Hello and welcome to the first of a series of blogs this Christmas designed to help you save time when Christmas Shopping, and champion and support some of my favourite local, small businesses.
It is true what they say when you buy from a small business someone does a happy dance. Everyone I recommend here is someone who pours their heart and soul into their business and has curated a wonderful selection of gifts and goodies for you to peruse. So with no further ado, and in no particular order here we go!
Ooh How Lovely
If you haven’t discovered Ooh How Lovely in Hawkhurst yet you are in for a treat. For Christmas 2021, Ooh How Lovely has a variety of gift ideas for all family and friends. This includes pretty jewellery and warm scarves & socks constructions kits of tractors, airplanes and cars, festive decorations, preserves, toffee, and fudge plus lots of other locally made gifts and a vast selection of cards and gift wrap.
Ooh How Lovely are open 10 am-5 pm Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, with a late-night shopping event in Hawkhurst Village on Thursday 2nd December, 5 pm – 8 pm. Pop in or call the shop on 015808 483030 or 07400 522081. Lisa and the team look forward to seeing you and welcoming you to their colourful shop.
Another Hawkhurst favourite, Emily of Box Paper Scissors has all your gift wrapping and stationery needs covered. Sustainably made and beautifully wrapped, Box Paper Scissors has the simple aim of making gifts almost too beautiful to open.
Three Bees is a new, environmentally conscious online gift brand based in Tunbridge Wells.
Their range of gifts, cards, and wrap are all ethical, sustainable, and planet friendly. And also very gorgeous!
Everything has been handpicked from like-minded small businesses who are genuinely trying to protect our amazing planet and not cut corners for the sake of profit.
All your purchases will be beautifully gift wrapped in recycled and compostable packing, making them the perfect gift for yourself or a loved one.
As a Teacher and Usborne Partner based in Maidstone, Lauren can help find the perfect books for the young people in your lives; from newborn babies to young adults. Usborne books are high quality, beautiful books and are a gift that just keep on giving!
Rugsy Lugsy can be found at the Pantiles Market in Tunbridge Wells most weekends between now and Christmas. Charlotte and Neil make everything themselves from reclaimed or sustainably sourced wood. The Christmas range includes Steve McFreeze and Penelope Penguin (pictured) and wooden bunting for the home. Personalised wooden hanging decorations are available, and Neil makes customisable decorative houses which are available to order.
Gabrielle is a brilliant Kent-based illustrator and modern calligrapher, who sells a wide range of her own cards, prints, and gifts inspired by nature. All print and production is done in Kent, and everything is FSC certified.
Mothering Sunday is on 14 March – but what to buy? How can you treat your mum, mum friends or yourself? Because we have all been heroes this lockdown and deserve a little bit of joy and appreciation.
Help is at hand as I have compiled a list of some of my favourite things from local businesses and crafters in Kent & Sussex. There are all lovely people who are incredibly talented at what they do.
With no further ado here are my top suggestions:
Treat Time
If you know me, you know that I love stationery. So I had to start off with this! Thankfully one of my favourite people, Rachel Letham, has just started selling a range of gorgeous notebooks and other self care items in her online store.
Rachel has a beautiful range of notebooks, eye masks available. Rachel is a self care champion and has written a brilliant ebook, Self Care For The Seasons. If someone is suffering from burnout, this is the book they need in their life!
More stationery inspiration can be found at Box Paper Scissors. Emily has a gorgeous collection of handpicked vintage inspired items including;
Mothers Day Concertina Card (pictured at top of blog)
The Garden Plots Postcards with matching envelopes
Ribbon Storage Jar, this beautiful dispenser is the perfect gift for crafters to keep all their ribbons tidy and accessible.
Recycled botanical notebooks, lined on one side and blank on the other making them perfect to keep a journal or write garden notes on one side and sketch or stick pictures or plant cuttings on the other side.
Flora label & sticker book – perfect for decorating presents, envelopes, jam jars, journals..all sorts of craft projects
Rachel ofMrs B Bagsmakes the most exquisite tote bags. This is the Tulipa Ochre design, made from luxurious velvet, with an inside zipped pocket. Leather handles make it easy for filling and carrying all your necessary shopping or day to day necessities. Rachel gives 50% of all profits to a cause close to her heart, the Motor Neurone Disease Assocation.
