Over the last 5 years we have been very lucky to feature some incredibly talented designer makers between our pages. In honour of our 100th issue some of our favourites have returned to share their advice for successfully running a small business…
Coral started her business Velveteen Babies from her home in 2014 whilst on maternity leave. At the time there was nothing like her designs in the marketplace and word quickly spread through Instagram. Each garland, cloud or mobile you’ll find in Coral’s shop are lovingly made by hand, to her own original design.
First appearing in Bustle & Sew Magazine in September 2015, we asked Coral if she could tell us how her business has changed since then…
“Back then I was using Etsy and only managing to ‘open’ for orders for an hour each week whilst I managed working part time, Motherhood and doing all my making! It seems crazy now. After the birth of Willa in 2016 I took the decision to create my own website and to become fully self employed. I set Velveteen Babies up as a Limited Company and went from there! It’s still very intense but all the things I’ve learnt along the way have been invaluable. I’ve grown my online following through Instagram consistently and am very lucky to see some of my original customers still buy from me as their own families expand.”
We also asked Coral if she could share her advice for anyone wanting to start up their own business. She told us;
“Stay true to your own unique USP and focus on building a recognisable brand as well as creating beautiful products. If you build a gorgeous brand then it’ll allow you to expand and grow more easily -invest in others and yourself where possible and it’s good to build solid relationships with others and create a community around what you do.”
Be sure to visit Coral’s website where you can browse all of her gorgeous creations, you can also find her on Instagram.
Read the full interview with Coral in our 100th issue special. Click HERE to get your copy!
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