05/03/2026
✨ Women in Business Week ✨
When our son Jack was three days old, he had open heart surgery.
Six months later I was sitting in an office at our first factory with him asleep in a porta cot beside my desk, answering phones and helping my husband Grant and his business partner David build Aquachem from scratch. That was 17 years ago.
In the early days it was just the four of us — Grant, Dave, myself and Shaun our truck driver (who is still with us today! 🙌). Orders came in by fax, phone calls and email, and most days were spent learning as we went.
Grant's mum Dale helped us set up the accounting system, products and pricing. I came from a real estate office management background, so accounting software and chemical distribution were completely new to me.
Over the years all three of our kids — Jack (17), Molly (15) and Georgia (9) — spent time in the office with me as babies, sleeping in a porta cot beside my desk until they became a little too curious and mobile to stay still! 😄 After that it was the usual mix of daycare, grandparents and school pickups that so many families know well.
17 years later Aquachem has grown into a multi-million-dollar business with our own PoolPlus chemicals and PureSwim equipment brands and a team we're incredibly proud of.
Along the way I've taught myself so much — from accounting systems to website design, social media and marketing — growing my skills as the business grew.
I've also been so lucky to work alongside incredible women. Julie was part of our Aquachem family for 11 years before retiring, and today we have the amazing Sam who manages front of house, sales enquiries, accounts receivable and so much more. 💙
Looking back, I'm incredibly proud of what we've built together as a family and as a team.
Happy Women in Business Week to all the amazing women out there juggling family, work and everything in between. 💙
To the other women out there running businesses and raising families — how has your journey looked? 👇
