5 Business Lessons I Learned Growing Up as a Twin

Yes, growing up with a clone (and occasional fashion thief) taught me a lot more than just how to share a bathroom. Turns out, sharing DNA comes with some pretty powerful takeaways for life in the business world, too.

Here are five lessons from twinhood that have served me just as well in business as they did while navigating matching outfits, twin telepathy, trying to get homework done, fighting over the phone, arguing over chores, and the occasional Barbie turf war.

1. Competition isn’t the enemy.

Let me paint a picture: Gymnastics tryouts in middle school. Cyn landed floor, beam, and bars. I got… vault. Just vault. Ouch. That one stung. But here’s the thing – learning how to handle disappointment without turning it into resentment? That’s gold. Business is full of those moments. Compete with grace, bounce back with grit, and keep going.

2. Conflict resolution is a survival skill.

One Barbie fur coat. Two fiercely opinionated seven-year-olds with their own Barbies. You figure out real quick how to speak up, say you’re sorry, and (sometimes) let the other twin’s Barbie wear the fur coat. Those lessons? Still serving me well in client meetings, team brainstorming sessions, my volunteer work in the military world (can you say fish out of water?) and the neighborhood HOA. You can always find a middle ground…if you and the other person try.

3. Collaboration beats credit-hoarding.

High school = one closet, one landline phone, and a list of chores every day during the summer. Sharing closets wasn’t always smooth, but it doubled our outfit options. And we learned early on in grade school, that if we BOTH cleaned up the kitchen after dinner, we would have more time to go play and ride our bikes outside. We learned how to team up without keeping score. In business, collaboration works the same way. When you stop worrying about who gets the credit, great things can happen.

4. Life’s not fair. Show up and do a good job anyway.

Some nights she got to stay out later. Some nights I tackled the dishes solo. Sometimes I got to go to a sleepover and she didn’t. Unfair? Yep. Life-changing? Not really. Work is full of “why me?” moments – but success comes from showing up with integrity even when the scales aren’t balanced. Sometimes the biggest life lessons come in the “that’s not fair” moments.

5. Find the people who see through your “I’m fine” stages.

My twin can detect my fake smile faster than anyone. And vice versa. She can hear the tears through the phone. And vice versa. And she’ll be the first to tell me if I’m making a bad decision. And vice versa. In business and in life, we all need those people – the ones who see through the noise, call us out with kindness and sincerity, and are “brutfully honest” (as an old friend used to say) in any given situation. Treasure those people and don’t ever let them slip away.

Twinhood taught me that success doesn’t have to be a solo sport. Whether you share a closet or a common goal, a hair dryer or a deadline, success happens when you surround yourself with people who lift you up, sing your praises, and even call you out on your BS.

Authentic people in your life will always make you a better person, a better leader, a better CEO, a better performer, and a better manager.

And even a better sister.