My Small Business & Me

#022 - Landscape Architect Marian Boswall shares her small business journey. 
In 2004, she founded Marian Boswall Landscape Architects and their projects range from large trusts and estates open to the public, to park land developments and smaller private gardens.

After studying French and Italian at Oxford University, she became an interiors buyer and then was headhunted to be a management consultant. On becoming a mother and moving to a house in Kent with a large garden, her interest in gardening which began at an early age was reawakened.

Realising she needed to learn how to look after the new garden, she decided to study horticulture, garden history and garden design. And having gained all this knowledge, people kept on asking her to do their gardens. So she decided to do a Masters in Landscape Architecture and set up her business. 

She discusses how her business has developed, plus shares past and current projects which her business have worked on from landscaping for boutique hotels to a community physic garden at the Blackthorn Trust. And she shares how her TedX talk came about. In it she talks about how we treat our gardens is how we treat the earth, and as we are part of the earth's ecosystem, of how we treat ourselves.

Marian shares how important she's found Instagram has been to get feedback and connect with people. A slice of life is how she beautifully describes her Reels, which she really enjoys creating. 

Listening to this episode, you'll hear how passionate Marian is about sustainable principles, and listening to the land and what the land needs. At the end of the podcast, you'll discover her practical tips, which I'm sure you'll find very inspiring. 

Show notes are available on the My Small Business & Me website: https://mysmallbusinessandme.com/episode22

#021 - Florist Ellie Jauncey shares her small business journey. In 2009, with Anna Day, Ellie founded The Flower Appreciation Society in London. 11 years later, having moved to Somerset, she set up her second floristry business, Ede Flowers. 

After originally studying textiles and specialising in knitwear at Manchester Art School, in 2006 she moved to London thinking she would become a knitwear designer.  Whilst working part-time at a pub in Hackney in 2008, she met Anna and they became friends, predominantly due to a shared interest in flowers. Ellie's mum was a florist and another of her part-time jobs in London was working for Rebel Rebel, whilst Anna had studied floristry at Capel Manor College.

They suggested to their landlady that they create flowers for the pub they worked in. And they saved up enough money from this work to buy a camera. Friends were starting to get married and they asked Ellie and Anna to create their wedding flowers. 

To promote their work, they decided to create a website, did a photoshoot and created a brand identity using their photos combined with Anna's illustration and collage skills. As a result of a large amount of cold calling and emails, they got a lot of press coverage. 

Ellie discusses the dynamic of working in a successful partnership for 10 years, during which they wrote the book, An A to Z of All Things Floral. She also shares her transition from London to Dorset where she set up a floristry business on her own called Ede Flowers in 2020. As well as an online shop, she also runs online flower drawing and bridal bouquet courses. 

Listening to this episode, you'll hear how passionate Ellie is about teaching and sharing her love of flowers and floristry. At the end of the podcast, you'll discover her practical tips, which I'm sure you'll find very inspiring. 

Show notes are available on the My Small Business & Me website: https://mysmallbusinessandme.com/episode21

#020 - Florist Grace Salter Haskins shares her small business journey.  From an early age, she knew that she wanted to open a shop. And aged 21, her dream came true when she opened Bramble & Wild in Somerset.  

After originally planning on studying photography when she left school, at the suggestion of her mum, she started a floristry course and very soon fell in love with flowers. This was followed by an apprenticeship at a local college, tied in with work experience in a flower shop. 

She opened her first retail outlet at the top of Catherine Hill in Frome. And then a few years after having taken on staff, she moved further down the hill to larger premises, where she's currently located. Her shop, which she fondly describes as a 'fancy shed', not only sells flowers but also gifts, gardening tools, seeds, floristry scissors, vases and stationery. 

In her current role as Creative Director, Grace oversees the overall running of the shop and all the weddings. She also carries out the general admin. And recently has been spending more time growing flowers. During the interview, she also discusses using Instagram as a marketing tool, together with the impact of the pandemic on her business.  

Listening to this episode, you'll hear how passionate Grace is about being as environmentally conscious as possible, not only from the products she sources to sell in the shop, but also with regards to packaging. At the end of the podcast, you'll discover her practical tips, which I'm sure you'll find very inspiring. 

Show notes are available on the My Small Business & Me website: https://mysmallbusinessandme.com/episode20

#019 - Houseplant Obsessive and Interior Landscaper Ian Drummond shares his career story. Having developed an interest in houseplants at a very young age, he's now worked at London-based Indoor Garden Design for coming up to 30 years. Ian is also the author of the book 'At Home With Plants'.

