Portslade couple share tips for working together at home

A couple from Franklin Road, Portslade, Ivana Cavallo, 42, & Lukas Brzozowski, 44, are the founders of A Room in the Garden and are used to working together.

“Some people may think that working together or being in isolation together may be a recipe for a marital disaster or a terrible business plan,” Lukas said, “But in our case, it was the opposite.”

His partner Ivana, said: “Lukas and I complement each other. We have completely different sets of skills which are all very important for the good success of the business.

“This also means that between the two of us we manage to cover all the different aspects of the business without having to out-source them- A very useful thing when you start a family business!”

Ivana says that being business partners and a couple means that her and Lukas ‘have a common goal’.

“Our business goal and family goals are tightly connected,” she said, “Another plus is that we can organise our time in a much wiser and smarter way, making sure that both family and work needs are met.

“Working together made us value and understand each other more and strengthened our relationship.”

The couple started their business after designing and building their own garden room.

Now the couple design and build bespoke garden offices, play rooms, summer houses, annexes, and studios for their clients.

“Navigating this together means we are able to halve the pressure, support each other and cheer each other up when it is needed,” Lukas said.

“And who can do that better than your best fan?”

Their tips for working together at home include:

Set clear expectations both personal and professional

Communicate, listen to one another and compromise

Identify each others areas of strengths and expertise

Value and complement each other

Encourage each other

Factor in date nights - turn off all devices and don’t talk about work or the business.

Have coffee dates or meetings to talk about work and goals

Reflect on a regular basis