From late nights in an Airstream to life as new parents, the Schoonovers share their secrets to balancing marriage, parenthood, and management
When people ask us how we learned to work together as a married couple and business partners, we usually smile before answering. Because the real story didn’t start with our first franchise. It started in a 1957 Airstream trailer.
A few years ago, we moved into that silver bullet vehicle with our two big dogs and lived at our warehouse while we relaunched our existing businesses—Trophy House Pros and Meridian Trophy. We slept, worked, planned, laughed and built our future inside a space barely big enough for two adults and a coffee maker. At the time, it felt a little crazy. Now, we see it for what it was: our crash course in marriage, management and grace.
If you can relaunch a business while living in an Airstream together, you can probably handle just about anything.
That lesson followed us when we opened Boise’s first Painting with a Twist studio in May 2025. We were stepping into franchising for the first time, but not into entrepreneurship for the first time. The difference this time was intention. Painting with a Twist allowed us to merge what we already loved—art, people, community and building something meaningful—into a business we could run side by side.
Heather comes from a background as a graphic designer and art educator, and she leads the creative heartbeat of the studio. Levi brings operational experience and deep community ties that reach far beyond business. Together, we try to balance creativity with structure and vision with follow-through. That balance is what made the opportunity feel right.
But the real test of “marriage and management” came quickly.
We built the studio ourselves. We poured in the concrete. We installed the electrical wires. We painted walls. We interviewed artists to become our employees. We solved problems in dusty clothes and late nights, standing in an empty space and imagining what it could become. We weren’t supportive spouses watching from the sidelines—we were partners in the trenches.
For many couples, the advice is, “Don’t take your work home with you.” We’ve learned the opposite works better for us. We don’t chase balance. We choose integration.
Our businesses, our marriage and our community life are deeply intertwined. Whether we’re organizing a community bike ride to spotlight local businesses or donating through our trophy shop, we’ve made service part of our marriage—not just our brand. Community anchors us. Building businesses can be isolating if you let it be. Staying connected to people, causes and places reminds us why growth matters in the first place.
That “why” became very real last November, when our daughter, Zoe, was born. We call it the Zoe factor.
Becoming brand-new parents reshaped everything in the best way. Zoe fuels our ambition. We want to build something she can be proud of. But she also reminds us when to slow down. She taught us, almost immediately, that being present is just as important as being productive.
High-capacity lives come with high-pressure moments—especially with a newborn in the mix. Our most important tool has become grace. We watch for when the other one is stretched thin. We step in without being asked. And we still make time to slow down together, watch a movie and reset so we can show up better for each other and for Zoe.
One of the biggest misconceptions about working with your spouse is that you need rigid roles to survive. We’ve found the opposite. We don’t claim to have all the answers—we’re navigating this day by day just like everyone else—but we have found a few “secrets” that keep our businesses running and our marriage thriving.
In our house and in our businesses, there’s no permanent job description. If something needs to be done, whoever is closest handles it. The rule is simple: don’t get locked into expectations. Some seasons require the business to get most of our energy. Other seasons—like the one we’re in now—require family to get everything. We stay fluid and adjust to what matters most in the moment.
That flexibility only works because we’ve invested heavily in people and processes.
We were able to truly enjoy the newborn phase with Zoe because we hired people we trust and built systems that allow the business to run without us hovering. When something breaks, we don’t look for someone to blame—we look at the process. Clear expectations give everyone freedom, including us. Systems are our sanity.
Working together has also taught us something we didn’t fully expect—love is a real business advantage.
As first-time franchise owners and new parents, we lead with flexibility because we have to. We understand that life shows up unexpectedly. That understanding shapes our studio culture. It makes our space more human.
We believe deeply in staying fun. We believe in trusting the universe and each other. We eat healthy, share a glass of wine after long days and operate on a foundation of optimism even when things feel uncertain. We want to look back years from now and know we took the chance, grew through the hard parts and enjoyed the ride together.
Building a successful business while protecting a meaningful marriage isn’t about perfect balance. It’s about shared vision, fluid roles, strong community and daily connection. It’s about grace when things are messy and presence when things are beautiful. We learned that in an Airstream. We practice it every day in our studio. And now, we carry it home to a tiny human who reminds us why all of it matters.