I work with my husband and I survived

As a woman, running a business in a field that is not feminine has its challenges. When my husband started his own electrical safety testing business in 2003, I never suspected I would become so involved. What was I thinking? Like many marriages my man does the ‘blokey’ stuff and I do the background work– the finishing touches. It was never my plan, but as time went on I became more and more involved until I ended up as the full time 'Office Manager'.

Working with my husband is not so bad, in fact it’s usually stimulating and enjoyable. The key for me is that our workstations are in separate rooms and we both have different roles to play. It was essential to clarify our job descriptions to avoid conflicts and so I don’t get cajoled into tasks that I don’t want to do.

Tech talk between men is a sort of male bonding/respect building process that the men seem to enjoy. I found this technical talk the most threatening part our business – the fact is I’m not that interested in the technical details.
Charming the ‘tradies’ turns out to be easy! I provide the basic facts and this is exactly what is needed. Discussions often lead to technical questions which I now encourage because they appreciate being put onto the head of our Technical Department (my husband) to satisfy their tech talk needs.
The feminine touch, even in a masculine industry is a great asset. Of course I don’t mean flowers and lace – I mean the finishing touches women do so well.

Our professional image is greatly improved by my attention to the details that most tradie types like my husband don’t even consider. A warm welcoming voice on the phone, instead of "Gday mate", and callers get to speak with me rather than the dreaded answering machine. I spend time on appearances, simple things like clean shirts, a tidy office, and ensuring documents and marketing material look good. As women, we usually have the most say on the home decorating scene and I apply this accepted freedom to our business image.

Networking with women comes naturally to me, but do I fit in with other business women who are in feminine fields? Probably not, but women are so good at sharing their ideas and empathising with each other that it is a welcome relief! I learn so much while networking with other business women and I get to promote awareness of electrical safety and OH&S. After all this is what networking is all about - not to mention that I really enjoy it!

As you can see working with my husband in a technical industry is of course complicated at times but is mostly very rewarding and has been a big learning curve. I get the benefits of working for myself and the freedom it avails me, a huge advantage for a mother of 3. I don’t have to try to be like a man to work in a male dominated industry. Bringing my female perspective into our business turned out to be a valuable enhancement to our image and success.