Just go for it

Hannah Slowey, director of Elephant Grey, has used the internet to turn her hobby into a successful business.

“I made one of my family prints for my sister, showing all of her children. She said, ‘you should sell these’.  So I went to a market with a few samples and did really well.”

Not on the High Street (NOTH) has become known as the best place to look for quirky or unusual gifts online. “If it wasn’t for them, I probably wouldn’t have this business now,” says Hannah.

“I applied to go on NOTH and as soon as I started selling with them it just snowballed.”

Hannah started out creating the prints in her spare room at home, but she soon had to move to a studio and now employs four full time staff at Elephant Grey’s headquarters on Smyth Road in Bedminster.

Another Bristol success story comes from Flo-Jo Boutique, a fabric and haberdashery shop on the Gloucester Road specialising in unusual prints and unique sewing kits. Owners Delia Adey and Erika Peto had been selling their products wholesale and at markets for years, but they now have their own shop and workshop space.

“NOTH approached us when they first started,” Erika says. “As soon as we put the knicker-making kit on, they just sold! We’d never sold so many.”

Bedminster jewellery maker Charlie French has just started her online business, Goosander & Pintail. She sells ethical, cruelty-free feather earrings, accessories and crafts. 

“I’m at my happiest when making earrings,” Charlie says. “I find it exhilarating to pass my creations on to a good home.

“I would most definitely urge others to set up an online business if they have the passion and determination to see it through. I feel very lucky to have turned my passion into a little business and would encourage anyone to do the same.”

Until now, Goosander & Pintail has been selling through a Facebook page and website, but Charlie is about to set up an Etsy page. Etsy is another popular online selling platform, primarily for handmade items.

Both NOTH and Etsy take a percentage of sales, but small business owners seem to think it’s definitely worth the cut. Both companies pummel money into advertising to bring millions of users to their site each month.

“I don’t worry too much about them taking a cut,” says Charlie. “I pay for Facebook advertising and I think it’s worth the investment if it gets you a decent amount of sales.”

Hannah says: “NOTH have been amazing. They’re starting to be less amazing because they’ve grown into a really big company.

“The tricky thing is making your product stand out. But I just say go for it! Because this has all come out of nothing, really.

“I think if you think you’ve got a good idea, you’ve just got to go with it. And work bloody hard! But it’s worth it.”

www.elephantgrey.com 
www.flo-joboutique.co.uk
www.goosanderandpintail.co.uk