At the age of 4, he was given some houseplants by his parents for his bedroom. He loved looking after them and his collection began to grow. A few years later, his aunt gave him the run of her garden. And he realised that working with plants was the only thing he wanted to do.

At 13, he worked part-time in a local florist after school and at weekends. An apprenticeship in interior landscaping and floristry then followed before moving to work at a garden centre.
Then he started working at Indoor Garden Design, initially as a gardener. He progressed to becoming a manager, followed by a director and now he co-owns the business. 

Ian talks about the type of services which Indoor Garden Design offer, in particular their event work, which includes working with corporate clients, celebrities, BAFTA and the Flower Council of Holland. 

He discusses the impact of the pandemic on his business, plus how In-Tray Plants, a new on-line retail brand came about. He shares his tips on ideal plants to have in your home office, the health benefits of houseplants and care tips on keeping them alive. You'll also hear about his upcoming collaboration with Malvern Garden Buildings at this year's RHS Chelsea Flower Show in September. 

Listening to this episode, you'll hear how passionate Ian is about plants and houseplants in particular! At the end of the podcast, you'll discover his practical tips, which I'm sure you'll find very inspiring. 

Show notes are available on the My Small Business & Me website: https://mysmallbusinessandme.com/episode19

#018 - Florist Anna Potter shares her small business journey. Always having dreamt of opening a shop, she set up Swallows & Damsons in Sheffield several years ago. Her business has grown, attracting over 193K followers on Instagram. And she's also the author of 'The Flower Fix'.

After studying fine art at university and not knowing what she wanted to do, she tried several different jobs. By chance, a friend got her a job as a florist. And Anna felt it was an instant fit.  She later moved to another florist shop before deciding to set up Swallows & Damsons. Originally, she worked from home doing small weddings for friends. 

Aged 26, she bought an existing flower shop and hit the ground running as they had weddings, funerals and gift bouquets already in the diary. Over the years, her natural floristry style has developed, aided by her making time for artistic experimentation. 

Mastering the art of iPhone photography and capturing her floral designs so beautifully has led to her attracting a huge following on Instagram. Her first book, The Flower Fix, was published in May 2019, which she innovatively marketed to her online audience. Anna shares the impact of the pandemic on her business, including some of the positive changes which have come about. 

Listening to this episode, you'll hear how passionate Anna is about prioritising time for artistic expression. And how she adapts to change in a positive way. At the end of the podcast, you'll discover her practical tips, which I'm sure you'll find very inspiring. 

Show notes and more are available on the My Small Business & Me website: https://mysmallbusinessandme.com/episode18

#017 - Transformational Courage & Confidence Coach Arianna Trapani shares her small business journey, including her two career changes from the world of interior design to lifestyle influencer to coach. She now specialises in helping femalepreneurs to have the courage to take rapid action by managing fear and boosting self-confidence.

Arianna initially started working in London as a design assistant for a residential interior designer. However, she realised that she wanted to be her own boss and decided to leave. She started an interiors blog and began meeting up with people from the blogging community. In 2011, together with two friends she'd met via blogging, she set up the UK's first online interior design magazine, Heart Home. 

Later she rebranded her blog and became a lifestyle influencer for a few years. But it came to a point around 2017 that she began to not enjoy it anymore. Whilst on holiday, she came across a life coach and decided to have some coaching for herself. And she realised that she wanted to become a life coach.

We discuss how to deal with lack of self-confidence, fear of putting yourself out there, the Comparison Trap, perfectionism and Imposter Syndrome.

Listening to this episode, you'll hear how passionate Arianna is about helping female entrepreneurs. And at the end of the podcast, you'll discover her practical tips, which I'm sure you'll find very inspiring. 

Show notes and more are available on the My Small Business & Me website: https://mysmallbusinessandme.com/episode17

#016 - Artist Brigitte Girling from Moss & Stone Floral Design shares her small business journey, plus her career change from teaching to starting her business. Based in Suffolk, she teaches floristry via online courses and in-person classes. She also co-hosts the podcast, The Restless Creatives. 

After studying psychology at university, Brigitte decided to become an educational psychologist, which involved initially working as a teacher. So she did her teacher training. Then after having two children, she worked as a primary school teacher. 

