Ten years ago, Sean Percival caught a glimpse of his future as he observed the birth of a startup while sweeping the office floors. Watching startup employees work through the night with such enthusiasm and passion inspired Sean to follow in their footsteps and create something of his own. Starting at the bottom, he worked his way up through the ranks, pouring himself into the learning process and absorbing everything he could. With his janitorial days far behind him, Sean has now built lalawag, the go-to site for everything newsworthy on the Los Angeles tech scene. Leading the lalawag team is none other than his beautiful wife Laurie, who took over the controls after its launch. Click here to read more about lalawag: Sean and Laurie Percival Take in the LA Tech Scene with lalawag.

With Sean’s new position at MySpace and a baby on the way, the growing Percival family is still managing to stay on top of the LA tech scene and enjoy the success of their first major project. While many couples might think it is impossible to share every waking moment together, especially those grueling workdays, Sean and Laurie agree that the joy of creating something with one another is a unique connection that few couples ever get to share. The key to making it work? Open communication and a strong sense of mutual respect for each other. The “Tweethearts,” as some have come to call the power couple, look back fondly on the process of creating lalawag and watching it grow, and still get excited to think about its potential to continue on this upward journey. For Sean and Laurie, it’s all about putting passion into your creation, and it doesn’t hurt to have the one who loves you by your side to cheer you on along the way.

THE INTERVIEW – (Full Interview Transcription)

Brangelina, who? This is Laurie and Sean Percival

Kim Ngo: So, tell us, how did you guys meet?

Sean Percival: We met through a friend. One night I was literally dragged out to Hollywood and thrown into a whole new word. I was lucky to meet Laurie that night, and as cheesy as it sounds, it was actually one of those love at first sight moments.

Kim Ngo: Sean, how did you go from being a janitor to a web designer?

Sean Percival: Over 10 years ago, I worked as a janitor. One of the offices I happened to clean belonged to Vegas.com and that is where I got my first introduction to a startup. It was a night shift, but these guys were still cranking away and having a blast in the process. I knew it was for me, so I did whatever I could to get there. I eventually found a better job doing tech support for companies like Adobe and Logitech. I stayed at work late at night (sometimes all night) to use their computers and broadband connections. It was in those late nights where I learned what it took to create a website. I made some of the most awful sites, real crimes against humanity, but I learned a few things and eventually found full-time work building websites for companies.

Kim Ngo: Is lalawag something you guys mutually created? How did you guys come up with the idea? What obstacles did you guys face?

The lalawag Home Office

Sean Percival: Lalawag is something I initially created. Laurie,as always, was there to support my crazy idea. At the time, Valleywag was closing down and the Los Angeles tech community had started to develop. It seemed like the perfect timing to start something like lalawag.

So one night while drinking, I loudly called former Valleywag writer Alaska Miller and pitched the idea. He didn’t think it was horrible and that was all the confirmation I needed. The next weekend I built the site and launched it soon after. After running the site for a few months, I turned it over to Laurie.

Kim Ngo: What were your expectations when you started the site? Did you guys ever expect the site to be as popular as it is?

Sean Percival: I didn’t have many expectations when I started lalawag. I wanted to capture some of the spirit of tech in Los Angeles, and I’m just happy I’ve done that to some degree. I’m still shocked when people come up to me and tell me how much they love the site.

LOVE AT FIRST SITE

Kim Ngo: Does working together ever cause a strain on your relationship? If so, how do you guys deal with those problems? If not, let us in on your secret!

Sean Percival: Of course it does. We are both stubborn Virgos and often bump heads over the direction of lalawag. I wouldn’t say it puts a strain on our relationship, though. Actually, I look back at some of our debates over lalawag with fond memories. Laurie is basically brilliant so I love the back and forth and eventual compromise we typically make.

On Laurie's Desk at lalalwag

Laurie Percival: Fortunately lalawag was not the first time we worked together; we actually had an ecommerce site that Sean built and then turned over to me. We have always had amazing communication with each other and through that first website, we learned how each of us handles business situations and how we could compromise or make decisions that would be best for where we wanted to take it. Working with family or friends is always hard, but if you respect the other person’s opinions and realize that you are working towards a common goal, it can be really fun too.

