2Inspire Business Profile: Emma Reilly, Founder of Brave & The Bold Apparel

In this 2Inspire Business Profile interview we meet the amazing Emma Reilly, Designer and Founder of Brave & The Bold Apparel, who started her own business after being unemployed for 12 years. Her inspirational story shows us all that it is never too late to start anew, no matter how many challenges life throws our way.

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

My day begins about 8.30 when I spend half an hour prioritising what I need to do for the day. I have a day planner on my desk and this helps me keep track of what I need to do. At the moment I’m preparing my new Spring/Summer collection so my day is divided between designing new graphics, keeping up-to-date with our social media and dealing with orders that come in. I have lots of meetings dotted about to so much of this work comes with me on my laptop so I can keep on top of things.

My day usually goes right through into the night, with a couple of hours break to see my parents and have dinner. I do find I work much better at night, I think because there is less distraction from emails and phone calls. I find it quite relaxing just to sit and design into the night.

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

I had been unemployed for 12 years, In fact my only experience of being employed was a very unhappy 5 weeks at a marketing studio. I hadn’t been able to communicate with other people until I was 25 and that was because I taught myself. Most of my teenage and early twenties I suffered terrible from a phobia of people because I just didn’t understand them. It was so bad that I hid under my bed if someone knocked at our door.

With a lot of hard work I managed to get to grips with conversation making. I was eventually diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome a couple of years ago. At the same time my sister’s partner was diagnosed with terminal Cancer. It was the shock I needed to try and create some kind of life for myself. I approached the Prince’s Trust who gave me financial support and a mentor to start up as an illustrator. My business took off in a big way and I was eventually able to start my own fashion line Brave & The Bold Apparel.

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

Last year I won my regional Celebrate Success Award for Enterprise. This is the Prince’s Trust own annual Awards for individuals who have been on their courses. That was an amazing experience. But I was truly shocked to discover that I was then shortlisted for the final three for the National Award.

I travelled to London and it was a VIP red carpet experience. I was presented with an Award by Prince Charles & Kelly Hoppen from Dragon’s Den. It was such a surreal but truly incredibly experience and I got so much press exposure for my business.

What has been your biggest challenge in business so far?

Early on it was getting enough Capital together to buy stock. Banks weren’t willing to help as a I had a 12 year gap on my CV. Plus most of the local grants and Awards in my area were being withdrawn due to the Economic Crisis. That was quite a tough experience and I had to be quite creative with how I marketed my business and how I got new stock in.

What are your future plans for the business?

I’ve got two exciting things lined up for the business. The first is that I’m now in talks with a variety of angel investors about producing some products I’ve designed myself. That’s really exciting for me.

Secondly a large part of Brave & The Bold is about inspiring creativity in young people. We’re running a very exciting project in association with the Prince’s Trust. We’re in the early planning stages, but we already think this could go international due to the fact we are doing something never been done before. We’re aiming to launch in late March and I’m really excited about it.

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

In the very beginning I kind of went about creating my brand on my own. I thought I knew a lot about my sector but really went in quite blind. It was through speaking at a business event I met a retired business woman who had worked in fashion manufacturing her whole life. She offered to become a mentor to me and it really helped both myself and my business. I realised then that it’s so important having someone who has that experience to ask questions of and get feedback. I would have saved a lot of time by avoiding silly mistakes if I’d had someone like her in the beginning. Now I tell everyone who is starting a business to try and find a mentor who has experience of their field. Even just an email every month or so can make such a huge difference.

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

I don’t think there is a lot of emphasis on young women in particular to follow their dreams. We are very focussed as a society on making women the same, whether that be in looks or career. I was put off for a long time about starting an urban fashion label because if you look at most brands in this sector, they are run by men. But in reality it hasn’t been a problem and I’ve actually had a lot of praise from male customers, as well as female. I’m now a big advocate of telling young women to do what you love. I think the more of us who follow our dreams, the more positive changes we can make for future generations of women.

  

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

I have to say just don’t even hesitate. You don’t even have to start big. I know many females who have started businesses alongside their current jobs whilst they get themselves going.

All I can say is that make sure it’s something you love and something you can live with 24/7. Because you might only work physically for even a few hours a day, but it’s always on your mind and you’re always planning. I even dream about my business and often wake up to make notes. I would hate that if it wasn’t something I wasn’t passionate about.

What or who inspires you in business and why?

