Talk us through your typical working day.
One thing about running your own business is the variety of each day! A typical day starts early with a visit to the gym. After that I check for any orders and then start planning what I need to do. I will then catch up with the marketing team and also make sure that things are OK in the production department. Then I go through my to do list and tick as many off as I can. At least once a week I also make sure that I attend to admin, such as invoicing and paying bills. Keeping on top of this side of things hopefully means that I won’t get any nasty surprises. Then it’s all about sales activity and marketing and trying to come up with new ideas to get the brand more recognition. I remind myself constantly that I am not going to sell any handbags by sitting in my office!
Can you tell me about any exciting projects in the pipeline?
I have been working on expanding my range with at least three new handbags on the drawing board. I have also been working on a number of collaborations with like-minded brands. I think customers love to see our products alongside other complementary brands. Finally, I am working on various projects to get my handbags into outlets where people can touch and feel them – this is the one downside of the internet!
What are your career highs and lows?
I think a definite high was joining the board when our IT company went public in 2000. A low was when the dotcom bubble burst and we had to make 200 people redundant as our share price tanked along with all other tech stocks. The most recent high has been gaining the confidence to give up my IT job and go it alone in the completely unknown world of my accessories brand.