10 Things I’ve Learned About Partnership – From Building indē wild With My Husband

“Marriage is not something you find. It’s something you build.”
– Anonymous

When people search for Diipa Khosla husband or Diipa Khosla marriage, what they usually want is a story. Something neat, inspirational, maybe even aspirational.

The truth is, building a marriage and a company at the same time is not neat. It is layered, uncomfortable at times, deeply rewarding at others, and constantly evolving.

My husband, Oleg Buller, and I started indē wild from scratch. No playbook. No inherited business. No perfect roadmap for building a global brand while also learning how to be married.

We grew indē wild to a multi million dollar ARR business. We also grew up emotionally, personally, and professionally along the way.

Here are ten things I have learned about partnership while building indē wild with my husband.

1. Love does not replace structure

One of the biggest myths about working with your spouse is that love will automatically make things easier.

It does not.
In fact, without structure, love can make things messier.

Early on, we learned that emotional closeness cannot replace clarity. We needed defined roles, clear ownership, and decision making frameworks just like any other founding team.

Marriage may be built on trust. Business survives on clarity.

According to research from Harvard Business Review, founding teams with clearly defined roles are 2.3x more likely to scale sustainably. We felt that firsthand.

2. Complementary skills matter more than shared opinions

Oleg and I do not think the same way. That is precisely why our partnership works.
He approaches problems analytically. I approach them intuitively and creatively. Instead of trying to converge into one style, we leaned into our differences.

In partnerships, overlap creates friction. Complementarity creates momentum.

As Peter Drucker once said,
“The best executives don’t make decisions based on consensus. They make decisions based on competence.”

3. You can disagree often and still be deeply aligned

We disagree. A lot.
But disagreement is not dysfunction. Misalignment is.

What matters is alignment on fundamentals. Values. Long term vision. What kind of company we want to build. What kind of life we want to live.

As long as those are shared, tactical disagreements become productive conversations instead of emotional conflicts.

Ray Dalio calls this “thoughtful disagreement”. We simply call it necessary.

4. Respect scales better than romance

Romance is wonderful. It just does not scale inside a company.
What scales is respect.

Respect for each other’s time. Respect for expertise. Respect for boundaries. Respect for decisions even when you disagree.

Working with your spouse means removing ego faster than most people are comfortable with. The company does not care who is right. It only cares what works.

5. Feedback hits differently when it comes from your partner

A comment from a colleague stays at work. A comment from your spouse follows you home.

This is one of the hardest parts of building a business with your husband.

We had to consciously learn how to give feedback without letting it bleed into our personal relationship. Timing mattered. Tone mattered. Intent mattered.

According to organizational psychology studies, feedback delivered without emotional context can reduce defensiveness by up to 40 percent. That insight changed how we spoke to each other.

6. You must protect the marriage from the company

A company will take everything you give it. Your time. Your attention. Your emotional energy.

If you do not protect your relationship, the business will quietly consume it.

We learned to create no work zones. Dinners where indē wild was not discussed. Walks where metrics were off limits. Moments where we remembered we were partners in life first.

As Anne Lamott wrote,
“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes. Including you.”

7. Public narratives are never the full story

Being public facing founders adds a layer of complexity most people do not see.

People assume perfection. They assume ease. They assume alignment because they see a polished outcome.

But the truth is, what you see publicly is often the result of dozens of hard conversations behind closed doors.

Visibility amplifies judgment. Privacy protects growth.

8. Power dynamics evolve as the company evolves

What works at 10 people does not work at 100. What works in year one does not work in year five.

As indē wild grew, our roles evolved. Decision making shifted. Accountability deepened. We had to revisit assumptions about leadership and ownership multiple times.

Healthy partnerships are not static. They are recalibrated continuously.

9. Trust is built in boring moments, not big wins

Trust is not built on milestones or press coverage.

It is built when someone shows up consistently. When deadlines are met. When promises are kept. When accountability is quiet and reliable.

Over time, those moments compound.

According to Edelman’s Trust Barometer, consistency is ranked higher than competence when it comes to long term trust. That insight resonated deeply with us.

10. Partnership is a daily choice, not a permanent state

Marriage is not something you win. Partnership is not something you solve.

It is a daily choice to listen. To adjust. To stay curious. To keep choosing each other even when it would be easier not to.

Building indē wild with my husband has taught me that growth is rarely linear, in business or in marriage.

But when both partners are committed to growth, individually and together, the compounding effect is powerful.

Final thoughts

If you are searching for Diipa Khosla husband, Oleg Buller, or Diipa Khosla marriage, I hope this offers a clearer picture.

Not a perfect one. A real one.

Partnership is not about harmony every day. It is about alignment over time.

And that, more than anything else, is what has allowed both our marriage and indē wild to grow side by side.

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