I get asked this a lot and I have to say that my parents and sister are my biggest inspiration. I put them through some awful times growing up. I’ve ruined holidays and caused them so much worry. But they always stuck by me and spent so many hours doing the things that I couldn’t do for myself. Now every day that I work I do it for them. Not only to do something that makes them proud, but I really hope that one day I can make their lives a little easier and thank them for being such a great family.

What is your favourite inspirational quote?

Here’s to the crazy ones — the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things. They push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do. - Steve Jobs.

Emma Reilly

Brave & The Bold Apparel

www.wearbrave.com

hello@wearbrave.com

Twitter: @wearbrave

Facebook: www.facebook.com/braveandthebold

2Inspire Network Business Profile: Sian Bostwick Jewellery

In this 2Inspire Network Profile we meet Sian Bostwick of SianBostwick Jewellery who has overcome her own personal challenges to build a successful growing business in Jewellery.

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

There no such typical day as sometimes I have to pop into London for meetings, jewellery events, or just pop into Hatton garden, sometimes I am at a show or exhibition for days which means attending the show all day for many days but I meet lots of lovely jewellery stars.

But a workshop day means I get into the workshop at abut 10am having planned out my to do list on the way. When I get into the workshop  I check my online stockists and sort out and beautifully wrap any jewellery orders that need to be posted out that day, accompanied with there own “vintage” style library card which shows the literary inspiration for the jewellery. Then deal with urgent emails and journalist requests plus any other more urgent paperwork. If I have a show or event coming up then I get on and sort out everything for the show.

Then its to the workbench, sometimes I work on a bespoke jewel  am creating for someone like a engagement ring, a trade order for a shop, stock or an online sale. I usually do a few tweets and social media stuff form the workbench, sharing what I am working on or a press feature.

I spend the rest of the day creating jewellery in the workshop, setting sparkling gems, polishing up the jewels so they shine and generally playing with all my tools.

I stop for lunch in the courtyard of the art centre in which our workshop is based, its usually already busy with the other artists so its a lovely social little lunch, very creative and buzzing. After that I'll pop any jewellery orders that need to be sent out to the post office then its back to the workshop.

Usually I head home from the workshop about 7ish, later when at home about 9 or 10ish I start again and finish off any other work that needs to be done, emails, bespoke designs, paper work and admin finishing up by about midnight.

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

After I graduated I began I few internships and work experience placements, this was really useful and some great experience but it didn’t pay. so I began making a few smaller pieces of jewellery selling them locally and taking on a few bespoke commissions whilst gaining all the work experience.

Then it just grew and took over,  I was getting busier and busier with my own

jewellery so I officially started business and created a website and my first collection after a year of various work experience placements I stopped them and launched Sian Bostwick Jewellery at the  one of the jewellery industry's biggest trade shows  "International Jewellery London".

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

It was wonderful to be listed in the HOT 100 in 2012 as one of only 17 NEXGEMS (up & coming jewellery designers) it was a huge boost both for the business and myself, so fantastic to be selected and placed among so many talented jewellery stars it really assured me that I was on the right path.

I was also selected for the kickstart stand at IJL (International Jewellery London) and a finalist for Young Accessory Designer of the Year both in 2010 just a few months into the business, it was a huge surprise and honer to be picked out by industry leaders for this so early on.

We have also gained a few other awards and lots of press coverage both national and international which has been fantastic.

What has been your biggest challenge in business so far?

Finding a space was a big challenge at the start. I had to work from home for the 1^st year as there where no affordable and suitable spaces for me have a workshop and base the business. Since I moved into the Nucleus Arts Centre and set up my workshop there I have been able really develop and grow phenomenally. having that dedicated workspace where I can also have press and clients visit me, hold open studios and shopping evenings and over all be much more professional has been a big factor in our growth as a business.

On a personal level I have been overcoming anxiety issues whilst trying to grow my business, which In the past left been unable to talk to people, panic attacks and more. Though mediation, breathing exercises and slowly building up my confidence I can now attend events and meetings without being a complete wreck, and though I still have a way to go things are getting a LOT better.

What are your future plans for the business?

Grow further and further. I'd like more stockists possibly international, celebrity fans would be a big boost and lots more press features and awards plus taking part in lots more shows and events.

Eventually I want to move to a larger workshop with either a shop front or a dedicated “showroom” area for displaying all our jewels and meetings.

