Love, Life & Business: Working With Your Partner
You may know, Good Tuesday is run by Michele and Angus - partners in life, and in business. They have three kids between them - Jules, nearly 14, Flora, 12 and Otis 3.
As Valentine’s day is around the corner, we thought it would be good to catch up with these two to find out how they make it all work.
Q: How did you end up working together? Was it always the plan?
Michele: Definitely not. Good Tuesday started as my thing, a side hustle when we were all stuck indoors in 2020, and Angus had his own work. During that time, we were sat in the same tiny spare room working, so Angus was privy to every conversation and also my point of feedback on everything.
In the early days, I used to pack the handful of daily orders up, pop them in my backpack, and walk to the post office at the end of the day. As it got busier, I ended up filling up the post box, and the post office asked me to please stop. Angus then would take the bags, at the end of each day, in time to meet the postie outside the post office, so they could go straight in his van. And as the business grew, we realised that it needed both of us. Angus has worked in wholesale and also is great with finances, and I’m all about design, product development, and processes so we complement each other in that way.
Angus: I think we both saw the potential for Good Tuesday to become something much bigger than the spare room, and it made sense for me to get involved. But we also knew it would mean navigating a whole new dynamic—working together, parenting, and still finding time to be a couple.
Q: What’s the best part about working with your partner?
Michele: Angus gets it - we share the highs and lows, we both get excited about things and equally can work through challenges. As a business owner, it's always on my mind, and because we work together, it makes it a lot easier. We also trust each other completely, which is huge when you’re making big decisions.
Angus: I agree. We compliment each other, we trust each other in our decision making, and with so many decisions to make they don’t always get discussed. And honestly, seeing Michele’s creativity in action is amazing. Michele sees things that others don’t, you may think you have the best idea in the world until Michele drops her perspective bombshell. She comes up with ideas I never would, and I love watching them come to life.
Q: And the most challenging part?
Michele: Switching off. When your work and home life are so intertwined, it’s hard to have boundaries. We’ll be making dinner and suddenly find ourselves deep in a discussion about logistics or marketing.
Angus: Yes, it’s tricky not to let business discussions creep into every part of life, but it is so important to switch off for our sake and for the kids. We both have the same or similar, but different challenges at work. At the end of the day we’re both tired and we have to be a team to get through the evening at home, dinners, bath times, tantrums, and reading books and that's just me. The kids are chill.
Q: Do you have rules or boundaries to keep work and home separate?
Michele: We try. We don’t always succeed. Our kids are the boundary setters in most cases - and we both feel it's important to give them all our undivided attention, daily.
We try and book time to do things together, non-work related - evening walks, sauna, dinner out - we have a weekend getaway booked, where we plan to totally switch off from work. But I recognise that this is also just a phase of life where starting a business just takes a huge amount of energy. Having said that, if we were in our 20’s, we’d probably be working far more hours - but now, we have to prioritise the family too.
Angus: We do try, but business is a huge part of our lives and we enjoy it, we enjoy discussing future plans, future ideas and the challenges we face. We both have the same ideology around growth and the potential of what's possible.
That said, we also have to recognise each other's moods, and sometimes we’re just over it and need to chill and switch off and hang with the kids.
Q: Have you learned anything surprising about each other through working together?
Angus: Michele is incredibly determined—she will move mountains to make things happen. I already knew that, but seeing it in action on a daily basis is something else.
Michele: I’ve learned that Angus is brilliant at numbers and finances - something he hasn’t per se worked in much in previous roles, but he’s been learning at a huge rate and is incredibly knowledgeable - and I could not do this without him.
Q: Any advice for other couples thinking about working together?
Michele: Know your strengths and respect each other’s roles. Just because you’re partners in life doesn’t mean you’ll naturally work well together. It takes effort. I feel really lucky as Angus is incredibly supportive and fully lets me lead the ship, and together we steer it in the right direction.
Angus: Don’t forget why you’re doing it. The business is important, but your relationship is more important. Make sure you still take time to just be a couple.
Q: How do you balance running a business with raising three kids?
Angus: Flexibility and teamwork. On Sundays - we look at our schedules and workload and figure out who does nursery runs, who’s cooking etc. We're constantly adapting and supporting each other.
Michele: I am not sure ‘balance’ is the right word, as anyone who is running a start up knows, its relentless - and certainly not balanced, and not consistent, some periods are crazy, and other brings a bit more space. For me, it's about quality time as opposed to quantity. When I’m with the kids, I aim to focus on them. I plan in time to spend with each of them individually, meaningful time, for making memories together and getting a deep understanding of who they are and what's happening in their worlds.
As a family, we always have dinner around the table together, cook together - and often after dinner go for a walk to the beach (which we’re lucky to live nearby) - no screens, just catching up on our days. I love these moments.
Q: Any Valentine's Day traditions for a working couple?
Michele: Not really, we’re not very set on Valentine’s in a romantic way - but we do like to give each other a heartfelt message - and maybe take some time out together. But I believe true love is about supporting each other in our dreams, passions and hobbies - all year round. So, if there are waves on Valentine’s day, I will encourage Angus to go for a surf (like I try and do any time he has a chance to get out in the ocean, which he loves doing.)
Angus: We’re not very good at Valentine's day if I’m honest, but certainly to take time to acknowledge each other.
Q: Looking back, would you do it all over again—work together, raise a family, and build a business side by side?
Michele: Absolutely. It’s not always easy, and we don’t always get the balance right, but I wouldn’t change it. We’re building something we’re both proud of, and the fact that we’ve done it together makes it even more meaningful. I am more than grateful to have a partner by my side in this crazy ride.
Angus: 100%. It’s a rollercoaster, but I wouldn’t want to be on it with anyone else. We challenge each other, we lift each other up, and at the end of the day, we’re building something for our family and our future. That makes all the hard work worth it.
