Inexorable

We first saw you four years ago—tell us what’s changed since then!
I was very pregnant at the time, so that’s changed! (laughs) I’ve since had another child, and now I’m a mum to two daughters, who are one and four.

What’s it like running after two kids, on top of running a business?
I don’t get enough sleep, but my days are definitely more exciting. Someone just asked me the other day what a typical day for me was like, but no two days are alike for me. I enjoy it because it keeps me active and young, and I like that every day presents a new set of challenges.

What’s a piece of advice you wish you’d received when you first set up your business?
That it’s better to start small. We started with a team of six, thinking that we could make up for a lack of experience with numbers, but actually the more people there are in a team, the more opinions you have to contend with, and it’s harder to move forward when you have to make decisions.

Work-life balance or work-life harmony?
Work-life harmony for me. My personal life and work life spill over into each other so often that I find it’s better for things to be harmonious overall, rather than have to draw clear lines between them and make sure everything balances out.

What are some ways that you try to achieve harmony?
Being a mum, I try to spend more time with my kids, but that’s not always easy, so one thing we’ve done is to make the office a kid-friendly space. I’m not the only parent on the team, and we want our colleagues to not feel like they’re constantly having to choose between work and family. We’ve also implemented four-day work weeks, to give our team some flexibility to pursue some balance or harmony in how they spend their time.

If you could meet anyone, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
It’d be Michael Jackson—you can tell I’m a fan! I told my husband recently that we have to let our daughters listen to his music—I have so many good memories of listening to his music growing up, and going to his concerts. And of course I’d ask him, “Why, Michael? Are all the rumours true?” (laughs)

Charmaine was previously seen here and here.