Monthly Archives: April 2016

Welcome to another update from one of our crafty ladies – this time Shelly Terry from hand-made card company, Evelyn Mae, If you have a young family and run a business, please pop a reply down to Shelly’s special bonus question, as she’s a first-time mum and working out how to juggle things. Of course business has been taking something of a back seat, as she predicted when we last spoke in February 2015: “In a year’s time, our baby will be 7 months old, so I am hoping that I will have offered a few Christmas letters, and be readying myself to open again – whether that is full or part time. I fully intend to spend as much time as I can with our baby, so as long as I have a business plan my husband and I are happy with, I will feel accomplished”. Let’s see how this exciting year has gone!

Hello again, Shelly, and congratulations on the birth of your baby girl. Are things as you expected a year and a bit ago?

In a way. I wasn’t expecting the early days of having a baby to go so fast!!! I did offer Christmas letters, but I found it very tiring so am not really pursuing the business currently – although any organic orders that come in I will do.

What has changed and what has stayed the same?

Working with a baby! My daughter is now 10 months, she is very good and is such a happy girl – I don’t have the motivation to pursue work when I can spend my time with her.

What have you learned? What do you wish you’d known a year ago?

I wish I’d sorted more of the office, I thought it last year but it’s even more important now I’m postponing work for longer!

Any more hints and tips for people?

Taking time out isn’t giving up – give yourself the time you need to look after yourself.

BONUS NEW QUESTION: What question would YOU like to ask other small business owners?

How do you fit small business around a young family- especially if your baby isn’t a big day sleeper!

And … where do you see yourself and your business in a(nother) year’s time?

I imagine I will still be open but still only taking incoming orders, and not actively advertising. Keeping the pressure off and spending time with my daughter.

You know what – “I wish I’d sorted out more of the office” is such a common phrase to hear in these interviews – that should tell us all something, shouldn’t it! Obviously Shelly’s dialled things down at the moment, and she makes an important point about how this doesn’t mean she’s given up. I wish her another happy year with her little family, and look forward to finding out how things are going this time next year.

You can find Shelly’s work online at www.evelynmae.co.uk (with links on there to other crafting sites where she has a presence, such as Etsy). She has a blog on that site, too, and you can also find her on Facebook.

If you’ve enjoyed this interview, please see more small business chat, the index to all the interviewees, and information on how you can have your business featured (I have a full roster of interviewees now so am only taking on a very few new ones). If you’re considering setting up a new business or have recently done so, why not take a look at my books, all available now, in print and e-book formats, from a variety of sources. 

Welcome to an update with Simon Forder, who is currently juggling his Telemarketing company, RingHello, his castles project, The Castle Guy, a new addition to his family and an ongoing health issue. Simon is actually one of my original 2011 interviewees, with a catch-up in October 2012, and again in November 2013We last spoke in February 2015. At that point, when asked where he wanted to be in a year’s time, he replied, “Ooh, I don’t know. I plan to have made significant progress with The Castle Guy, so that I can devote more time to it, and develop it further. The more I do with it, the more I should get back, so fingers crossed for a successful 2015! With RingHello, I’d still like a bit more stability, but perhaps that’s a change in the marketplace that’s permanent. Either way I am confident that what is right will happen when it’s meant to. And I also hope to be back to full fitness by then too!” Let’s check in on what’s happened in what sounds like an eventful and challenging year.

Hello again, Simon.So, the big question: Are you where you thought you’d be when you looked forward a year ago?

No. I have devoted a significant amount of time to developing the Castle Guy website (there’s now information about more than 200 castles in Scotland on there), but I found myself falling behind with my RingHello work to the extent that I had to make the decision not to take on more work until I had cleared the backlog.

The shoulder injury has still not healed properly, and when digging deeper into the whole matter I was advised I was suffering from a form of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, meaning that my body was not recovering from any stresses properly. Not only my injury, which has been causing me pain now for well over two years, but also preventing me from being able to reliably predict how much work I was able to do.

So, I had to terminate campaigns and just act in a support capacity to my wife and business partner to the best of my ability. CFS is a nightmare for someone who runs their own business. It is not recognised by the authorities except in its most extreme form, and it can literally be the case that you wake up one day and do not have the energy to get out of bed. That can last for a few days, and then inexplicably you wake up and are fine again. In the end a major contributor appears to have been an undiagnosed sensitivity to wheat, and after doing my utmost to cut it out from my diet for 6 months I am much improved.

I have recently started taking on new telemarketing clients again, and look forward to being able to get back to work properly. I’ve also taken on a few bits of historical work, and have nearly completed my second massive Castle Guide – in addition to Edinburgh I’ll be putting Stirling out there, so that will be the two biggest guides finished.

We are also developing a piece of software to enable small businesses to manage their own cold calling and business pipelines effectively. Most CRM systems just can’t cope with all the people who aren’t customers yet, and don’t help you manage your time effectively. Ours will – and is designed for small businesses specifically so there won’t be overkill like the big boys out there!

What has changed and what has stayed the same?

Having had our first baby a few weeks ago, EVERYTHING has changed. All priorities are under review, and time has suddenly become a far more important resource.