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

I would have had a e-commerce website from the start as since we have launched the e-commerce site the response has been amazing, and I would have had my branding more refined and defined at the start, plus invested in professional photography at the very start. I didn’t realise at the beginning how extremely important this is.

I do wish I had been able to deal with my anxiety better earlier on as I am aware it has made me miss out on certain opportunities or unable to make the most of some others. but this is slow progress and not something that can be changed quickly.

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

To fulfil their potential and surprise themselves, as a younger person I would have never thought I would be running my own business, designing and making jewellery and winning awards for it.

Its so important to push yourself and your work all the time, I it would be wonderful to inspire others to do the same and to really fulfil their potential.

 

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

Branding is really important, having you personal story tied in with the look of your website, packaging and everything else so its one consistent story that the consumer and get to know the personal side of there jewellery, why and how it was created and that connection.

Also social media especially twitter has been hugely useful for connecting not just with jewellery fans but with stylists, journalists and more.

What or who inspires you in business and why?

I love making and creating jewellery, especially bespoke jewels. Its a inspiration in itself, I just couldn’t stop, I love making and designing these beautiful jewels which will be treasured forever, have meaning and value beyond there financial worth and that will hopefully be passed down the generations. Its a very precious and special thing.

What is your favourite inspirational quote?

The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be. –Ralph Waldo Emerson

Contact Details:

Sian Bostwick Jewellery

www.sianbostwick.co.uk

twitter: @SianBostwick

email: sian_bostwick@live.co.uk

2Inspire Network Business Profile: Knots and Folds

In this 2Inspire Network profile we meet Geraldine Peclard, founder of Knots and Folds, a unique unisex fashion accessories label specialising in high-quality prints and social stories.

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

I cycle to my shared studio in North London ( we are seven textile artists/designer sharing a big studio!). I start the day by answering/writing emails and if I have something interesting to say I post it on social media. Depending on the time of the year, I design prints, develop products, deal with orders, network or do a lot of research. My day can change in a fraction of second so I need to be flexible. I have an evening part time job that gives me the break I need from the business and in the evening I come home with a fresh mind and write my ‘to do list’ for the next day.

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

I graduated in printed textiles design in July 2012 and started to freelance for a London based fashion designer. I quickly realised how un – socially sustainable the fashion world is, I hate the way business is made and the excuses used to justify it, so I decided to create my own label, one that would have social sustainability at heart. Each collection tells a social story and encourages conversation about difficult, taboo or simply ignored subjects.  And I put a lot of effort in building quality relationship with my suppliers, customers and buyers. I know it will take some time to be recognised but I am also sure I am in this for the right reason, encourage change.

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

I have a few ‘victory moments’ but I could not say which one is the greatest. I am proud to be where I am today and to be constantly learning about business, people, and life.

What has been your biggest challenge in business so far?

My biggest challenge has been to look at my business with an objective eye, sometimes and especially when you are from an art background, you can take criticism personally and fear comments on your work. Letting go of this fear and exposing myself to judgement made me grow so much as a person and as a business.

What are your future plans for the business?

For now I would like to focus  a 100% in building a viable business, once we start making a significant profit I would like to register for social enterprise and be involved in more projects with a social battle using my creative skills.

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

My answer is going to be quite generic, but I wouldn’t change a thing. I have had difficulties and also great ‘victory moments’ I would not be where I am today without both.  I often say that in an perfect world I would love to have known everything I have learned doing mistakes without having done them, but that’s not how it works…

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

When given the right and space to develop ideas and express themselves women build strong and interesting businesses, we are emotionally more receptive to our surroundings and have the bigger picture in mind. More women need to be inspired to follow their dreams because we have the real potential to change things on a bigger scale.

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

To start a business in fashion I have a few advices that are drawn from my personal experience. I would say: treat people well, try to make a difference in the way you approach your art -  say something meaningful, create a business with a soul, stay passionate but make sure you don’t lose yourself in the industry, make time for yourself and for the people that supports you and love you.

What or who inspires you in business and why?

What inspires me the most is when I can give back and inspire other people to start developing their own potential.

What is your favourite inspirational quote?

