Today I took
the big and scary plunge! I handed in my notice at my day job!
I have been
dipping my toe into the pool of self employment for a year now. I have got to the point where I have so many
ideas on how to push my business further but simply don’t have the time!
Since
graduating I have always wanted to run my own business. But I didn’t know what in. I have a degree in Textile Design. I have always been creative. My mother was a seamstress too. My love for vintage really developed with I worked
in the vintage store in London
called The Girl Can’t help it!
I have been
obsessed with my idea for a bespoke made to measure vintage inspired company for
about two years now. Funnily enough it
started when I need to make a quick buck to buy my pug Maybellene! I was living in London at the time. It’s a really expensive place to live and all
my share cash was being spent on getting my sleeve finished by Valerie Vargas. A friend of Mr BooBoo Kitty’s had always had
pugs. I used to joke, if you ever have a
litter, I would be first on the list! Well
I was told Dotty was pregnant in January, Maybellene was born in February. She was ready to take home in April! So that gave me just over three months to
raise £1000. Pretty pricey for a dog,
yes I know. But pedigree bitches normally
sell for over £1,500!!
At that
point I had been making my own dresses for quite some time. So I tended to wear my own creations. But my wardrobe was still full of shop bought
items. Items I bought simply because
they had a rockabilly look, nice fabric but not necessarily a great fit or cut. So I sold them on ebay. Sold most of the items in my wardrobe,
including shoes and even things I liked and fitted.
I decided
to take photos of dresses I had made and put them on ebay. If you did buy one of my early dresses I would
love to hear from you. I made a few
sales. So I made a very crude looking
facebook page, very poor quality photos of me modelling in my front room. I got a very good response on facebook and got
a few orders.
I raised
the funds to buy Maybellene and enough to cover her vets bills, kit her out
with toys and accessories. And not once
did I regret selling the contents of my wardrobe.
I continued
to push my business as much as I could. I
was still living in London
and worked long hours in the city. So didn’t
really have the time it needed to make it grow.
In May 2010
I moved back to Nottingham, where I did my
degree. I got an admin job as I had
built up credit card debts form living in London and financially wasn’t in a position
to start my own business.
I have
gained so much experience in my current job. It’s for a marketing company. So what I have learnt in terms of marketing
for a small business has been invaluable! My role also involves me working with a number
of small business owners. I now feel
confident in my ability to run my won business and make a success of it.
I am going
to miss the office banter and the friends I have made here. Some how I don’t think Maybellene has as many
funny stories as my current work colleagues do!
It has
indeed been a scary discussion to make. I am extremely exited for the future. I would like to thank all my beautiful
customers. And everyone in the industry I
have worked with, chatted to, tweeted, emailed. None of this would have been possible without you. Thank you!
Here’s to
2012….. Excited? I am!
Today I took
the big and scary plunge! I handed in my notice at my day job!
I have been
dipping my toe into the pool of self employment for a year now. I have got to the point where I have so many
ideas on how to push my business further but simply don’t have the time!
Since
graduating I have always wanted to run my own business. But I didn’t know what in. I have a degree in Textile Design. I have always been creative. My mother was a seamstress too. My love for vintage really developed with I worked
in the vintage store in London
called The Girl Can’t help it!
I have been
obsessed with my idea for a bespoke made to measure vintage inspired company for
about two years now. Funnily enough it
started when I need to make a quick buck to buy my pug Maybellene! I was living in London at the time. It’s a really expensive place to live and all
my share cash was being spent on getting my sleeve finished by Valerie Vargas. A friend of Mr BooBoo Kitty’s had always had
pugs. I used to joke, if you ever have a
litter, I would be first on the list! Well
I was told Dotty was pregnant in January, Maybellene was born in February. She was ready to take home in April! So that gave me just over three months to
raise £1000. Pretty pricey for a dog,
yes I know. But pedigree bitches normally
sell for over £1,500!!
At that
point I had been making my own dresses for quite some time. So I tended to wear my own creations. But my wardrobe was still full of shop bought
items. Items I bought simply because
they had a rockabilly look, nice fabric but not necessarily a great fit or cut. So I sold them on ebay. Sold most of the items in my wardrobe,
including shoes and even things I liked and fitted.
I decided
to take photos of dresses I had made and put them on ebay. If you did buy one of my early dresses I would
love to hear from you. I made a few
sales. So I made a very crude looking
facebook page, very poor quality photos of me modelling in my front room. I got a very good response on facebook and got
a few orders.
I raised
the funds to buy Maybellene and enough to cover her vets bills, kit her out
with toys and accessories. And not once
did I regret selling the contents of my wardrobe.
I continued
to push my business as much as I could. I
was still living in London
and worked long hours in the city. So didn’t
really have the time it needed to make it grow.
In May 2010
I moved back to Nottingham, where I did my
degree. I got an admin job as I had
built up credit card debts form living in London and financially wasn’t in a position
to start my own business.
I have
gained so much experience in my current job. It’s for a marketing company. So what I have learnt in terms of marketing
for a small business has been invaluable! My role also involves me working with a number
of small business owners. I now feel
confident in my ability to run my won business and make a success of it.
I am going
to miss the office banter and the friends I have made here. Some how I don’t think Maybellene has as many
funny stories as my current work colleagues do!
It has
indeed been a scary discussion to make. I am extremely exited for the future. I would like to thank all my beautiful
customers. And everyone in the industry I
have worked with, chatted to, tweeted, emailed. None of this would have been possible without you. Thank you!
Here’s to
2012….. Excited? I am!
Good on you girl!!! An exciting new venture can be daunting at first, but im sure with your skills and experience you will make it something great. He who dares wins :)
ReplyDeleteGood for you! Trust me, its the best thing you will ever do and you won't want to ever work for anyone else ever again....I'm nearly at my 3 years self employed date and still love every minute of it :)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations!! I know you'll make a success of BBKC. Anything I can do to help, let me know :D x
ReplyDeleteThis is so inspiring, I've recently found myself out of work, I work with children with special needs, and I've gone through a period of feeling very down about it, then I started to plough effort into fascinators, now I have two vintage fairs booked. For the time being I'll be doing supply work to get the money in, but I'd love to be able to say I'm self employed!
ReplyDeleteUF xx