REDMOND — Since buying a charter-bus company in April 2010, husband and wife John and Lisa Stroup have pushed to expand the business, pumping in their own money all the while.

The Central Oregon natives acknowledged that it’s a gamble. But they’ve been small-business owners for years. For them, it’s normal.

“We believe in the business, so, you know, we’re going to put our heart and soul and our money into it,” John Stroup said.

Their savings, mixed with earnings from the business, have gone toward replacing all kinds of equipment in the buses, from new alternators to cup holders. They’ve swapped VHS players for DVD players. Journey buses shuttle football fans, athletes, students, employees, casino visitors and others to destinations in Oregon, Washington, Nevada, and other states.

The Stroups even had a company create a new brand for them. They decided to change the company name from Central Oregon Charter Bus Inc. to Journey Coaches Inc. this spring. It previously operated as Classy-Mac Inc., based in Lebanon.

The couple also started requiring drivers to conduct mid-trip bus inspections, to prevent accidents. They have put more effort into the coaches’ appearance, polishing every window, vacuuming every seat and cleaning floors early in the morning before each bus heads out. And they’ve started going to industry conventions, to get ideas for improving their business further.

John, 46, and Lisa, 44, have been married for nearly 25 years. Along the way, they’ve found ways to run a business together in harmony, such as keeping a clear division of responsibilities.

She focuses more on paperwork and marketing, he on operations.

In the future, they might add newer buses to their fleet — now they have seven — and they might decide to grow beyond the charter business, into public transportation.

Q: How long have you been married?

A: John: Oh, jeez, 24 years.

Lisa: Coming up on 25. Three kids. …

Q: How is that for you guys?

A: John: We’ve been asked that so many times.

Lisa: It is so much fun. You would not believe — (laughs).

John: I would not do it any other way.

Lisa: You never fight or disagree ever (laughs).

John: This is my advice to couples that want to work together: When you want to discuss something, discuss it over a telephone when it comes to business. Because you won’t actually see the facial expressions on the other person, so it’s easier to discuss over the telephone. And also, my other advice is to make sure that your wife has a job description and you have a job description, and you try to understand that you’re not crossing over, because that’s where the conflicts become issues.

Q: You start doing her work?

A: Lisa: No. … In the beginning, you think it’s just one job that we’re both doing. …

John: And we’re in different offices, so we do a lot of work by email and telephone.

Lisa: It does make it better for communicating when you’re not 2 feet away from each other’s face, going, “Did you just say that?”

John: ”What is that look on your face? Did you roll your eyes at me? Well, yeah, I probably did.”

Lisa: He’s right. We do do a lot on the phone.

Q: What’s it like to operate a bus company that a person might not think of?

A: John: I’ll just tell you operating a bus company is … like having nine teenage boys that you’re always going around, trying to make sure they’re home at the right time.

Lisa: And they didn’t scratch the vehicle.

John: I’m going to liken it to that or to being a dairy farmer. I’ve never been a dairy farmer, but what I’ve heard is they’re with them 24 hours a day. And basically as a bus owner, you’re with those buses 24 hours a day.

Lisa: Yeah. Our other companies, … when the packages were shipped, the UPS truck was gone, you closed the door and went home. You never got to close the door and go home with this.

John: You have buses coming home 3 or 4 in the morning from a trip. You want to make sure that they’re there and everybody’s arrived back in time.

Lisa: And it is like having a teenager on the road, because you cannot rest until you know that the bus is home and everybody’s good.

Q: Because that’s your property?

A: Lisa: Well, that, and you’re responsible for people’s lives. You want to know that everything’s good.

The basics

What: Journey Coaches Inc.

Where: Redmond

Employees: 12

Phone: 541-419-3085

Website: www.journeycoaches.com