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: Michelle Henry, MD of HNS Signs

In this profile interview we meet the founder of HNS Signs, Michelle Henry, who used inspiration from her strong family ties to build a successful business in what has traditionally been seen as a male-driven industry. We were certainly inspired by her story and we're sure you will be too! 

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

I’m a big believer in ‘early bird catches the worm’ and I typically get in the office at 7am to catch up on my emails and other admin before the phones start ringing.

After a cup of coffee and light breakfast, I start planning sign installations for the next business week (this involves grouping all installation jobs into geographical locations and estimating time frames and distance between each.)

I then liaise with the team on the status of each project and organise dispatch dates, stock ordering and work force planning to ensure we meet targets.

From 10am onwards, I’m usually customer facing visiting clients and conducting site surveys. It’s not all coffee and biscuits, I’m usually making a note of dimensions, possible installation issues, DDA requirements etc. and then it’s lunch time.

Lunch is usually a networking opportunity to drive new business or at Property/Construction lunches but I always aim to be back in the office by 4pm to work on reporting my findings or work on quotes.

More coffee is needed as I scour through my emails and return calls and catch up with team before the leave.  I also get a little artistic time in before I leave as it’s a great time to get creative and put together artwork.

But as a hands on Managing Director, I always check with the team on the manufacturing side of the business and help them by rolling up my sleeves and fabricating signs myself. Who said it was a ‘man’s world?’

My world doesn’t end at 6pm though, at least once a week I will attend a business networking event usually National Association of Women in Construction, Women Working in Construction, Women in Business, or In the City Talks etc.). So home time is usually about 9pm.

What made you start the business and how did you get started?  It’s a mixture of fate and heritage! My grandfather was a signwriter and I’d make bedroom door signs as a child but still went to university to study Law. However after a brief spell of travelling and working for a sign company (which went into administration in 2010) and speaking to The Birmingham Children’s Hospital (one of their customers) convinced me to set up on my own.

I spent about £10,000 buying up the assets from my former employer (a fantastic bargain) and then did a Prince's Trust course to get a further £4,000 for cash flow. The Prince's Trust fast tracked my application and in August 2010, HNS Signs was up and running.

What would you say has been your greatest accomplishment in the business world to date? Tough question...I guess starting up in a recession and succeeding to grow the business in a typically man’s world. When I started, it was just me. I used to do all the site surveys and fit signs in the day, make the signs in the evening and type up the quotes and produce the artwork from home at night. I was working an average of 70 hours a week. Three years later and I have a team of 6 (includes 3 apprentices) and we expect to be hiring more staff in the New Year. I cannot begin to explain how good it feels to be able to offer people work in the current climate.

What has been your biggest challenge in business so far?

Competing against the big boys! We are only a small company yet we manage to punch above our weight. We have secured contracts with much of the NHS throughout the Midlands, we work with large construction companies and local authorities. We are able to offer services that our competitors cannot (for example traditional signwriting) and so many sign companies have become our clients.

What are your future plans for the business?  To conquer the sign world. I love my job and the challenges that it poses and I will not be satisfied until we are the largest sign company out there. I would love to work with more interior design companies. With a high proportion of sign companies concentrating solely on digital print, I am confident that we can offer interior designers something truly unique.

I plan to take on a few more apprentices and employ those who believe they don’t have a future or haven’t excelled in school. For me sharing my success and giving people hope and a better future is what really makes me happy.

We are currently working with Wolverhampton Homes and the Timkins Centre. The Timkins Centre works with young adults who have no qualifications and works to provide them with the necessary skills to find employment. Currently, I’m offering training in sign writing so they have both a learned skill but also work with their social landlord Wolverhampton Homes and deliver the signage for their homes. I’m also looking to employ 1 or 2 of them in the New Year so fingers crossed they work hard and are eager to work!

In 2014, I’m also hoping to make the sector more female-friendly and be a career options for more girls who have a talent for signwriting and would like to do a little more traditional work. At the moment the signage industry is male dominated and customers believe only men are good at installing signs, but I’m working hard to change that viewpoint with my trusty toolbox and drill.  I love turning up to a building, hard hat on, high visibility vest on and getting my power tools out.  I have a female apprentice too who lives digging holes and installing signs! 

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

Honestly – I wouldn't change a thing. As the saying goes “If it isn't broke don't fix it” and so far things are working well. Setting up HNS Signs happened so quickly, I didn't have time to think. Had I sat down and thought about it I probably would have talked myself out of it.

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

Although attitudes are changing, women still get a hard deal. The business world fails to believe that women have ambitions outside of the family home. This really annoys me. Women have so many vital skills to offer – skills which differ to and complement those of our male colleagues. Combined it can offer a well-balanced business environment. Which is why it is so important for women to follow their dreams. How else are we going to show the world what we are made of and what we can achieve if we let our dreams get trampled.

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

Know your industry and know it well. I come from a line of sign writers. Both my great grandfather and my grandfather were signwriters. I made my first sign when I was 4 years old and have worked in the industry in both the UK and Australia. When I established HNS Signs, I knew very little about running a business, but I did know my trade. This really helped. It gave me a competitive edge as I was able to offer a variety of different solutions, and it instilled confidence in my customers. By understanding the trade I was able to learn how to run my business. Too many people start a business on something they know very little about.

I would also advise you to look for funding. Cash is King and you need a decent cash flow if you have any chance of surviving. There are many grants available and funding out there for start-up businesses, so don’t be shy, ask for help.  If you don’t ask, you don’t get.

Finally – if you say that you are going to do something, do it and do it at the time that you say you will. You are only as good as your word and if you let customers down they will go elsewhere.

What or who inspires you in business and why? 

My nan. She gave up teaching in the late 60's to run my granddad’s company for him. He was a fantastic signwriter but not so good at the admin and book keeping, clearly a woman was needed even then to manage a business! She had absolutely no idea about how to run a business – in her day that was something that women generally didn't do. With her natural organisation and numeracy skills, she mastered it. I once asked her how and she replied “by making mistakes and learning from them.”

I have many fond memories of her working and creating little jobs for me so that I could feel useful. She always seemed in control of everything and her staff loved her. The customers absolutely adored her and became her friends. She taught me the importance of building good relationships with your customers.

Both grandparents retired in 2000 and moved to Wales where they ran a Good Turn Scheme which helped the elderly and infirm. They never could relax!

When I phoned my nan to tell her that I was considering setting up on my own, she was fantastic. She gave me all of the motivation and encouragement that I needed. Whenever I had a particularly tough day (and there were many) I would phone her and within minutes I was reassured and feeling 100% better. She guided me through all sorts of problems and strategies. She has since passed on, but whenever I feel overwhelmed I just ask myself what she would have done.

What is your favourite inspirational quote? “Be the change that you want to see in the world” Mahatma Ghandi

Contact Michelle

michelle@hnssigns.co.uk

hnssigns.co.uk

Follow us on twitter @hnssigns