Having always loved gardening, nature and being outside, she later decided to take a floristry course, worked in a local florist and then began working as a freelance florist in London. She never imagined that she was going to start her own business. However after setting up a side hustle, selling pots and urns, Moss & Stone was born. To market her containers, she'd arrange flowers in them, which in turn led to her creating wedding flowers for clients. 

During the pandemic, she began going live on Instagram and doing floristry demos. And she decided to create a set of online floristry courses. Another outcome of the enforced lockdown was the creation of the podcast The Restless Creatives. 

Listening to this episode, you'll hear how passionate Brigitte is about growing and using local flowers, plus her philosophy of always asking herself, 'What's the worst that can happen?' At the end of the podcast, you'll discover her practical tips, which I'm sure you'll find very inspiring. 

Show notes and more are available on the My Small Business & Me website: https://mysmallbusinessandme.com/episode16

#015 - Florist Sarah Statham from Simply by Arrangement shares her small business journey and career change from working as a criminal lawyer to entering the world of flowers. Based in Yorkshire in the North of England, she teaches others how to arrange flowers and also creates designs for weddings. 

For over 20 years, Sarah worked as a criminal lawyer. And every week she would buy flowers which she'd then arrange as a stress-relieving activity on a Saturday, admiring them when she got home late from work during the week. Having developed an interest in flowers, she decided to do some floristry courses. And whilst taking a career break, she started gardening and became hooked. 

In 2013, she took redundancy. And as she'd had training experience in her role as a lawyer, she decided to offer wreath workshops 'up North' for local ladies. Simply by Arrangement was born. And as the business has developed, the workshop side of her offering has grown, attracting florists from far and wide. 

As well as flowers, Sarah has also developed a passion for photography, in particular for seeking out beautiful light for capturing her floral designs, examples of which you can see on her stunning Instagram account. 

Listening to this episode, you'll hear how passionate Sarah is about the floristry industry and helping fellow small business owners. At the end of the podcast, you'll discover her practical tips, which I'm sure you'll find very inspiring. 

Show notes and more are available on the My Small Business & Me website: https://mysmallbusinessandme.com/episode15

#014 - Personal Stylist and Image Consultant, Anita Feron Clark shares her small business journey and her career change from working in the corporate world to setting up Feron Clark Style. Now she helps people look and feel their best every day. 

After graduating, she joined Marks & Spencer as a trainee fashion buyer, where she worked for 12 years, travelling all over the world to meet suppliers and visit factories. However, after having two children, in 2007 she took voluntary redundancy. 

Over a dinner party, a group of friends brainstormed what Anita's next path should be. And they felt she should combine teaching and styling.  So, from 2007-2008, she did a teacher training qualification, taught at the London College of Fashion, set up image consultancy business and her first clients were her friends.

We discuss the importance of choosing the 'right' colour to wear near your face, plus colour psychology and the impact it has not only on you and how your feel, but also on the people you're with. Anita also shares the universal colours which we can all wear. 

Listening to this episode, you'll hear how passionate Anita is about helping her clients look and feel their best every day. At the end of the podcast, you'll discover her practical tips, which I'm sure you'll find very inspiring. 

Show notes and more are available on the My Small Business & Me website: https://mysmallbusinessandme.com/episode14

#013 - Brand Strategist and Creative Director, Fiona Humberstone shares her small business journey and how she came to set up The Brand Stylist. With the aid of her online courses, seminars, consultancy and books, she now helps small businesses create distinctive brands.

Following her graduation from Sheffield University, Fiona worked for Printing.com, a print company franchise. Then she moved to London with her husband and worked her way up to become a Regional Director at the company. 

At 26, after having her first child, she decided to set up her own franchise. Pretty soon, she realised that she didn't like selling print. But she loved talking to entrepreneurs about their businesses. She'd learnt everything she could about branding, marketing and design. And so when it came to running her own business, she decided to focus on branding and design, with print becoming a by-product.  

When she later learnt about Colour Psychology, her company's design work went up a level. She blogged about their work, which led to getting clients from all over the world. And that was when she understood the importance of having a creative, distinctive style.

In 2012, she sold her business and two years later, set up The Brand Stylist. And she now empowers entrepreneurs and designers to create extraordinary brands. 

Listening to this episode, you'll hear how passionate Fiona is about helping entrepreneurs unlock the power of their brands and making more empowered choices about how their businesses come across.  At the end of the podcast, you'll discover her practical tips, which I'm sure you'll find very inspiring. 

Show notes and more are available on the My Small Business & Me website: https://mysmallbusinessandme.com/episode13