Entrepreneurial Spouses
Photos by: Emma Highfill
“Two are better than one,” at least according to conventional wisdom (and a few pop-culture references). This can especially be true when couples are in business together. But what happens when each spouse owns their own separate business? Two Topeka-based couples prove day in and day out that individual businesses thrive when two entrepreneurial spirits come together to build each other up and capitalize on opportunities.
JENNY & DJ MANIS
Automotion | Elite Towing
Jenny and DJ Manis met when they were in high school and taking classes at Washburn Tech, where they were pursuing their mutual interest in cars and the auto industry. Jenny was enrolled in autobody classes, DJ in auto mechanics. It wasn’t long, however, before they both realized they’d found something at Washburn Tech they liked even more than cars: each other.
They began dating in1999, which is where the story of Automotion and Elite Towing begins.
“I started working at Automotion when I was 15 years old,” said DJ. “There were only two of us there, plus the owner. When Jenny got out of school, she went to work for Bill Kobach Buick Body shop, which was a block away from Automotion.”
After a few years of dating—and being work neighbors—DJ and Jenny were married in 2003. Then, two years later, the couple decided to take another leap together.
“In 2005, the owner of Automotion decided to retire,” DJ recalled. “I had actually bought a house while I was still in high school, and I had quite a bit of equity, so I refinanced my house and bought the assets of Automotion in ‘05.”
Jenny would soon join up with DJ at their newly-acquired business, leaving her position at Bill Kobach Buick a few months after DJ purchased Automotion.
“I ran customers to and from appointments, managed bills and payroll, and those types of office duties—and quite a bit of customer interaction,” Jenny said, detailing her role at Automotion. “A lot of people would say, ‘I don’t know how you work with your husband or wife all day.’ The reality is, we were working together, but we weren’t actually around each other a whole lot. However, it helped me understand DJ’s late nights and his long hours. I understood that and could relate to it because I saw it. Had I not been there seeing it every day, I don’t think I would have understood it.”
Hailing from an autobody background, Jenny found the work at Automotion something she understood intuitively and an area in which she could deliver great value. However, something was still missing.
“I’d never really had my own thing, per se,” Jenny said. “Automotion was kind of DJ’s baby. Even though I helped grow it, it’s been his deal, and I always wanted something that was my own accomplishment. I don’t know that there was a moment when I decided to start Elite Towing, but we saw an opportunity.”
DJ went home one night and announced to Jenny, “I did something today.” When she questioned his remark, he added, “I bought a tow truck.” Jenny asked, “What are you going to do with it?”
DJ replied, “I’m not going to do anything with it. You are.”
Just like that, Elite Towing was born. In July of 2020, Jenny seamlessly made the switch from MVP employee at Automotion to entrepreneur and business owner.
“We started the towing company in July of 2020,” Jenny said. “It really grew quickly. There was definitely a need for it in Topeka.”
Elite Towing began as a business with a single tow truck. In less than two years, the business has expanded under Jenny’s leadership to a fleet of seven tow trucks offering 24/7 service.
Jenny points out as a business owner, there’s no longer an “off button” like there is when working as an employee. That has been the biggest difference between working at Automotion and running her own company. All the same, the fulfillment derived from helping customers in need—often in emergencies or crisis situations—offsets many of the stressors of entrepreneurship. What makes it even more rewarding is remembering that all those meaningful moments with customers are only possible because of her own determination, grit and vision.
“I’m very proud of Jenny for what she has accomplished in just two years,” said DJ. Jenny’s departure from Automotion and the ascent of Elite Towing meant changes for everyone, both at work and at home. It presented a new dynamic, and yet, there were many similarities. Like the seasoned trailblazers they are, DJ and Jenny adapted quickly.
“The biggest adaptation at Automotion has been filling the office role that Jenny held. If somebody called and had pointed questions that were better suited for the business owner, I could always share that responsibility with her,” DJ said.
In terms of how they’ve been so successful managing two businesses and a family, Jenny pointed to the importance of empathy, understanding and patience.
“Being in business, you gravitate toward people who are going through something similar, so we’ve had lots of friendships through the years with other business owners,” said Jenny.
