Jackie and Ben Ashley, founders of Ashley & Co.
Why and how have you came to run your business together?
Jackie: It almost seemed like the next natural progression for us - to take the plunge together now rather than later. And starting a business like this without Ben's background in graphic design would have been even more challenging. What's really motivated us is to be working for ourselves and getting out what we put in, and still being able to negotiate our time around our family and their commitments.
What are your respective roles in the company and what factors made you decide on those roles for yourselves?
Jackie: Given the company is 10 years old, our roles over this time have been dictated by whatever was required! Up until two years ago we ran the business with just the two of us, with one sales person on commission only.
Since our business partner came onboard just over two years ago, we're now more focused on what we're individually good at. My role centres around product development, bringing new product to market, working on collaborative opportunities and stock and supply chain management. Ben takes care of all things design, and is keenly focused on the details and making sure the end products deliver on the overall brand ethos.
Ben: When I can I also like to get involved in the more menial tasks of the business - doing whatever needs doing in the warehouse, making deliveries and quite often now I find myself in one of Auckland's best restaurants or café bathrooms installing our hand wash brand for industry. While we've seen some great growth over the past three years, we still have the mindset of just getting in there and doing it.
What's your experience of managing the division between working and home life?
Ben: We've never seen it as an issue or a problem and to be honest, we haven't actually discussed it or set any rules around it. One thing we always stick to though is putting our family first.
What do you love about running a business as a couple?
Jackie: We do genuinely enjoy working together, and being able to work around our own schedules and family commitments gives us flexibility. Although work does definitely encroach on our home life, we love the fact we're not stuck in a formal nine-to-five, Monday-to-Friday lifestyle. Often just the process of going about our daily lives together results in informal brainstorming and idea generation.
Ben: Our business partner Jeremy has also transformed how we do business and has helped us focus on what we do best, which makes us a better team. Having said that, Jackie ran the business for seven years prior to and through the birth of our two children. I'm incredibly proud of what she's achieved and built, and love seeing how confident and passionate she is now about the brand she conceived, and the way she goes about her work every day.
On the other hand, what's hard about running the business together?
Ben: We're continually time poor. Because of the multiple roles we each play, it's always a conscious effort to be mindful of doing things well. Do it once and do it right.
Jackie: Living the brand and being the brand is hard when you're continually juggling the everyday workings of a business. Sometimes the only part of the day you have to reflect and take stock is at night.
What's your biggest learning so far about running a business with your partner in life?
Jackie: We would do it all again. And we would encourage anyone else to do so - and would even encourage our children to do it. We have dreams of Ashley & Co becoming a business that our children could one day step into.
Coming up in Your Business: Everyone's a publisher these days and more businesses are publishing content through their own channels such as blogs, newsletters and social media. What are some of the tips and tricks small business owners are using to make sure their content marketing is hitting the mark? If you've got a story to tell, drop me a note: nzhsmallbusiness@gmail.com