Marriage & Business: The art of staying in our lanes

I’m often asked how?my husband?and I balance a fulfilling marriage while building a successful business together. The answer that we’ve found over the years lies in the fundamental principle of staying in our own lane.

We started working together in 2005 and two years later we both quit our jobs on the very same day to chase our shared vision of owning a property company together. A year after that, in 2008, we bought our very first property, marking the genesis of what is now our global investment group.

Beyond work-life balance

Right from the beginning, we recognised each other’s strengths and weaknesses and what we could bring to the table. For me, it’s identifying and negotiating deals and crafting them into opportunities. Graeme then goes on to shape them by structuring the deals, raising finance, and overseeing the legal intricacies. Once the groundwork is laid, the reins return to my hands for oversight.

We always say that working together as a team is our superpower, and while many would argue that work-related discussions at home should be resisted for a good?work-life balance, this isn’t our view. Living together and working together means that we can get ahead because we’ve got all the out-of-the-office moments we need to keep discussing and progressing things. I’d even go as far as to say that we don’t believe in work-life balance – to be successful, things will be out of balance, most of the time.

That’s not to say that if something comes up as a family, and especially with our two children, that will get 100% of our attention, and the same with work. If both things need attention at the same time, which is often the case, we can literally divide ourselves in half and swap over as and when needed – because being a couple and business partners means we know the needs of both, inside and out.

Shared visions, defined lanes

My advice to anyone starting a business with their partner is straightforward: define your lanes from the very beginning so you can optimise the energy expended into tasks where you can make the most impact and contribution. Of course, this doesn’t only apply to us as a couple, but across our teams within the business as well. And this only works with complete faith in each other and the rest of the team, that everyone will do their bit.

That’s why we make sure that everyone who works for us is the?right person?for the job – they work to their strengths which gives them the autonomy and tools to be successful because they’re already very good at what they do.

Naturally, conflicts can occur from time to time, but by always falling back on our shared commitment and vision for both our business and family, we find challenges or disagreements quite easy to overcome.

Ultimately, it’s about being equal partners and playing to your strengths. Married or not, aligning your visions and ambitions with business partners will always stand you in good stead. Every partnership is unique, and for us, staying steadfastly within our own lanes is the cornerstone of what works for us.