Zoe Philpott and Sarah Jackson formed a strong bond while travelling together 10 years ago, before returning to New Zealand and opening their online premium beauty store INÈS.
Zoe
Sarah and I met through mutual friends in Auckland in our early 20s. We then travelled for several months together which is when our friendship really began. Our travels connected us profoundly and we became extremely close; travelling well with someone is so indicative of your bond.
We have always shared similar interests, aesthetics and lifestyle appreciations, so I think we had a mutual understanding we’d do something together at some point. It was obvious how well we’d work together even way back then.
Five years ago, we moved back to Auckland around the same
time – Sarah from Sydney, and me from London – and we instantly starting conceptualising INÈS without much deliberation.
We share many of the same strengths when it comes to the
business. We work synergistically to problem solve, conceptualise, and create content, constantly bouncing ideas off each other. Whilst we certainly divide and conquer – as well as outsource anything that’s out of our skillset – we have a unique way of working closely across the aspects of the business that are most important to us.
Personally, we are different in that I’m far more impetuous and spontaneous whereas Sarah is wonderfully considerate and will sit on things for longer. Her patience and thoughtfulness have benefited the company countless times.
Communication is our forte. If we’re not with each other we’re talking or messaging… a lot. Because we are such good friends, making challenging decisions or managing disagreements is always done through honest and robust conversation. Ultimately, we respect each other’s opinions, so conclusions and resolutions are made quickly.
I have endless admiration for Sarah. She is resilient, brave, considered and intelligent. She has been through a lot personally in the last few years and I have never known such strength and resilience. She has unknowingly taught me so much – not only about life’s lessons and how I perceive the world, but also about myself. Her courage and perseverance inspire me every single day.
Sarah
I didn’t know much about Zoe until we met through mutual friends and ended up travelling together around 2012, where our friendship blossomed. We were so organically on the same page with everything and had a lot of fun together – our friendship was a special discovery, and we knew it would be lifelong.
We’d discussed working together for a long time. We didn’t necessarily have a business idea in mind, just the firm knowledge we wanted to do something creative together. When we both back from overseas within six months of each other, it was time to make it happen.
We have similar skills which makes it a challenge when delegating set roles, so we do a lot together; however, there are some responsibilities we’ve organically gravitated towards. Zoe is more efficient and a lot better at operations, whereas I lean more on my communication and brand management skills. We talk all day every day, so communication is not a problem and making decisions is easy. We listen to and trust each other’s opinions.
Zoe is so unapologetically herself – she knows exactly what she does and doesn’t like. She has a signature way of doing everything that is uniquely hers. She has such good taste, acute attention to detail, and executes everything flawlessly. She’s intelligent, eloquent and sophisticated while also being loud, raucous and entertaining, and doesn’t take herself too seriously.
I also admire how she is as a friend. She is the most empathic, soothing person, who listens attentively, and is honest. She never speaks in clichés, she bakes, delivers flowers, gives big cuddles, and makes me laugh. No topic is off bounds and there is endless trust between us.
We spend a lot of time together; our husbands are friends and now our dogs are best friends too. We go for walks, attend lots of yoga classes, share dinners, watch films, and have family weekends away – all the normal friend stuff.
It’s not lost on me how lucky I am to have the friendship I do with Zoe – it’s rare and unique. Going into business together hasn’t made our friendship transactional. We are best friends first, business partners second. We have a lot of fun together and I couldn’t think of anyone else I could spend my every day with!
“Ultimately, we respect each other’s opinions, so conclusions and resolutions are made quickly.”
WORDS — Melanie Dower