Jenny adds another piece of advice to fellow married entrepreneurs. “If only one of you has a business, remember that the spouse who’s still at home is taking on a huge load to support the family. Before Elite Towing, I was at home raising two teenage boys and taking care of the house while DJ was at work. Him remembering how much I was doing was important, as well as me understanding that being a business owner requires a lot of dedication. There were weeks where he wouldn’t get home until 10 or 11 at night. That, I think, is the biggest thing—be patient and understanding.”
TROY & KAREY BROWN
Brown’s Tree Service CDC Disaster Relief & Hauling
Troy Brown is a Topeka native. Born and raised in the Capital City, top-tier tree services served as the backdrop of his youth. As he tells it, Troy knew taking over his father’s tree service business was a question of when, not if.
“I grew up working in the tree business as a child with my Dad. When I turned 19, I went to work for Hayden Tower Services,” said Troy. “That’s where I met Karey.”
Karey Brown, originally from Arkansas, moved to Topeka at the age of 21 and accepted a bookkeeper position at Hayden Tower, the same company where Troy worked as a crew foreman.
Troy and Karey started dating and tied the knot in 1999. As it just so happened, Troy’s father was looking to retire around the same time that Troy and Karey were kicking off their new life together.
“We were starting to have kids, too, so the stars kind of aligned and it seemed the right time to take over the company,” Troy said. “So, I bought the business and started running the tree service.”
Troy left Hayden Tower and took over Brown’s Tree Service on February 14, 2000, and he’s been at the helm ever since. When he first took the reins, most of the equipment was outdated or in need of replacement. On top of that, the business boasted a staff of one.
After refreshing the equipment— including adding a crane to their arsenal, which allows the business to reach high and hard-to-reach branches or trees and cut them down via a mechanized crane arm—Troy began building up the company’s ranks.
Today, Brown’s Tree Service has grown 30-fold in terms of headcount since Troy took charge. Meanwhile, as Troy was revamping Brown’s Tree Service, Karey started launching some entrepreneurial ventures of her own—on top of managing a household of three young ones.
“After we had our first child, I was looking at a house with a real estate agent who suggested that I should really consider becoming an agent,” Karey recalled. “Then, when we bought our house, Troy told me the same thing.”
That was all it took for Karey to lock her sights on a career in real estate.
“At that point, we had two little babies at home, so I started doing real estate part-time. I got really busy by my third-year in. I sold a ton of houses, well above the average. Then in 2014, I bought a real estate executive franchise that had basically been abandoned for six months.”
Karey ran that franchise for five years. At one point she was overseeing a team of 21 agents, before deciding her true love was selling houses, not running the administrative side.
This realization led Karey to decide against renewing her franchise lease and instead to pivot and leverage her experience to secure a team lead role at eXp, a cloud-based brokerage.
“I’m still a real estate broker and I assist the brokers here when they have questions, but it’s a lot less stress than owning the brokerage. I now actually enjoy what I do,” said Karey.
When she is not selling houses, Karey shares her time and talent to help others learn the trade and just about anything else one might want to know about the world of real estate. Karey has produced hundreds of posts, podcasts, and community-driven conversations centered around real estate on her “Real Estate with Karey Brown” blog, You Tube channel and Facebook group.
“Right now, we’re interviewing local businesses and working on another Facebook group called Support Topeka Businesses. It focuses on getting the word out and supporting local businesses, especially after the impacts of Covid-19,” Karey said.
And then, as if all of those endeavors are not enough to keep one busy, Karey alsol aunched CDC Disaster Relief & Hauling just in the past year.
“CDC stands for Cody, Dalton, Cassidy—which are our kids’ names—and not Centers for Disease Control,” Karey quipped. “It subcontracts out disaster relief projects, such as tree damage after a bad storm.”
With so many irons in the fire, it’s a fair question to wonder how a couple balances business with personal life. As it turns out, the fact that Troy and Karey are both entrepreneurs allows them to support each other in ways someone without that experience might not understand.
“We both know what’s going on with each other’s business because we can talk freely about it,” Karey said. “We counsel each other and bat ideas around, vent and discuss strategy. There have been times where his business was struggling, and I would pick up the slack, and then times where my business was struggling, and he would pick up the slack. Throughout the years it kind of ebbs and flows, and we cover for each other.
I think it would be more difficult if one of us didn’t own a business and was more used to a 9 to 5 job. It would be hard to wrap your head around all the pieces that go into it. You’re both living it, so you both understand.