‘Success is going from failure to failure without a loss of enthusiasm.’ Winston Churchill

Full Contact details:

Knots and Folds / http://knotsandfolds.com/ / @knotsandfolds / www.facebook.com/KnotsAndFolds2 /

2Inspire Business Profile: Elizabetta Camilleri, CoFounder & CEO of SalesGossip

In this 2Inspire Business Profile we meet Elizabetta Camilleri,  CoFounder & CEO of SalesGossip. SalesGossip is revolutionising the way people shop. A daily style destination for more than 250,000 UK shoppers, SalesGossip features news and promotions for over 900 fashion & beauty retailers. 2013 was an amazing year for the team. In less than 24 months, SalesGossip was named one of the best websites for savvy shoppers by The Times, won the RBS EnterprisingU Competition and was awarded the SMARTA100 Female Entrepreneur of the Year. Additionally, the company secured financial backing from several of the most successful entrepreneurs in the UK. Read more about Elizabetta's journey to success and how she stays motivated and focused. 

Elixabetta Camilleri

Please tell us what is a typical business day for you?   
The cliché answer to this question is that no one day is the same but a typical day last week started at around 7:30 by establishing the most important priorities for the day and preparing for any meetings. The next few hours were spent analysing marketing KPIs and producing an action plan for the upcoming months with the team. A mid morning investors meeting focused on the outcome of the latest funding close and finalising the business plan for the next year. The rest of the day was dedicated to business development: working through a number of product improvements to add more value to each of our retailers we work with, invoicing, and working on a new CRM database we are developing for better account management. Lastly, I do everything from following up on unpaid invoices and developing our database to answering customer support enquiries and replying to emails. 

What made you start the business and how did you get started?  
The idea initially came to mind when I was shopping and found that two of my favourite shops had been on sale for a week. By the time I got to the store all the good pieces were gone. Then, I began looking for a website that featured news and promotions of various brands, be it a 30% off sale or an introduction of a new collection. I couldn’t find one site with all of this information, so we went off and created one. 

What would you say has been your greatest accomplishment in the business world to date? Building SalesGossip from scratch to a service that is now a daily destination for over a quarter of a million savvy shoppers, and working with 900 global fashion & beauty retailers. 

What has been your biggest challenge in business so far? To ensure we don’t rest on our laurels and continue to grow the business at an exponential rate. 

What are your future plans for the business? To make SalesGossip the Spotify of fashion. We want every shopper to look to SalesGossip before they go shopping, whether they are searching for something specific or browsing for inspiration. SalesGossip will soon become the best digital channel for fashion retailers to target their ideal customer and communicate on their brand and various promotions. 

SalesGossip team winn Smarta Award

If you had to do it all over again, what would you do differently? I would focus on working with the big retailers earlier than I did. 

Why is it so important to inspire young women in particular to follow their dreams? Life is short. You might as well live it to the fullest and do something that you are truly passionate about. 

What advice would you give to somebody who wants to start a business in your industry? It is 10 times more difficult than you think, but 100 times more rewarding. So go for it! 

Who or what inspires you in business and why? Any individual who works hard to create something they believe in and keep persevering. I learn a lot from everyone whether it is amazing business individuals such as Steve Jobs or Anita Roddick, Politicians that really drive change for the good such as Nelso Mandela and each and every athlete out there. 

What is your favourite inspirational quote? My favourite is from Thomas Edison: Vision without execution is hallucination.
 

Elizabetta

Contact Details:

Twitter @SalesGossip/@ZabettaC 
Facebook SalesGossip 
Website salesgossip.co.uk

2Inspire Profile Interview: Rachel Holland

In this profile interview we meet the amazing Rachel Holland, a highly successful fashion stylist, consultant and art director who has worked with designers and publications from across the world. 

Rachel Holland

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

It depends on what sort of project that I've got on, but if it's a non-photoshoot day then I usually start the day with plenty of tea and checking through my emails, then replying to any of the urgent ones. I then go through my calender and look through my days to-do list, what's scheduled in and if I have meetings, appointments or events that I need to go to.

On a photoshoot day, the day usually involves me being picked up early in the morning with all of my rails, samples and styling kit and am taken to the set, where I meet the team and setup with my assistant.

So, if it's a non photoshoot day then I work through my list of requirements such as, having informal meetings via phone or skype with my creative team, designing moodboards for styling and art direction visuals, sourcing specific clothing items or pouring through various lookbooks or coming up with ideas for future work. Then there's the admin side of things, the finances and invoicing, the usual sort of business work that everyone has to do! Then I may go to a few press agencies to pull some pieces for an upcoming shoot, it really depends on what projects I have on and what's been asked of me in the brief. I always try to make sure that at the very least I go for a walk or try to get to the gym on days like these and I also keep up to date with what's happening in the world of art, news, politics, science and fashion.