Emma of Soulstar Sanctuaryin Langton Green is a Tera Mai reiki practioner who has created a wonderful range of mood sprays and rollerballs for energy (My mood spray got my through homeschooling!) These rollerballs of essential oils also contain crystals, and the combination enhances the healing properties in both.
Sarah at Crafty By Natureis based in Tonbridge, and sells these lovely kits which combine the amazing power of nature with some crafty creativity.
The make-your-own bathbomb and lipbalm kits are two presents in one! Firstly they are a fun craft activity for your Mum to do, and then she also gets to enjoy either the lovely bathbombs or nourishing lipbalms. They are made with natural vegan ingredients and the packaging is eco-friendly.
Looking for some quality pampering? You need Lisa of And Relax Treatment room in Rusthall. Lisa is a beauty & massage therapist who offers facials, massages, pedicures and manicures. All guaranteed to make mum feel a million dollars.
If you are looking for something truly unforgettable for you mum, you need a Mother’s Memories book from Our Priceless Treasures. Designed by Julie Pinnell, these easy to complete books have been designed to help you to write down all sorts of things about your life, to share with your children, their children and their children’s children – a really personal family history
“I can honestly say it was one of the best gifts ever. I sat enthralled as I read and read. I couldn’t put it down. I can’t believe that in my mother’s memories there were things I’d never known. It was like the questions had opened the floodgates for more memories to flow out. My brother and sister are green with envy that I hold such an amazing bit of family history, all written down in my Mum’s distinctive handwriting. I hope many other people discover the special magic that your Memories books hold – mine is my most prized possession.” Kim
Julie also has a beautiful range of other gifts, designed to be emotional and heartwarming keepsakes. You can find them here
Or how about something creative? What about an Arty Farty Community membership….. £120 for the whole year!!
Nell runs fantastic online weekly workshops, challenges, make it days, tips and techniques. Most importantly this is time for Mum to have to herself!!
Rugsylugsy are based in Tunbridge Wells, and create whimsical wooden creations for you home. Everything is made from reclaimed and salvaged wood, and is handpainted in eco friendly paint.
Favourites include the Rugsylugsy heart, bunting, houses and new summerhouse hanging decorations.
GlassAlisa is based near Maidstone, and creates handmade fused glass home decor. Alisa has a large variety of decorative items to suit all budgets as well as gift vouchers for her workshops. As soon as restrictions allow Alisa will be running her glass making workshops again, a fantastic opportunity to learn a new skill in a relaxing rural setting.
Sarah Rickardmakes the most exquisite ceramics, all handpainted and handmade in her studio in East Sussex. Inspired by folklore, mythology, the English countryside and the Arts & Craft movement, Sarah has a range of exquisite decorative pieces from these angels, to hares to garden birds.
Lisa runs Ooh How Lovely, a magical shop in Hawkhurst. It is a colourful treasure trove of handpicked items. Latest arrivals include throws and material from India, hand painted Charleston inspired lampshades, and Madaraff bags from a family business in Madagascar.
Why not treat someone this Mothers Day with a unique card, print or frame from Heidi Crundwell Photography? Heidi is an award winning wildlife photographer based on the outskirts of Tunbridge Wells. Invite the beauty of the natural world into their home with one of Heidi’s prints celebrating some of the most iconic species on our planet. The strength of a lioness, the beauty of a leopard and the wisdom of an elephant, celebrate your special person with a truly wild image.
Louise Dean is wonderful artist and gorgeous soul who lives in Langton Green. Louise creates a wide range of beautiful art influenced by her childhood in the Carribean. From watercolour peonies to silver & gold leaf oriental blossoms, there is sure to be something special to catch your eye.
How about this red focaccia from Homecooking Italy in Langton Green? Patrizia makes the most amazing authentic Italian kitchen food. This focaccia is a salty alternative to cake, which you can share with your family. Plus if you order a focaccia you get a small size tiramisu for free!
To order please DM Patrizia through her instagram.