What have you learned? What do you wish you’d known a year ago?

The learning has definitely been health-related. I have learned to accept that sometimes you have no option but to accept that even the simplest things can be beyond you if you aren’t well, and that ultimately you have to take your health far more seriously. I mean, who would have thought that being sensitive to wheat could be so completely debilitating – and given that it’s one of the most common food sensitivities, why is it still being used so widely in food production? I mean, next time you are shopping, just try to get a shop which is wheat free. Look at the ingredients. You’ll see what I mean. It isn’t just no bread, pasta, pastry and breakfast cereal…

Any more hints and tips for people?

Be kind to yourself. If you don’t, why would anyone else think they have to?

BONUS NEW QUESTION: What question would YOU like to ask other small business owners?

What do you think is the most cost-effective way to get mass brand exposure to consumers?

And … where do you see yourself and your business in a(nother) year’s time?

I’ll be in a more secure place with regular historical commission work providing a greater proportion of income, we will have the software available with a reasonable number of subscribers (50 at least) starting to provide us with a regular ambient income, and maintaining a regular income stream from telemarketing as well. Maybe baby Olaf will have regularised his sleep patterns by then as well, so fewer black bags under the eyes would be nice!

I’m always honoured when my interviewees share the not-so-great and challenging times as well as the achievements, so thank you to Simon for his honest answers and best of luck for the future. Having just had an injury after a running accident myself, which didn’t take me out of action but did make me very tired with the pain and slightly fuzzy at times with the pain relief, I cannot imagine what it’s been like for Simon – thank goodness for his wife and business partner and hopefully things will be on the up now. He’s nurtured RingHello successfully for a long while now, so I’m sure he’ll be able to pick up the reins, and knowing your capacities and capabilities is a big part of the equation.

You can find Simon online at ringhello.co.uk and thecastleguy.co.uk.

If you’ve enjoyed this interview, please see more small business chat, the index to all the interviewees, and information on how you can have your business featured (I have a full roster of interviewees now so am only taking on a very few new ones). If you’re considering setting up a new business or have recently done so, why not take a look at my books, all available now, in print and e-book formats, from a variety of sources. 

Welcome to a brand new small business chat interviewee – Matt Rose of Prestige Quoting Limited. He’s the son of a friend of mine, which makes him sound about 12 – he is a proper grown-up, I promise, and he’s made a very considered and planned move into self-employment, leveraging his experience in a particular area but keen to branch out on his own. We had a chat early on and I was impressed at the careful way he was going about things (in fact my post about starting off well in self-employment could have been written about him, too, in many ways). Matt’s been on a learning curve since he started in October last year, and here he generously shares what he’s learned so far …

Hello, Matt. It’s good to have you on the interview list! Let’s get the basics out of the way first: what’s your business called? When did you set it up?

My business is called Prestige Quoting Limited, and it was formed on 1 October 2015.

What made you decide to set up your own business?

I had at been at my previous employer for 10 years. I was getting a little bored and had started to enjoy my role in that business a bit less: I felt it was time to work for myself.

What made you decide to go into this particular business area?

I had been working with QuoteWerks software for 10 years and saw the value it provides to other small businesses. Seeing companies going from manual systems to an efficient database-driven system gives me great satisfaction. I was encouraged to form my own business by the developer of the software and the UK distributor and had the support of my partner.

Had you run your own business before?

No, well, I helped out at the school tuck shop 15 years ago; does that count?!

Um…. Moving on, how did you do it? Did you launch full-time, start off with a part-time or full-time job to keep you going … ?

Looking back, it was perhaps a bit rash. I gave my 30 days’ notice and then went into my new business full-time. As I’m now, technically, in competition with my former employer, doing this alongside would not have been a viable option.

What do you wish someone had told you before you started?

Don’t be afraid to outsource tasks.

Looking back, the hours I spent over trivial things that would’ve taken someone more skilled in that area mere minutes was considerable. I was (rightly?) penny-pinching, but as soon as I found http://www.fiverr.com I’ve used it for lots of small pieces of work [fiverr.com is a place where you can hire people to do small pieces of work for $5 or larger pieces for a negotiated price. I use someone I found on there for my book cover design].

What would you go back and tell your newly entrepreneurial self?

Don’t forget to enjoy it and don’t undersell yourself.

What do you wish you’d done differently?

Managed scope-creep with my first half-dozen clients. Perhaps I was so happy to be receiving orders for work, nothing was too much trouble. That non-setting of expectations is as confusing for the client as awkward it is for me, now that I have to realign their expectations.

What are you glad you did?

Made the leap! I’d been thinking about it for a number of months, but the time was never right. Looking back, the time is never right.

What’s your top business tip?

Be honest with clients and yourself.

From my experience, a client is willing to pay more for your services if you’re honest. I originally turned two projects down, because I didn’t think I could deliver the client’s scope in the time-frame they required. Both of those projects were subsequently booked in when the client was willing to wait a little longer.

How has it gone since you started? Have you grown, diversified or stayed the same?

I’m thrilled.

