Mr. and Mrs. KevOnStage Reflect on Building a Family Business

Small Doses with Amanda Seales welcomes Mr. and Mrs. KevOnStage to the pink couch. The power couple behind the KevOnStage brand, Kevin and Melissa Fredericks, did not hold back in this candid discussion about their journey from Boeing to Hollywood and maintaining their delicate family balance while running a business together.

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While rocky at first, KevOnStage grew organically over the years, with each partner discovering where they work best. “It did become a brand. Now I recognize it as a brand,” says MrsKevOnStage aka Melissa Fredericks.

Therapy, Time And Vulnerability

The brand blossomed in recent years when the couple—authors of Marriage Be Hard: 12 Conversations to Keep You Laughing, Loving, and Learning with Your Partner—came together to turn the business into a family affair. What people don’t see, The Fredericks say, are the highs and lows of it all.

“There was definitely resentment in like, she’s not believing in me,” recalls actor and comedian Kevin Fredericks. “Now I appreciate more what she brings to the table for the business. I appreciate what I do, but I think I inflated what I brought to the table and minimized what she brought to the table.”

They were able to work through the kinks with a lot of “therapy, time and vulnerability,” says Kev. “I think it’s been a journey. I would say now, in this moment, we’re probably working better than we ever have,” says Melissa.

“I think it’s been better as we’ve grown closer together,” says Kev. “And also, to be honest, it was helpful to hear people in other relationships say that it’s a struggle as well … But wanting to have it be a family business, we’ve learned to navigate this.”

The Family Comes First

Part of running a family business is making sure the family is good first and foremost, the couple agree.

“We are [the brand] and we are also the couple. And sometimes the couple needs nurturing more than the brand,” says Kev, winner of the 2023 NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Social Media Personality (following two consecutive nominations). “I’ve missed out on opportunities that I would have normally taken because I want to make sure that this relationship is valued and nurtured even if that potential business relationship doesn’t get valued or nurtured in that moment.”

“The reason we talk like this openly and honestly is because a lot of times people put relationship goals on us, and we tear those down,” he added.

Listen to “Small Doses: Side Effects of The Family Business (with KevOnStage and Melissa Fredericks)” here. Also available on Spotify and Apple.