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

It really started by accident, though I've worked for myself in some capacity since I graduated from university. My business started when I was made redundant from a job that I really loved, so I decided to venture out on my own, as I really enjoy to be creatively free with my own work. I started off not really knowing what I was doing and then as time went on my role as a 'prop designer', 'set stylist', 'designer', 'consultant' and 'writer' and all of the other things that I was doing narrowed down to 'stylist' as this was what was the most in demand skill from me and also what I was being hired to do. Gradually the other work faded away, though it still comes in handy now as I still draw on the these other skills when needed.

Once I got into the swing of things as a regular stylist, I set myself up as a business and  I've worked onwards from there. I like the idea of going back into my previous skills now that I'm more established to really evolve my work deeper as a creative and also to develop some new projects.

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

It's hard to pinpoint what is my greatest accomplishment when I view all of my achievements as good in their own way. I feel that my greatest moment has been producing work that I'm really proud of personally, rather than following the crowd of what's on trend or popular right now. Everytime that I achieve something that I know is completely original, then I feel fulfilled. For me that's more important than anything else.

What has been your biggest challenge in business so far?

This has been without a doubt getting myself established and being taken seriously as a creative within the industry. Fashion is a notoriously difficult industry to get involved in and the boundaries and rules of normal business change within it. Lots of people give up because it's so hard to infiltrate, but I've weathered the storm and been very determined and ultimately I've tried to work progressively towards my goals, making my work speak for itself rather than trying to gain instant recognition from my peers.

What are your future plans for the business?

At the moment I'm looking at that intensely...asking myself what is the next step and where do I want to be in a few years time. I still haven't 100% answered that for myself so I couldn't commit to an answer right now. All I know is that it will be developing my work further in the areas that interest me and being less of a people pleaser. Plus I'm toying with the idea writing a book amongst other things!

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

I would go and get more industry experience before officially starting my work by shadowing other people in the industry and gaining confidence that way. I entered the industry blind with only my creative skills in place. I had no idea how things worked and I underestimated the difficulty of establishing myself, I had to figure it all out on the job, as I went along. It was intense!

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

Because women have a history of being pushed back or for being scared to ask for more, at least in my experience it happened many times to me when I was in employment. That's behind a lot of the reasons that I started wanting to work for myself, because even though you can work with lovely, modern people, ideas of sexism are still rife. In my employment history I would often land very good jobs with lots of responsibilty, managing teams of people in a mostly male enviroment and yet I'd still be expected to do the washing up, empty the recycling bins and make everyone tea as part of my job. That sort of treatment led me away from wanting to work for another business as it continued to happen over and over again even when I was promoted! That and being spoken over in meetings or not getting sufficient credit for my work, it became tiring.

I believe that the future lies in women being able to start profitable businesses from the kitchen table, with almost nothing and leading the way for a new generation of girls to create their own pathway and dream job rather than looking for approval elsewhere. Businesses created on our own terms that have a positive impact on each other and society, I wish that I had started working full-time for myself much sooner!

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

Realise that you're not going to get where you want to be overnight and you will have to work harder than you've ever worked for the first few years to become established. Get some experience shadowing someone who's career you aspire to and learn everything that you possibly can from them. Also, build up your own visual language, define what makes you excited creatively and start working towards creating your own visual identity. Then take baby steps towards your goals, allowing room to make mistakes and experiment. Also realise that the fashion industry is a very small world, so be mindful of your actions, don't step on another person to get where you want to be quickly, take your time and created a trusted name for yourself. In the long run you'll be glad that you did this. Also, trust yourself, your gut instinct will tell you the right path for you.

What or who inspires you in business and why?

The people who inspire me in business are the people doing things differently, on their own terms, with kindness, integrity and who are making the world better in their own unique way. A few people or companies that are inspiring me personally at the moment are Danielle La Porte, The World Land Trust, Greenpeace, Satya, Kirsty Mitchell, Cereal Magazine, Marianne Williamson, and fashion-wise All Walks Beyond the Catwalk.

Check them out, you won't regret it!

What is your favourite inspirational quote?

Be the change that you want to see in the world.

Rachel Holland

www.rachelholland.co.uk

hello@rachelholland.co.uk