Today Nicole is joined by serial entrepreneur Hayley Southwood, founder of Southwood Social, Southwood Living, a lifestyle & interiors ecommerce business and Hayley has just recently created a beautiful events space that can be hired in the Norfolk area. 

 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Hayley opened her very first Ice Cream business in 2002 but when her mum was diagnosed with incurable lung cancer her world turned upside down. A year after she sadly passed away in a moment of madness, Hayley bought an old ice cream van off eBay and started the business in 2009. Doing up the van became a form of therapy for Hayley. 
• Hayley won Country Homes New Business of the year in 2010 after scribbling on an application form and the prize entailed £6000 worth of PR and marketing and 6 sessions with a business coach called Jessica Rogers.
• That little van changed her life forever. Hayley was featured in over 100 publications and had the best time attending parties and weddings all over the UK. The van was used for films, massive brand campaigns in the summer and in the winter, Hayley started helping other brands with their social media strategies.
• Southwood Stores was born on Hayley’s kitchen table in 2013 and then progressed to a lodge in the garden. Whilst this was very fulfilling, she often felt huge waves of loneliness and felt overwhelmed and often out of her depth. Hayley didn't have anyone to vocalise her concerns and challenges to. She had created an amazing job but didn't have anyone shey could connect with who could identify her journey.

 

BEST MOMENTS

‘It all looks like stepping stones now I look back on it’ 

‘Schools don’t do enough to harness that entrepreneurial spirit’ 

‘It felt like a reflection of who I was, not just a business’ 

 

EPISODE RESOURCES

www.southwoodliving.co.uk

www.southwoodsocialhub.co.uk

www.instagram.com/southwoodsocialhub

 

VALUABLE RESOURCES 

www.thebuyerandretailcoach.com

www.instagram.com/thebuyerandretailcoach 

www.tiktok.com/@thebuyerandretailcoach

 

ABOUT THE HOST

Buying & retail expert Nicole Higgins spent the last 18 years working for companies such as Primark, M&S, Debenhams and Asda, sourcing & developing products from all over the world, building strategies for blue chip businesses, and increasing bottom line sales and profit, adding over £40 million in incremental business to the bottom line. 

Nicole now uses that experience and works as a consultant and coach for entrepreneurs and small to medium sized business owners, helping them start and scale their product businesses as The Buyer And Retail Coach (TM) 

Join the Start Scale Succeed waitlist. How to start & scale a product business. A 12 Week programme:  thebuyerandretailcoach.com/startscalesucceedwaitlist

 

CONTACT METHOD 

Website http://www.thebuyerandretailcoach.com

IG https://www.instagram.com/thebuyerandretailcoach/

TikTok www.tiktok.com/@thebuyerandretailcoach

LinkedIn linkedin.com/in/nicolehigginsuk 

Email [email protected] 

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Book a call with me https://thebuyerandretailcoachltd.as.me/discoverycall