2Inspire Network Business Profile: Yours Sustainably

In this 2Inspire Network Profile we meet Lynn and Jessica Ball, the mother and daughter team behind "Yours Sustainably" , an online store of ethically sourced, sustainable products from around the world. Read their inspirational story and learn how passion and drive can take you to the next level in all aspects of your life.

Please tell us what is a typical business day for you?

Every day is different as we are managing all aspects of the business ourselves at the moment.  Jessica-I try to integrate my business role into my part time masters course in Fashion Futures at LCF so all my days are filled with an ongoing dialogue of how to communicate the message of sustainability more successfully to a wider audience, new trends in sustainability and making new contacts in different research and business areas.  We are constantly on the look-out for new products and suppliers and ways to develop our business further.  Lynn-I handle more of the day to day running of the business, order fulfilment etc and handle the social media side of things.

What made you start the business and how did you get started?

Jessica-At the time I was working and living in Cairo, Egypt and considering starting a business importing products from the Middle East into the UK.  I decided to visit the trade fair Top Drawer to do some market research and it was there that myself and Lynn realised that we were both drawn to the products with the most interesting stories-those made with an innovative use of recycled or eco-friendly materials or made with local craft communities.  Lynn-I had already registered the domain name Yours Sustainably so it seemed a natural decision to decide to work on developing a business together and combine our love of style, craft and the environment. Jessica-As I have a design background and Lynn has extensive craft skills we developed our brand idea together, and a planned trip to India for me to undertake a two month hand embroidery course presented an excellent opportunity to start sourcing some products.

What would you say has been your greatest accomplishment in the business world to date?

We hope that people appreciate our business ethos and aims of presenting a carefully curated selection of gift items that prove you don’t have to compromise your style for your ethics.

What has been your biggest challenge in business so far?

Definitely the biggest challenge is getting ourselves known as a business and getting people interested in visiting our site.

What are your future plans for the business?

We would love to develop our own products and continue to try and engage people creatively with the issues surrounding sustainability.  It would be great to have a community of people who share our love of great design, fair trade principles and environmental conservation.

If you had to do it all over again, what would you do differently?

This is obviously something that we work on all the time but we would have taken the time to do more research on online business and the ways to connect with our customers.

Why is it so important to inspire young women in particular to follow their dreams?

For us women have the qualities that can really drive the message of sustainability forward, the creativity and empathy that can help change society and business for the better.  Everyone should be given the opportunity to follow their dreams, but in order to discover them it is important to take time for self-reflection.  Young women are given seemingly endless choices but it is important to decide what is truly important, and know that it is possible to create a business that fits the lifestyle and life balance that they want to achieve.

What advice would you give to somebody who wants to start a business in your industry?

Online retail is very competitive and constantly changing so it goes without saying that you have to been very adaptable, persistent and dedicated to your business!

What or who inspires you in business and why? 

Jessica-I am constantly inspired by people I meet who are trying to work towards positive change with creativity and innovation.  It feels very exciting to be part of what I hope is a new wave of business and research into ways to improve the planet and protect our future.  I love being surrounded by people who are passionate about what they do, particularly women!

Lynn- the use of social media to engage and initiate change is a powerful tool which is increasingly being used by those with concerns for our environment and marginalised communities

What is your favourite inspirational quote?

There are so many but we love our adopted philosophy of 'happiness held is the seed, happiness shared is the flower.' (anonymous)

Contact Details

Twitter @yssustainably
contact@yourssustainably.com
www.yourssustainably.com

2Inspire Business Profile: Natalia Komis founder of iamsociable and iamadventures

In this 2Inspire Network profile we meet Natalia Komis founder of iamsociable and iamadventures, 2 phenomal businesses run but 1 phenomenal woman. Read how she took her passion for art and creativity to start the life of her dreams.

Please tell us what is a typical business day for you?
I start the day with 5 minutes of meditation or yoga (though lately it’s been some simple breathing techniques and jump up). As I run two businesses I have to check all email inboxes first thing whilst writing my to do list for the day – without this I’m lost! I then am either out meeting clients or networking to find new ones! These days, a day working from home is precious.


What made you start the business and how did you get started? Not knowing what route to take after Art School, I ended up in Marketing whilst still trying to hold on to the art world through collaborations and being part of art collectives. Once I realised I couldn't juggle both I gave up with the corporate world & started freelancing as an arts producer. Still unhappy & knowing I wanted to start my own thing, I took the leap & launched iamsociable and later iamadventures.

I've always known I've wanted to do something that I can call my own, I guess I just never knew what. I'd go from one idea to the next without pausing for air and clarity. Being a creative person I seem to come up with ideas easily, but find it difficult to follow them through.

I'd wanted to start my own business and had a general idea for it for a while. But nothing felt right, the timing, the idea itself and I guess I just didn't feel confident enough to go ahead with it. It came to a point when my relationship was over, I had to move house, I had no secure job and I suddenly had to reassess my situation. And I realised, that I had been running around for everyone else but secretly feeling resentful for it. I wanted to run around for myself! Make me happy and do something that I wanted to do!

