Red Magazine: September 2010

TAMARA HEBER-PERCY, 42, and James Lohan, 44, set up travel guide Mr & Mrs Smith 11 years ago. They’ve been together 14 years and live in west London with their two children, Tom, three, and Alexandra, four months.

TAMARA SAYS:

‘James and I were together three years before we came up with the idea for Mr & Mrs Smith. Fed up with guidebooks that didn’t live up to expectations, we were convinced we could do better. Friends and family helped us out financially so that we could self-publish it – when we sold 25,000 copies in the first three months, we were elated. What was supposed to be a hobby-business was turning into something bigger.

On the flipside, the business was growing faster than we could manage. We’d have board meetings in the bath and talk about the business every waking hour. It was putting a strain on our relationship, and it wasn’t until we sat down and wrote down what we did and didn’t want that we realised things had to change – we were more important to each other than anything else.

We got someone else in to help with the workload, and these days, our work/life balance is far better. Having children has added another dimension to our lives, which is great. I look after technical stuff, like the website, blog and back-end systems, while James is responsible for the direction of the company. These seem to be our natural skill sets – even at home, James chooses the wallpaper and I get the tv to work. We try to set aside one night a week when we go out for dinner. We’re both strong characters, but we rarely argue – if there’s an issue we don’t agree on, we’ll debate it until we come up with the best solution for the business.

If I had any advice for couples thinking about starting a business together, it would be to make sure you have different skills that complement each other. And listen to each other. It’s easy to get so wrapped up in your day that you forget to be supportive to your partner.’

JAMES SAYS:

‘The fact that Tamara and I see each other’s daily stresses first-hand makes us closer. Some couples never fully get what their partners do at work, which creates distance between them. Running a business can be full-on, but if you’re a strong unit, you’ll get through.’