Growing a business....

One of my guilty pleasures on a Sunday is to relax on the sofa, hot cup of tea in hand reading The Sunday Times. This Sunday we did exactly that. The 'Small Business' article in the Business section always interests me and this week was no exception. The title was 'People like us can put Britain back on its feet'. I am a positive person, well, I wouldn't be where I am today if I wasn't, and so this article really intrigued me. I do agree with what the government are doing at the moment; Britain is sat on a mountain of debt so gigantically massive that some drastic action is desperately needed. How can we get out of this recession? Inspire new entrepreneurs to set up their own empires? Feed people's imaginations to come the next Richard Branson, John Sainsbury, Philip Green or Mark Zuckerburg? I'd say that was a pretty good idea. The problem is how to inspire these people and where to do it. We have so many different organisations offering pretty much the same services, help and advice; business zone, business link and masses more. If you type in 'business advice' into Google you will find pages upon pages of 'advice'. It is quite literally, mind boggling. Talk about putting people off. Perseverance is needed and, back again, to that common sense.



I am a huge fan of common sense; there's nothing quite like common sense mixed in with gut-feelings. I think if you put a group of fellow entrepreneurs in the same room, those 2 traits would be hugely valuable assets to their success. Is it just solely those 2 elements though? No. Firstly, it depends on what 'success' is defined as. I have had a crazy past few months since giving up my part time job as a tutor for Business Studies and writing down a list of what I have achieved since going full time is actually very impressive. That, for me to admit, is something (being self-critical and always aspiring to more is embedded in me). The thing that people need to do is research people they admire and try to establish how they have 'succeeded'. Look at Richard Branson; how many failings has he had? Masses. Your best teacher is your last mistake, and he has certainly learned from his. I too have made mistakes along the way. You live and learn from them. One of my pieces of advice that I give to other entrepreneurs, whether they are established or wanting to be established, is to network. Keep your eyes and ears open at all times. Take advantage of every single opportunity there is. Believe in yourself and your product/service. Work your way up; don't even try to run before you can walk.



I have been speaking to a lot of fellow entrepreneurs recently, especially young female entrepreneurs, and they always ask 'how have I done it'? I go back to the common sense part, passion and determination. It has hardly been a walk in the park, and when I look back, I do actually wonder how I have got this far in such a short space of time, but always aspire for more. Work hard and we can only hope that the results pay off. Try your hardest and hope to succeed. The mantra 'all good things come to those who wait' works for me when my impatient side of my brain kicks in.



Right, off to do some more work now on BoBelle and see what the day brings....I will be speaking at London College of Fashion soon, as well as Royal Holloway University of London. If you would like more information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Claire

http://www.bobelle.co.uk/

Inspire and Mentor with Marie Claire and M&S

This past few weeks have been super crazy, so apologies for the late update; I shall get back to normal this week!

The mentoring with Kate Bostock has really taken off and is charging at super speed which is amazing, I couldn't have asked for anything more. We had a lovely feature on Marie Claire's website, see HERE for details. The inspire and mentor is just that, inspiring me and mentoring me to achieve my aims for BoBelle. Growing a business is such hard work, and sometimes when opportunities arise like this one has for me, you grab hold of it with all of your might and do not let go. It hasn't been easy though, you have to constantly put yourself out there and work, work, work.

I entered for the competition months and months ago now. I didn't hear anything and supposed I was unfortunate and not won. Little did I know that they just had a mountain of entries and so had to sieve through them all with a fine tooth comb! Marie Claire actually called me in July and asked if I could go for an interview as I was in the final two for winning Kate Bostock as a mentor. The interview was on my boyfriend's birthday at the Blue Finn Building in Southwark. Although nerves clearly kicked in, I was in awe of Kate Bostock and Kasie Davies; they have both achieved so much and are so talented, I was fascinated. They loved the BoBelle London brand, loved how I had grown the business and loved the potential the brand has for the future. I had won!! I couldn't believe it and was over the moon!

My first meeting with Kate took place at the HQ of M&S in Paddington. Kate wanted to crack on with achieving my objectives and we devised an action plan straight away. More will be revealed in the next month, but in the meantime, it is HUGE!

I have been desperately trying to get ready for Christmas now....our new Apollo iphone case has just launched, and we have the matching ipad case coming soon. Rich Mocha, stunning Ravishing Red, classic Black and a splashing of Turquoise and Purple hit BoBelle this season. Register your interest now by contacting the Sales Team - we shall send you out a newsletter on where to get yours from, or to order online. Elys of Wimbledon, Fenwick Brent Cross and Fenwick Newcastle are all going to be stockists of this limied edition accessory - ideal for Christmas gifts!

Sneek a peak here....

We have a busy week now as we have taken part in the Yummy Mummy event with Fenwick Brent Cross and have a meeting about another marketing collaboration with a certain superstar....

Have a good rest of the day and do contact us if you have any questions or comments!

Best wishes

Claire