Christmas is coming.....

I heard on the radio yesterday that it might be a white Christmas in London this year; I am so excited! I literally cannot remember the last white Christmas I had. Christmas, to me personally, means being with the ones you love and having fun, laughter and joy (not to mention fabulous food and wine...). The presents are not as important, but do look pretty under the tree! What I always love is gifts that have had thought and effor in, and that last. I am certainly not a fan of fast and disposable fashion, but instead opt for classic, sophisticated styles that will see me through many years to come. If you too love pieces like that, then look no further than BoBelle London's 'Noir' range:

Classic Black is always a winner; jazz it up with some beautiful jewellery, wear your hair up and tousled and stick on some gorgeous shoes. It is sophisticated, elegant and a colour that can take you from day to night.

Our Noir range is so elegant and luxurious; eel skin is one of the softest leathers you will find and BoBelle London's classic and on-trend styles will see you through season to season.

Gift boxes and dustbags are now available and we do ship internationally, making a BoBelle London accessory the perfect gift this Christmas. In addition, if you would like to locate your nearest stockist please do not hesitate to contact us.

Wishing you a wonderful Christmas and a fabulous New Year!

BoBelle London x

New ipad case launches!

I always still get excited when a new BoBelle accessory launches, and this one is no exception. Following the fabulous response to the leather iphone case, we have now introduced the matching leather ipad case. The ipad is incredibly popular here in the UK and it will no doubt be a firm favourite on people's 'wish list' this Christmas.

The leather ipad case (called 'Atlas') from BoBelle is a simple design. The ipad can gently be slotted in at the top of the case and then pulled out using the tab. As always, each is hand made and lovingly made using the stunning eel skin leather; incredibly soft, strong and durable. In addition, the Atlas comes in its own gift box, perfect for that special gift.

The ipad case has a matching friend, the Apollo iphone case. For all of those gadget-enthusiasts out there this is the perfect set for someone who is as style-conscious as they are practicality-conscious.

The Atlas leather ipad case and matching Apollo leather iphone case are available now at BoBelle London and in stores from Monday - Elys of Wimbledon and Fenwick Brent Cross.

Putting yourself out there....

Along my travels of growing and nurturing BoBelle, I have met an awful lot of budding entrepreneurs and aspiring fashion retailers. They generally have a common theme to their questions, mainly 'how do I make my business grow faster'. This, I believe, is a star question with not just one answer to it. My answer each time incorporates common sense with putting yourself out there.

What do I mean by 'putting yourself out there'? I mean take advantage of all opportunities and make things happen. However, don't expect it to be all plain sailing. When I first started I did the market stalls in the rain, wind and snow. I handed out leaflets. I posted flyers through peoples doors. I called up newspapers and bloggers, desperate for features for BoBelle. I participated in small shows. It was tough then and it is tough now. However, if you are passionate about your product/service, it is not such a chore. What is there in your field that you can grow or learn from? Do you have a mentor? Have you contacted your local Business Link? Do you attend seminars by like-minded businessmen and women? Are there any competitions you can enter?

A few months ago I read Marie Claire's 'Win Inspire and Mentor Programme'. With these sorts of things I always go by the mantra, 'nothing ventured, nothing gained'. With this in mind, I entered. Prior to that I put myself forward for the DediPower Digital Entrepreneur of the Year Award. Despite BoBelle London not being solely digital, I won the runner-up prize with Craig Martin, the CEO. From that I then was put forward for the Top 35 Women under 35 Award with Management Today, and indeed Red magazine's Top 20 Red Hot Women of 2010. I have met the most amazing people at these various events, and keep in contact with them. That is key. It is not always about 'what can they do for me' attitude, but rather, 'how can I nurture this relationship long term'.

The key to putting yourself out there is realising also to crawl before you can walk. Of course, you may dream of supplying your product globally to every large national and international retailer in the world. Don't lose sight of that dream, but don't ignore all of the small steps along the way. Build up your portfolio of contacts. Exhibit at small and large events and communicate with as many people as possible to tell them about your brand. This is vital - remember, people love to talk!!

It is not always easy growing a business. It can be a lonely time and is generally a 24/7 job. However, montior your growth and have small goals written down of what you want to achieve and when, this always helps and keeps you going when things get tough. Above all though, enjoy what you do and make sure this above all else shows when speaking to people - nothing is stronger than pure passion.

Claire Watt-Smith, Founder of BoBelle London
www.BoBelle.co.uk

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

BoBelle London's trip to Paris

Two weeks ago I had a crazy week what with determining the new logistics company, new deliveries, opening new accounts and getting ready for the trip to Paris, back to London and then off to Madrid. It was lots of fun though!

I absolutely love Paris and adore the heady culture, the spectacular architecture, the delicious cuisine and not to mention the hugely desirable and inspirational fashion. I love it even more when it is sunny, and what a sunny trip we had! It was truly stunning; 25 degrees so perfect for meandering the cobbled historic streets and soaking up the atmosphere. First stop, a good coffee by the Eiffel Tower and then onto some shopping and getting ready for the show we were attending, The Box and Pret a Porter. Pret a Porter is the biggest fashion tradeshow in Paris with huge brands exhibiting and showing off their latest collections. The Box is the designated Accessories section which BoBelle London is planning to exhibit at next season.

Pictured above, the stunning Eiffel Tower always takes my breath away...after a lovely fresh coffee and croissant it was time to get ready to hit the show....










As I mentioned, Pret a Porter and The Box are massive shows and for BoBelle London to exhibit there would be just phenomenal. Growing a brand is certainly not easy and to be at the stage of international growth is fantastic. Indeed, our first international stockist in the Netherlands, Sensuous, have just placed their second order with BoBelle London and we have ben seen in one of their national glossies, Zin magazine. Ooh, and if The Box goes really well in Paris, who knows, it might be New York next...!

BoBelle London will also be showcasing at Pure in February again and we will keep you posted on our developments from Paris! Keep reading though as soon I shall put up the latest news from our trip to Madrid which coincided with Vogue's night out - and what a night it was....

Top designers love eel skin

As you might be aware, eel skin leather is a wonderfully soft, incredibly supple and super strong. The more it is used, the softer it gets. It is such a unique material, despite being used for many years. It is a natural by-product of the food industry in Asia where eels are extensively farmed for their meat and the skin is discarded. We at BoBelle London love using this wonderful leather as it is perfect for accessories. We are not the only brand though; the likes of Alexander McQueen, Rupert Sanderson, Yves Saint Laurent and more have used this opulant by-product:

(This YSL beauty in scarlet is my personal favourite....)

The general public are demanding more longevity from their accessories and wish to incorporate fashion with ethics. That is what we at BoBelle London pride ourselves on. We want to offer our customers luxurious fashion that is a natural by-product and that is lovingly made. We are constantly updating styles and shapes and have some exciting new products in line for Christmas....!

We are now off to Paris for a lovely trade show (photos and blog updated next week); so have a lovely weekend and we hope to welcome you back to BoBelle London soon!

Best wishes,

Claire