The drive: What challenges have you overcome?
The biggest, hardest challenge would have been everything about the Ring Designer technology. From finding the right Developer to be able to do it justice, to trying to communicate what we are after, and understanding the technical side enough to drive where it was going, the Ring Designer was definitely not an easy project. Thankfully, I’d had experience in my employment life of managing a technical project in the HR space, so I drew on all the skills I’d learned there! We are very happy with where things are at there, but also can’t wait for the next round of development!
For better or worse: What are the pros and cons of running your own business?
The big con is the inconsistent demand, with ebbs and flows – and managing the workload and income stream around that.
In terms of pros, of course there is the usual: working on your own timetable, the freedom to run errands and do things to suit you. The big one for me though is being able to drive the direction of the business. I’ve always been very big picture/strategically minded, and struggle in a company when I’m not the one calling the shots when the shots seem to be firing left, right and centre. It gets frustrating when you feel you could do better but you’re not given the opportunity. You really have to ‘sell your life’ to a company if you want to be at that level, and work/life balance is too important to me. While I’m working incredibly hard right now and work/life balance is challenged daily, the long-term goal is that I am creating a family business that will work for us. There are so many options, so many ideas, and I love that my kids are getting to experience the start-up of a company as it has definitely made them all feel that they can do it one day too! The entrepreneurial spirit is an exciting one!
Hopes and dreams: What next?
Hart & Halo takes on the world. While we are focused on the New Zealand market right now, we know that New Zealanders are a very small market when it comes to precious jewellery. Not everyone has 2, 3, 10k to throw at jewels! And by and large, Kiwis don’t place as much importance on it like overseas clients do. So we’ll open up. Take our tastes, sentiments, and ideas to the world. We hope to have our Ring Designer developed to the point where it really is a point of difference, so with this in tow we believe we’ll be an exciting new offering to the global stage!
Visit the Hart & Halo website to find out more, and follow them on Facebook and Instagram.
