Yin and Yang: How do you balance work and family?
Grant still works full time outside of the business and fits in Rebalance related work in the evenings and weekends. Jen runs the business during the day and prefers not to work in the evening. Being on opposite schedules is sometimes challenging, and we’ve had to be intentional about spending quality time together (as a couple and with our teenage sons) unrelated to work. Keeping clear communication and making family time a priority is important, or it just won’t happen.
The drive: What challenges have you overcome?
There was no break in trading when we bought the business. We didn’t want to interrupt service to our customers. We were learning everything we needed to know while still shipping orders and answering customer queries. Getting questions about our products when we were still learning about them was sometimes difficult. We were also learning how much stock to hold to keep from selling out or overstocking. Natural products don’t have preservatives and expire quickly.
For better or worse: What are the pros and cons of running your own business?
There’s immense satisfaction in working on our own business and having a goal to work towards together. It’s exciting to source lovely new products for our customers. The cons are that online retail never sleeps. There’s a temptation for work to bleed into the rest of our lives – setting and keeping to boundaries is something we need to consider constantly.
Hopes and dreams: What next?
We hope to grow our loyal customer base and continue to source products that they enjoy. We’re enjoying the online platform and have no intention of opening a physical store. We want to continue to offer excellent customer service and products that are good for you and the planet.
Check out Rebalance at their website and follow their online communities with Facebook and Instagram.
