Running a small business is no mean feat, but doing it while raising 3 small children? That takes serious teamwork. We catch up with Danielle and Sean Tipping of Ripples Lindfield to hear the challenges they've faced and the strategies they've developed.
For Danielle and Sean Tipping of Ripples Lindfield, life is a daily juggling act of school drop-offs, client meetings and homework with Isaac (9), Toby (8) and Teddy (3)...
Q: Before opening, did you have any concerns about owning a showroom while having 3 small children?
A: Danielle - We had 2 key concerns. The first was spending time away from the children. Having been a stay-at-home mum for the past 2.5 years, I felt a lot of guilt about throwing myself into a new venture which I knew would demand a lot of my time, especially at the beginning. I was concerned that the children might struggle to adapt to our new routine and struggle with having less time and attention from me.
Sean - We also knew that Danielle going back at work would mean we’d have to look at childcare options. The 2 older boys are at school but Teddy would have to go to nursery for the first time and as all parents know, childcare is not cheap! We were therefore concerned about the financial pressures of putting Teddy in nursery and juggling all 3 children’s schedules, including pick-up/drop off, extra curricular activities and kids' clubs.
Q: What’s the reality of juggling work and childcare been like since opening?
A: Danielle - The juggle is real! It was particularly difficult right at the beginning, during the fit-out of my showroom. I turned the space around very quickly and did a lot of the work myself which meant I practically lived there for 3 months. I missed a lot of the children’s lives during that time…I was at the showroom before they woke up and missed bath and bedtime almost every evening. But whilst it was difficult to start with, everything soon levelled out once I’d opened the doors. I have a lot more of a balance now.
Sean - During the showroom fit-out stage I took on a lot of the parenting responsibilities, to give Danielle the time to create the showroom she’d always dreamed of. We went from sharing parenting duties 50/50 to more of a 90/10 split. I know Danielle felt a lot of guilt about this but we all knew it would be worth it in the end.
Danielle – Something I hadn’t anticipated before opening the showroom was how protective I’d become of our reputation as a family and as a business. We live in a very tight-knit community where everyone knows everyone so I’m very clear with the boys that their behaviour has an impact on us as business owners. I often bump into current or previous clients at the local café or supermarket. It's a very handy parenting tool... “you better be on your best behaviour today, just in case we bump into Mrs and Mrs Smith!”
Q: What have you put in place to make sure your home and work life are as well balanced as possible?
A: Danielle - Sean recently joined me in the business, taking care of admin and the financial side of things to allow me to focus on design, sales and customer care. This comes with an element of pressure as we’ve put all of our eggs in one basket… but I think that’s what makes us effective. We’re very good at being colleagues at work and husband and wife at home. We naturally decided to try not to talk too much about work at home and vice versa.
Sean - We started off as friends before we got together and I think having the foundation of being really good friends has stood us in good stead. We balance each other out well and help each other to set boundaries.
Danielle - I’m a bit of a control freak and Sean is the most laid-back person you could meet so we help each other meet somewhere in the middle! For example, Sean recently suggested that I leave my laptop at work over the Bank Holiday weekend, so I wasn’t tempted to respond to emails over the break. And I’m so glad he did! We enjoyed some quality family time in London and we were both able to be totally present with the kids.
Q: Have there been any moments when family and work life collided?
A: Danielle - The children go to school at the bottom of the road where the showroom is and they often pop in after school to say a quick hello. A particular highlight was Christmas time last year. The children’s school held a Christmas play at the end of the road and all the kids stood outside the showroom on their way to the play and gave me a huge wave and smile.
Sean - One unexpected highlight has been how interested the older boys have been in the business. Both boys have now decided they want to be a part of the bathroom industry – Toby wants to be a bathroom fitter and Isaac has decided he wants to be a bathroom designer! They spend hours sat around the kitchen table drawing their dream bathrooms.
Danielle - They’ve really absorbed the business side of things too. They understand that Mummy and Daddy now run their own business and have understood so much information… Isaac even knows what ‘profit’ means now. Getting them involved in the business from the start has taught them a lot of things that they’d never learn at school. They can see how we generate money and this has clearly inspired them to want to do the same thing when they’re older. We’re building a business that they might want to be a part of one day and that makes us both very proud. At the end of the day, everything we’re doing is for them.
Q: What advice would you give to any other parents looking to start their own business?
A: Danielle - Just do it! There’s no sugar-coating the fact that it can be really tough at the beginning but trust me, it just gets better and better. You’ll probably feel guilty to start with but you’ll soon settle in to your new routine and find a rhythm. When you remind yourself that you’re building something for your family, it makes all the guilt feel worth it.
Sean - We’ve seen the benefits of being small business owners quite quickly. It’s genuinely changed everything about our lives for the better… we’ve even just booked our first family holiday for a long time! The kids have adapted well and see that hard work pays off. I’m proud to be teaching them about the benefits of having a strong work ethic.
