Running a business with your spouse can be both rewarding and challenging. Harriet Hastings, the fearless founder of Biscuiteers, a successful luxury biscuit company, knows this firsthand. With her husband as her co-founder, they have found a way to strike a balance between work and personal life, while also defining clear roles within their business. In this episode, we delve into the logistics of efficiently running a food gifting company, the challenges of Royal Mail strikes for online businesses, and how to maintain a positive outlook during times of economic uncertainty.
Before her husband joined the business, Biscuiteers was Harriet’s brainchild. She had a fantastic job but felt the desire to venture into entrepreneurship. The conversation around their kitchen table was the starting point of their journey towards creating a family company. The decision to use their savings to start the business was not a sudden one, but rather an organic progression. Harriet had recently left her full-time job and was helping her husband with his catering and events business called Lettice. However, she felt the need for a new challenge and saw a real opportunity in the food gifting industry. Her experience in e-commerce during the dot-com boom further fueled her ambition to create an e-commerce brand.
Harriet’s husband, Stevie, had commercial kitchens and a deep understanding of food production, making him the perfect partner for her venture. Their skills complemented each other, with Stevie focusing on production and operations, while Harriet took charge of product development, marketing, and sales. Biscuiteers initially operated out of Stevie’s kitchen, with resources borrowed from Lettice to get the business off the ground. As Biscuiteers grew over the years, Stevie gradually transitioned into working full-time for the company, coinciding with their eldest daughter taking over the running of Lettice. This allowed Stevie to fully commit to Biscuiteers, rather than splitting his time between the two businesses.
One of the keys to their success as a couple in business is having clearly defined roles. While they were always involved in each other’s ventures, they recognized the importance of dividing responsibilities based on their strengths and interests. Stevie’s expertise in production and operations made him the perfect fit for those aspects of the business, while Harriet’s passion for product development, marketing, and sales naturally led her to take charge of those areas. This division of labor not only streamlined their operations but also ensured that each partner could focus on their respective strengths.
Running a business with your spouse can be a unique experience, and it’s essential to find a balance between work and personal life. Harriet and Stevie have managed to navigate this challenge by setting boundaries and prioritizing their relationship. They understand that work-related discussions should have their time and place, and they make a conscious effort to separate work and personal life. This approach has allowed them to maintain a healthy work-life balance and nurture their relationship outside of the business.
The challenges faced by Biscuiteers, like the Royal Mail strikes, have also taught them the importance of adaptability and resilience. They have had to find alternative solutions to ensure that their online business can continue to operate smoothly during such disruptions. This ability to adapt to unforeseen circumstances has been crucial to their success in an ever-changing business landscape.
In conclusion, running a business with your spouse requires open communication, clearly defined roles, and a healthy work-life balance. Harriet Hastings and her husband have shown that it is possible to create a successful family company by leveraging each other’s strengths and maintaining a strong personal relationship. By embracing challenges and adapting to changing circumstances, they have built a thriving luxury biscuit company that continues to delight customers worldwide.