I had a business plan (well, business ‘guesses’ and the ‘plan’ was all in my head; which is something I will rectify) with broad numbers and I hit those within 3 months of starting the business. That was very encouraging (and relieving!)

Where do you see yourself and your business in a year’s time?

I’d really like to be in a position to consider taking on a 2nd person.

Managing scope creep and expectations is a key business skill when you’re self-employed, but it’s the kind of thing that you have to learn from experience, unfortunately! I find that customers are willing to wait a little bit longer than you think for a job well done and not rushed, and if you’re honest from the start, things should go fine. I tend to under-promise and over-deliver – far better that way round! I’m sure Matt’s business is going to grow and develop well, and I can’t wait to see what he’s up to this time next year!

Matt Rose’s website is at www.prestigequoting.com and you can email him or phone him on 07490 096232

If you’ve enjoyed this interview, please see more small business chat, the index to all the interviewees, and information on how you can have your business featured (I have a full roster of interviewees now so am only taking on a very few new ones). If you’re considering setting up a new business or have recently done so, why not take a look at my books, all available now, in print and e-book formats, from a variety of sources. 

Welcome to an update with Helen Earp, who not only runs craft gift and decoration company Sweetheart Designs, but has also expanded into premises, as we’ll see later. I first interviewed Helen in June 2013  and then again in March 2015 when this was her plan: “In a further year’s time, I hope to have a full website up and running and also hopefully be stocking a couple more shops. It is a very difficult decision to make and I would rather take my time to find a shop/venue that my products will really fit in with. My ultimate goal is to have a commercial premises, involving local crafters but also involving the community and the vast array of social groups there are in my local area, but that will be at least a couple of years once my twins start school.” Has she moved towards these aims? Let’s find out!

Hello again, Helen! So, are you where you thought you’d be when you looked forward a year ago?

I am in a completely different place to where I thought I would be, it has been an amazing whirlwind year.

What has changed and what has stayed the same?

Where do I start? I now own my very own shop. A complete shock and petrifying step to take but I took the plunge and am so pleased I gave it a shot!
I had a very good rapport with one of the shops I stocked with Sweetheart Designs, and the owners mentioned to me that they were retiring and would be putting the business up for sale. They asked if I would be interested in buying and I turned them down straight away, there was no way I could buy a shop, my twins were just turning 3, I had no capital, it just wouldn’t work.

But I just couldn’t stop thinking about the shop, even when I was sleeping.

It was a ready-made, established business – how could I not give it a go?

I spent hours and hours crunching numbers, putting a business plan together, etc., etc., and applied for a start-up loan. I secured finance from a company called X-Forces who help ex-military and their families to start their own businesses once outside of the forces. Since my husband is an ex-Army Corporal, X-Forces were willing to help me.

From there I signed a 5-year lease and bought the shops stock, fixtures & fittings and also a t-shirt printing setup from the shop’s previous owners.

I opened the doors to Togademus Toys & Crafts Ltd on the 1st August 2015 and havent looked back.

We are an amazing independent shop selling traditional, educational wooden toys, books, baby gifts and most excitingly, I have continued (and grown) the handmade section of the shop, with 16 local designer-makers renting space to sell their products. I offer creative workshops and drop-in craft sessions for all ages, which have been received extremely well by children and adults alike. I am a very lucky lady.

What have you learned? What do you wish you’d known a year ago?

I have learned that if you have a dream – chase it and that you can do almost anything if you put your mind to it.

I wish I had known what was coming, it has been a huge adjustment for the family, getting used to a new daily regime and not having mommy in the house all the time has taken probably up until now to adjust to, really.

Any more hints and tips for people?

If you get an opportunity, no matter how scary – go for it. Better to grab it with both hands than live with the regret of not trying down the line.

Do your research, and your sums. A solid business plan is a wonderful thing. I do one every year now to try to focus myself.

BONUS NEW QUESTION: What question would YOU like to ask other small business owners?

How do you keep the momentum going? Where do you get inspiration from to keep things fresh?

And … where do you see yourself and your business in a(nother) year’s time?

Bigger and better, I am still in my first year so won’t be expecting to be rich anytime soon, but I would love to have built a solid online market for the shop. Posh packaging is also on my list of things to sort out, too.

I was SO EXCITED when I read Helen’s news. How lovely to go from maker stocking a few shops to shop owner, stocking other makers’ items (I should put Helen in touch with Sarah Goode, who has also recently opened a shop, shouldn’t I. There we go: done). This shop is actually quite local to me: it is absolutely lovely and a must for anyone looking for good quality, traditional and innovative toys for children. I hope to see it continue to prosper in years to come!

Helen’s original Sweetheart Designs company can  be found online at www.facebook.com/Designs.Sweetheart or you can email her. Togademus Toys are online at www.togademustoys.co.uk and on Facebook, too.

If you’ve enjoyed this interview, please see more small business chat, the index to all the interviewees, and information on how you can have your business featured (I have a full roster of interviewees now so am only taking on a very few new ones). If you’re considering setting up a new business or have recently done so, why not take a look at my books, all available now, in print and e-book formats, from a variety of sources.