelly travels, Adam steps into a few additional roles with the children. When asked how they make it work and how responsibilities are divided Adam said, “We both work really hard, but our love for each other makes it work. I work to get home with my family as soon as possible.” Kelly added, “We put our family first above anything else. And there’s communication, flexibility, a shared calendar and a village of people that feel like family to help. And loving Adam so much, it’s easy to be his teammate.” Adam and Kelly both pointed out that they have great teams that support them at work and how much this makes a difference. They also have a nanny. Their days start early with Adam being on the job by 6:30 a.m. year-round. As a working mom, Kelly is always on the clock. Both Kelly and Adam stressed the importance of saving something for the most important part of the day, family time, which begins as soon as the work day ends. Schedules and structure work for some families, and creating solutions on the fly works for others. By and large there’s no specific magic dust, no secret rulebook, nor a hidden set of strict guidelines. Getting families succeeding together takes hard work, patience, flexibility, solid teamwork and a lot, lot, lot of love. And that works. feature The Dukes f ami l y. Sarah Berkey Independent Educational Consultant As a former admissions counselor, and current college planner, I have the expertise to help students and families navigate the admissions process with ease and grace. BlueSkyCollegePlanning.com Contact me for a free 30-minute consultation! Blue Sky College Planning blueskycollegeplanning_ CLICK • SCAN • SUBSCRIBE
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