Kim Ngo: According to the site, as well as Sean’s blog, you guys are always at events and in meetings. How do you find time for each other?

Sean Percival: Recently we’ve scaled back the amount of events we personally attend. We try to make it to the big events, but it’s just not possible to make everything. With my new job at MySpace and a baby on the way, some open bars will just have to be missed. Although thanks to the LA tech community’s over-sharing, we can still read all about the events via Twitter.

Kim Ngo: With your new role as the Director of Content Socialization with MySpace, and a baby on the way, how is the future of lalawag looking?

Sean Percival: Busy! Laurie manages to take care of lalawag and we’ve started to expand our writer roster so she can focus on the baby more. Lalawag is and always has been a great pleasure for us. I imagine and hope it’ll live on and continue to grow as Los Angeles tech also continues to.

Kim Ngo: Laurie, what’s it like being married to a “web micro-celebrity,” as you call Sean in your blog?

Laurie Working

Laurie Percival: Oh wow, you found that. When I wrote that it was kind of my own personal joke. I was new to the tech scene and it very much seemed like Sean was a celebrity. Anytime we would go to events, people would continuously come up to say “Hi,” and anytime I met someone new and they saw my last name was Percival, they would say “Oh, you must be Sean’s wife.” Once Sean turned lalawag over to me, I was finally able to gain some of my own identity in the scene. Being married to Sean is awesome, I am very lucky to be with such a smart, talented and loving man.

Kim Ngo: How is it being a well-known, married couple on the tech scene? Do you guys ever feel the pressure to live up to your title as The Tweethearts?

Sean Percival: Yes and no. It’s not too difficult because we still genuinely like each other. I do get concerned some may feel we have the perfect relationship and everything is all rainbows and unicorns. Of course, we go through the same challenges as any couple. Of course, we’re less likely to broadcast those moments online.

Laurie Percival: It’s a lot of fun. I get to spend more time with Sean, and we can have conversations about things that are going on in the community or with tech in general. Most couples have one spouse that is not involved in tech, so it must be hard for them to relate something happening that they feel is important. Try explaining Twitter to someone who has never used it!

I never feel pressure to live up to anyone’s opinion of us, we have our ups and downs like any couple, we just don’t broadcast them in public. We also do a good job of communicating with each other. If something is bothering me or Sean we talk about it and come to a resolution.

Kim Ngo: Would you say that working together on lalawag has strengthened your relationship?

Sean Percival: I’d be interested to hear Laurie’s answer first, but I’ll go ahead and say yes. For one, it has made me a million times prouder of Laurie. She took over the site with no experience managing a blog. The fact that she has done such an amazing job is totally hot, no? Some guys get turned on by skimpy outfits, but I don’t mind a woman who can handle WordPress. Okay seriously though, I love that we’ve created something together. Few things we do together can ever really compare to that.

Laurie Percival: I’ve never looked at it that way. Lalawag is just another chapter in our relationship, something that we have put our hearts into and have grown together. Our relationship is solid and will continue to evolve and strengthen, regardless of what obstacle we are currently tackling. Overall, I am sure that some of the challenges we faced did help us to get through situations we may not have otherwise. It did make me proud of Sean—he always has great ideas—and to see this one become a reality with such support from the community behind it was great.

Kim Ngo: Last question, so many of us look to find that one special partner, can both of you give us some advice and tips on finding that special someone?

Sean Percival: It’s cliché, but I always say, “… to find the one for you, don’t look.” I say that because it worked for me, and I’m pretty sure if you’re looking too hard, you’ll probably miss it. I also always recommend to find that person organically somewhere way outside of your comfort zone. Break out from your circle of friends, or business circles, and see what else is out there! I also have this personal theory that the grocery store is the ULTIMATE place to meet someone new. Look there!

Laurie Percival: My advice would be to forget about whether or not you like the same movies or music—things in common are honestly not that important. The perfect partner is one that “gets” you. After that, nothing else matters. Though make sure you agree on religion and politics—those two subjects can cause issues no therapist can fix. Go out and mingle, try to meet someone new every time you are out. I don’t think you’re going to meet the love of your life sitting on your couch.

Kim Ngo: Thank you for sharing your story with us – Sean and Laurie! It was very interesting and entertaining. And of course, heartfelt.