When you start a business, you might think the hard part will be getting customers.
I certainly did. When we launched Fusion Surfaces, I could see the potential straight away.
Architectural vinyl wrapping could be used across so many sectors, offices, hotels, retail, stadiums, but no one knew about it.
I assumed once people saw it, the work would follow. It didn’t.
We had to build everything from scratch: case studies, credibility and trust before we could scale.
People are the hardest part
Looking back, that part wasn’t the hardest though. The hardest part has been people.
I came from a teaching background, where getting people to do their job well didn’t feel like such a battle.
In business, it’s very different. I thought if you hired people and treated them well, there wouldn’t be any issues.
But without clear structure, things slip. Jobs don’t get finished properly, standards drop, corners get cut.
It’s taken us years to find the right people. The ones who genuinely care about the end result and want the client to be impressed, not just the job done.
At the same time, we started the business when our daughter was just two years old.
That brought a completely different layer of pressure.
Jade Mitchell and I are not just business partners. We’re a couple, raising a family and running a company together.
I didn’t want to miss the school runs, the pick-ups, the time that you don’t get back.
So we worked around it. Shorter days, then evenings once family time was done.
It’s not something people always see. From the outside, it can look like flexibility. In reality, it often means you never really switch off.
And because we’re both in the business, there’s no safety net. If things go quiet, it’s on us. That pressure sits there all the time.
Business is ruthless
What’s surprised me most is how ruthless business can be.
I’m naturally optimistic and tend to see the best in people, which has meant I’ve been caught out more than once.
But it’s also made me value the people we do work with, the good clients, the supportive suppliers, the people who show up and do what they say they will. That matters more than anything.
Running a business as a couple brings its own challenges too.
Even with different roles, work and personal life blur constantly.
There have been times where it’s been hard to switch off, hard to separate the two, and that’s something we’ve had to learn over time.
People often assume being your own boss makes life easier. It doesn’t. You carry everything, the responsibility, the decisions, the outcomes.
We’ve worked the day before our wedding, on our honeymoon, on every holiday we’ve had. There isn’t really an ‘off’ switch.
But there’s a reason we keep going. We want to build something meaningful, not just for our family, but also for what we represent.
Two women running a business in a construction-led industry isn’t always the easiest route.
There’s still an element of having to prove yourself more, to be taken seriously.
That’s been a challenge, but it’s also been a driver.
We’re proud of what we’ve built. In six years, we’ve grown consistently year on year and are on track to hit £900,000 turnover.
We work with some incredible clients, from leading fit-out companies to Premier League football clubs and venues like The O2.
But even with that, it rarely feels like enough. There’s always more to do, more to improve, more to achieve.
And you get on with it. Because it never really stops.
- Rosie Christie is director of Fusion Surfaces, a UK specialist in architectural finishes, wall graphics and interior refurbishment for commercial environments. Founded in 2019, the business has grown consistently year on year and is on track to reach £900,000 turnover. Fusion works with leading fit-out contractors, hospitality brands and sports venues including Premier League football clubs and The O2.