And finally Karen of Baketastic in Speldhurst, is a bit of a baking legend in the local area. Her salted caramel brownies are legendary, and Karen makes a mean lemon drizzle cake.
Karen can make a homemade cake for your mum – any flavour, any size, and any wording. Just contact Karen to discuss your order, with free local delivery (Tunbridge Wells area)
Hopefully you have found plenty of inspiration here for gifts – for you mum, for friends and for yourself! Do let me know if you have any other local suggestions for Mothering Sunday gifts
I am dedicated to saving time for my clients, and one of the key ways I deliver this is through implementing systems and using the best technology. I love discovering new shortcuts, and learning from other small business owners. On this blog I will be asking fellow entrepreneurs to share their tips and tricks so we can all learn and save time!
Welcome to my first guest, Laura Nelson of My Virtual Manager. I met the wonderful Laura on Instagram. My Virtual Manager specialises in Business and Project Management. What Laura doesn’t know about systems isn’t worth knowing. Read on to find out more about Laura, and some of the tech she uses to run her business.
Over to you Laura…
Hello 👋🏾 I’m Laura Nelson from My Virtual Manager. I help businesses adapt and flourish by getting the right systems and software in place, resulting in them having more time to focus on generating income.
When and why did you start your own business?
I’ve had multiple businesses. About 19 years ago my (then) husband and I ran a web development company. We worked on web and mobile applications (two geeks with a dream!). That company was dissolved when the marriage was and so I picked up and moved across the world with my (then 1 year old) daughter. I’ve been working in digital project management ever since.
Three years ago I had another little girl and took an extra long maternity leave with her. During that time a few companies approached me to do some virtual work with them, and that’s how my business was born. I just made it official last year.
What were the first steps you took to put yourself out there?
The biggest step for me was my Instagram page. It actually requires you to be open and vulnerable (you know, to build the right tribe). I’ve met some lovely and encouraging people (like yourself Jennifer) and it has helped me to come out of my shell a little more.
What game-changing piece of technology or kit have you invested in for your business?
My biggest investment was my Mac. It comes with everything that you need and gives you such flexibilty to create what you need for your business. I am actually a creative at heart and I can feel the creative pull getting stronger and stronger.
What apps do you use to help your business grow and streamline your systems?
Creative: I use the Adobe Creative Cloud. It’s pretty cost effective when you think about the tools that you get with the subscription, and it’s great for your complete digital presence.
Socials: I use Buffer. Tailwind and Later are great, but Buffer allows you to schedule all of your posts in one app, which saves me (lots) of time not jumping back and forth. Plus it’ll let you re-schedule your most popular posts and saves the captions and hashtags – another timesaver!
SEO: I’ve just found tihs new tool seranking.com – it seems to be a complete suite, and even has scheduling capabilites! Crazy for a low monthly price! I’ve not tested all of the features yet – I’m trialling it for a client but will keep you updated on the progress
How do you keep track of your tasks and to dos? Are you a notebook or a digital person?
I’m a digital person all the way. If I didn’t have kids in the house I wouldn’t even have paper here! I use Trello to keep a visual track of everything I’m working on. I feel super satisfied pulling a card into the ‘done’ list. 🥳
What has been the most helpful business/self-help book that you have read?
The book ‘Get Clients Now‘ by CJ Hayden changed the way I approached marketing. I first read it 13 years ago, and I just talked with a VA who’s read it recently. When a book is that good – it just keeps on going.
What is the one piece of advice that you would give other small business owners?
Go for it. It won’t be perfect, but it’ll teach you, learn your lessons, make changes and implement new strategies, just keep-on-going.
What is the best thing about running your own business?
Impromptu trips to the seaside with my girls! Middle of a Friday afternoon, grab shoes, water and we’re off.
What is the most challenging thing about running your own business?
When you work hard ona project. Complete it in record runaround. The Client is super happy. But they wait 60 days to pay your invoice – like really?
Where do you hope your business will be this time next year?
I would like to work with a charity that helps women who have had a hard time in life. Women who may have struggled with Post Partum Depression (a cause that is close to my heart) and is trying to get herself back into business. Or women who have suffered from trauma and may be apprehensive about getting back to business or work.
