Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
Oh my goodness – not very well at times! Because we have a physical store it requires a physical presence, and my staff members are parents too so it’s a juggle. I’m really lucky that my partner at home is supportive and happy to play an equal part in raising our kids and managing the household. At work, my staff are as passionate and engaged as I am, so I know that I can delegate to them without having to worry about micro-managing their day. Like they say, “You can do anything, but you can’t do everything”, so sometimes the spinning plates topple and the house doesn’t get vacuumed, or I don’t get through everything on my to-do list at work. I’m trying very hard to go with the flow and prioritise the things that are most important to me – spending time with my family, having fun and running a business that makes my customers happy.
The Drive: What challenges have you overcome?
When I opened the store, my son was two years old and in 2014 I had my daughter. During my second pregnancy I suffered all day long morning sickness and at that point I was working alone. Trying to get through the day in a customer-facing job while you’re running to the bathroom was a challenge that I can laugh about now! Other than that, it’s just the usual stuff that every small business owner faces – juggling home and work life, learning on the go so I can take care of all of the different parts of the business (even things like accounting and ecommerce that don’t come naturally to me!), and balancing the books!
For better or worse: What are the pros and cons of running your own business?
Pros:
- It’s immensely satisfying to look at something that you created doing well. Occasionally I’ll overhear customers talking about the shop, or see them recommending us on social media, and I can’t describe how happy it makes me.
- There is some flexibility to choose your hours and work around school pickups and childcare.
- Being the boss is awesome, you can make the decisions that feel right to you without having to ask permission from anyone else.
Cons:
- It’s stressful, it’s hard to switch off your brain when you’ve got so many things running through your mind. I often wake up in a panic about a customer I forgot to email or something I have to do the next day.
- When things go pear shaped, it’s on you! There’s no-one to shift blame on to, and that can be confronting.
Hopes and dreams: What next?
We’ve just relocated to a much bigger location so this year we’re making that store perfect and building up our online offering so it’s as comprehensive as what we offer in store. Once those two things are done, I would love to open more locations so even more people can enjoy Use-Ta!
To see the full range, visit the Use-Ta! website, and you can also find them on Facebook and Instagram.