After I left my corporate job I’d been travelling to art fairs and running events all over Europe and was the producer and PR manager for the British Section of the Kathmandu Arts Festival in Nepal, where I also ran master classes in arts marketing for the British Council. With this came a whole new outlook on life, an approach to do things that I actually cared about and wanted to do for myself. So, when the opportunity to reassess my situation did come along I was ready to take a risk and try something of my own. I’d been thinking about walking the Camino de Santiago for many years as a personal challenge, a place to let go and be free and allow space and time for new inspiration, so I planned for this whilst also setting up iamsociable.

iamsociable kicked off slowly but surely and grew with its clients. The main objective? To help creatives in business; help them find and create their dreams through creative marketing and guidance support. Whilst making the preparations for my trip to Spain to walk the Camino (120km in 4 days!), I realised that I should be combining my thirst for adventure, inspiration and social change with my guidance support and personal development and offer this combination of services to others. This is where the iamadventures was born. With no back up plan and no extra money I did just that and launched two start-ups in less than 9 months. Now, it has developed into taking artists, entrepreneurs and social innovators on creative adventures all over the world. Offering the chance to be inspired, explore, learn and be guided to reach their personal potential.”

What would you say has been your greatest accomplishment in the business world to date?
Through meeting some amazing and inspiring people, both here in the UK and the rest of the world, I ended up being selected for the UKTI Entrepreneurs Festival, The School for Creative Startups and being nominated for a Shorty Award. Meeting Doug Richard and Ken Banks and having them as my mentors has been a great help and achievement also for without them the business may not have got to where it is now.
What has been your biggest challenge in business so far?
Money and finding my target audience – I have to sit down every week and ask myself where they are hiding and literally put myself in their shoes so that I can find them!

What are your future plans for the business?
I’ve got so many great plans for the future – sometimes I get too overexcited about these and forget to focus on the now. Iamsociable is just going to grow and grow it’s creative freelancers and become a business that truly is creatives helping other creatives succeed. Whereas iamadventures, is going to expand to more countries and also help the new generation of creative and innovative social entrepreneurs flourish and help make a difference in the world.

If you had to do it all over again, what would you do differently?
I’ d perhaps take one business at a time, or do it with a partner – 2 businesses is rather stressful for one person!

Why is it so important to inspire young women in particular to follow their dreams?
It is incredibly important to inspire young women to follow their dreams, to encourage, engage, empower support and mentor them, the next generation of female planetary problem solvers. It’s time for the ladies to emerge and inspire the world with their ideas, love and skills.

What advice would you give to somebody who wants to start a business in your industry?
Make sure you know your audience – take the time to understand what it is they need or want and don’t be afraid to take a risk. Visualise what you want to happen, believe it and tell everyone about it.

What or who inspires you in business and why?
Other creatives and individuals around the world inspire me the most. I love learning about new cultures, new businesses, new social challenges that need to be faced. Making a difference in someone’s life is so rewarding. But also, those who are growing their businesses along side mine – it’s such a great opportunity to be able to have a network of like minded and supportive people around you.

What is your favourite inspirational quote?
‘Be the change you want to see in the world’. Mahatma Gandhi

and ‘We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts we make the world.’ Gautama Buddha



Contact Details

Natalia Komis | www.iamsociable.co.uk | www.iamadventures.com

@NataliaKomis | @iamsociable_uk | @iamadventures

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/imsociable https://www.facebook.com/iamadventures

2Inspire Network Business Profile, Remi Akinmoyewa, Founder of Kupcakelicious

RIP Remi Akinmoyewa Sadly, we would like to share the news that one of our sponsors for this years Ladies Day event, Remi Akinmoyewa of Kupcakelicious was not present at the event because she died in a tragic accident on the Thursday prior to the event. Any of you who exhibited at the ladies day in October 2013 may remember her as she was a sponsor and an exhibitor at that event. We feel very saddened by the news, Remi was a lovely sweet young lady with a big heart who always supported the Network and Academy events. She leaves behind her husband and two small children aged 1 and 3. Many of you were kind enough to contribute items towards our Academy music project fundraising raffle, however upon hearing the news the Academy have said they want to donate the proceeds to Remi's family. You can read her inspirational interview here:

In this business profile we meet Remi Akinmoyewa, Founder of Kupcakelicious, a growing cupcake business which is set to take London by storm. Read this interview with Remi and find out about her business journey.


Please tell us what is a typical business day for you? No day is the same. One day I am working on a new recipe and the next I am working on my brand image. Since I have children most of my work is done while they are asleep. I am a mumpreneur.

 What made you start the business and what steps did you take to start operating as a business? I have always wanted to work for myself but never had the boldness to do so. I studied Business and Administration back in France so knew all the basics. However it is not until I had my first son that I started considering the idea of starting my own venture. Like many mumpreneurs I was not fully fulfilled with my job.

 

What would you say has been your greatest accomplishment in the business world to date? Been able to build a brand from scratch and be a sponsor for the 2inspire ladies day. It was a first for me, and it was awesome!

What has been your biggest challenge in business so far? Finding adequate finances. There is so much I would like to do but finances always get in the way. That is one of the reason I had to resume work.

What are your future plans for the business? I would like to distribute my cupcakes and dessert tables to corporate businesses. I would also love to open a boutique in Essex.

If you had to do it all over again, what would you do differently? I would do more research on funding.

What’s the best compliment you could receive in business? "Your cupcakes are exquisite!"

Why is it so important to inspire young women in particular to follow their dreams?

In a world dominated by men, it is crucial for women to follow their dreams and use their God given potential.

What advice would you give to somebody who wants to start a business in your industry? Do what you really love because when times are hard, it is your passion that will keep the fire burning.

What or who inspires you in business and why? Oprah Winfrey. She did not let her past block her future. It took her about twenty years to build her empire but she kept going. I am sure she felt like giving up but she did not and became the successful woman she is today.

 

What is your favourite inspirational quote? “What does not kill you makes you stronger”

Contact Details

Remi Akinmoyewa  - cupcakeliciousltd@gmail.com

Twitter - @Kupcakelicious