Thank you so much Laura for your time. I’m straight off to investigate Adobe Creative Cloud and Seranking.
If you are looking for more help with business and system managment, Laura is the lady to contact.
I am dedicated to saving time for my clients. I love discovering new ideas, and learning from other small business owners. On this blog I ask fellow entrepreneurs to share their tips and tricks so we can all learn and save time!
This week I am thrilled to welcome Shona Chambers of Shona Chambers Marketing. Shona is an Instagram buddy, and we have bonded over our love of reading business books. If Shona recomends a book it is worth reading! I will hand over to Shona…
Please introduce yourself and your business.
Hello, I am Shona. I have worked in marketing for the last 20 years, firstly within a corporate environment,for media and finance companies. Later as a self employed marketing consultant helping small businesses. I also run a networking group called Self Employed Club, designed to provide training and support for fellow small business owners, which has an online presence on Instagram and Facebook.
When and why did you start your own business? What was going on for you at the time?
I’ve been running my marketing business since 2018. I’d been asked for guidance by a number of small business owners before that and just decided to take the plunge. At the time I was focusing on events marketing, but over time have done more and more different projects. It feels like a long time ago now, probably because of the changes that this year has brought. Life is very different in 2020 isn’t it.
What were the first steps you took to put yourself out there?
I very much went down the route of asking people I knew for referrals, I find people are just so kind when you tell them what you need. Every one wants to help a new business. I also headed out to lots of great networking events. There were lots of good ones around my area, although a lot have had to stop for now, and others have moved online.
What game-changing piece of technology or kit have you invested in for your business?
Well not so much an investment but Zoom has been a lifesaver this year, as I’m sure for many. I used to do all my meetings in person, and also deliver workshops that way, but of course now everything is virtual again. Thank goodness for Zoom.
What apps do you use to help your business grow and streamline your systems? I use Canva a lot for creating posts and visuals, it’s so handy. And of course all of the social media tools too. How do you keep track of your tasks and to dos? Are you a notebook or digital person?
I’d say a bit of both! I do love a notebook, and sitting with it at the start of the day with a cup of tea before anyone else in the house gets up. If you are a notebook person – where is your favourite place to buy stationery? I’m showing my age now, but one Christmas my husband treated me to a Mulberry filofax, it was beautiful. I used it for years. The stationary was all ordered from Mulberry too, I felt very fancy! What has been the most helpful business/self-help book that you would recommend reading?
The best book I’ve read this year in terms of business is The 5am Club by Robin Sharma. I’d go as far as saying it is life changing. If you (like me) don’t love mornings then you may be thinking there is no way you would ever embrace 5am rising. But I have found the advice it gives you about how to structure your morning and indeed your day for best succes, invaluable. It does have quite an interesting narrative structure as it is all told via a story, but you do get over that quite quickly.
What’s the one piece of advice you would give other small business owners?
Think about who needs you. Not just wants you. Most of us have natural customers and thinking about the obvious supply and demand relationship saves you a lot of time.
What’s the best thing about running your own business?
Being 100% in control of building something from scratch. I wish that schools spent more time focusing on entrepreneurship as a valid career path. We are all naturally creative and we can all come up with amazing ways to make a living that don’t have to involve a 3 year degree. What is the most challenging thing about running your own business? I think this year more than ever it’s finding ways to innovate and stay ahead of the curve. Where do you hope your business will be this time next year?
I’d like to have turned the e-book I just released ‘100 Marketing Tips for Small Business Owners‘ into an online course that people could complete in their own time. It would have 8 modules taken from the structure of the book. I’d also like to release an audio version of the book to expand its use to small business owners. I know so many people love to listen to an audio book on walks or commuting. And of course I’d love to still be doing interesting work for interesting people.
Thank you very much for interviewing me Jenny!
Thank you so much Shona. I totally agree with you, it would be wonderful if our schools could teach more about entrepreneur skills and opportunities.
Shona’s book is brilliant; it is packed full of super, practical marketing ideas that you can go out and implement now. Highly recommended! You can get a sample of them here.
