Ever wondered what it would be like being in business with your partner? GSM caught up with Leanne Hayes who, along with hubby Aaron, work together in their Blenheim-based design studio – Vanilla Hayes.
Like many companies, Vanilla Hayes was born from a desire for those elusive commodities of the self-employed—flexibility and freedom. Oh, the naivety! Life, some 6-7 years ago, was stressful to say the least—juggling two pre-schoolers with an increasing workload as a freelance designer. However, my husband Aaron and I knew nothing would change if we didn’t make it so. We agreed to trial a role reversal enabling me to commit to full time work hours. Aaron traded his tool belt as a licensed builder to become the ‘stay-at-home’ parent. A short time later, after repeated requests from many of my clients, Aaron embarked on an unexpected educational journey into the world of website design. This just made sense for us as I was certain I’d never venture beyond the bleed of the creative arena.
Separating Work & Home
When you work at home people think ‘Oh it must be nice to be at home all the time’. However, in reality, it can feel more like you’re at work all the time—that designated office space is forever in your periphery. With this in mind, we made the decision to lease some office space in town. Creating that separation between work and home did wonders for our stress levels (we were reminded of this during the weeks of our nationwide lockdown). It allowed us to be more focused at work and more present in family life at home. So much easier than trying to play a game of monopoly while simultaneously mentally scrolling through the ‘to do’ list, wondering if that client feedback has come through in the five minutes since last checking emails. Don’t get me wrong, there’s still plenty of work chat while we cook dinner but we do consciously try to contain work to the office space as much as possible. Home remains a sanctuary to switch off and focus on our life as a couple rather than as co-workers.
Celebrating our Different Strengths
I think the fundamental reason that we are able to live and work together so well is that we have different strengths in our shared workplace. One isn’t telling the other how to suck eggs, so to speak. When I’m focussed on building brand identities, Aaron is all about the websites. Both of us are more than content to stay in our respective lane. Our clients reap the benefits. We deliver a combined, collaborative approach from both a design and development perspective. Essentially, that’s me telling Aaron what I want it to look like and him doing it.
Making it Work
For any couple out there considering a combined venture, my advice would be to make sure your job descriptions are not only clear but completely different. Try to set some boundaries to establish a work/life balance and avoid the work/life blur. Much like marriage, our business ownership is a partnership. We’re working towards a common vision and share the chores. Communication is key. And it’s a bonus that you actually know the people your spouse refers to in their ‘work stories’.
They say teamwork makes the dream work, and in this case, the team just happens to be married.
Vanilla Hayes—Big Things happen in Small Places
Based in sunny Blenheim, Marlborough, Vanilla Hayes produces a wide variety of print and online design work for both domestic and international clients. Proof that it isn’t where you are based, but what you are doing that matters.
A business card for an architectural practice makes use of black foil stamped using a Letterpress.
My Amazing Brain by Victoria Jenkins and designed by the team at Vanilla Hayes. This is an activity book to help educate parents to develop thinking skills in children by taking them on a number of brain based adventures!
GSM would like to thank Leanne & Aaron Hayes, Director / Designer @Vanilla Hayes (Blenheim) for assisting us with writing this article.
Images by Lisa Duncan Photography.
This article was originally published in GSM17. To read this and other great articles purchase this issue here.
