Small Business: Jessica Walsh, Lotus Belle NZ

Jessica Walsh. Photo / Supplied

Jessica Walsh owns Lotus Belle NZ, distributor of Lotus Belle “glamping” tents in New Zealand, Australia and the US. The company was founded in the UK by Harriet Seddon. Seddon and Walsh teamed up in 2012 .

What pressures do you face at this time of year?

This is our biggest time of year in New Zealand and Australia. Our tents are used at music festivals and events, but we're also busy with the retail side and rentals. The rentals are labour intensive, so I take those opportunities on a case-by-case basis. It's a side of the business I'd like to franchise in future. The increased demand means we have to be organised. I have contractors doing various jobs in the business and they ramp up their hours in busy times. My father, Mike Walsh, now does about 30 hours a week as our CFO. There's a lot of pressure on our production and logistics chain in the lead-up to Christmas. It takes around four months to manufacture our tents. I'm thankful for our amazing customers in our first year who were super-patient. Our aim is to under promise and over deliver.

What other things do you do to mitigate those pressures?

Respecting everyone in the chain who make it happen for us, from production to dispatch, is important. Our New Zealand warehouse - NZ Post International - is fantastic and we have a great relationship with our dispatch manager, Abeth Idris. Good communication is key. My phone is on 24/7 during this time and I'm always at the ready to provide fast responses and troubleshoot any issues.

It can be hard to keep loving your work when you're flat out. What things do you do that help make this busy time enjoyable?

We're primarily an e-commerce business so we have a small team, but everyone who works with me knows I'm a big advocate of getting out and getting at least an hour of exercise and sunshine a day. Making sure you stay fit and healthy is important. Running a business, you realise it's the only way forward during the stressful times. Before the Christmas season, I prepare for it by taking time off in September to do yoga, detox and fasting. As long as there's WiFi, I can run most of my business on the go. My website, sales, banking, newsletter, social media and marketing are all controlled on my iPhone. So September is my month - the calm before the storm. From October to March we're flat-tack, but then in late March I head to the States to do it all again when the festival season kicks off with Coachella in Palm Springs, California. We're in the camping products business, so it's summer to summer and I love it - but I couldn't survive without good food, sleep and exercise.

• lotusbelle.co.nz