How (And Why) I Set Up A Business With No Business Sense At All

Back in 2013, a newlywed with a dream and zero business knowledge bought a domain name. It was almost too easy. I mean, once you’ve put products out there on the Internet, they sell, right?

Yeah, I can laugh now too looking back, but I really was that naïve.

Here’s what happened…

2013 was great because it was the year we got married. But it was also the year that I decided to pack in my secure, well-paid teaching job of eight years a month before our wedding with nothing to go to.

The pressure at work had left me miserable, so I left to pursue a happier, calmer life.

I started out covering all my bases, standing out in the cold, selling handmade crafts at markets to earn money to put in to wedding exhibitions. I felt that if I didn’t offer everything, I’d end up with nothing.

Huge mistake!

I only really got a wake up call after finally reading up about how to run a business two years or so later. I know, daft, right?!

The Internet literally has a wealth of resources about how to be successful on the Internet and I never thought to Google!

Then I went to the other extreme, taking on all the advice, possibly from people who were no more qualified in business than I was by that point. I did, however, learn that less is more, which was the first big step.

The crafts stopped and weddings became my focus, but not in the way that they are now. I had an idea in my head about what my little business should look like, but I wasn’t quite there yet.

I made little figurines of brides and grooms as cake toppers and these became my biggest selling product.

Unfortunately though, I was often working for nothing, selling myself short and trying to please everyone. I loved making my couples happy, and their lovely comments are still stored here on my hard drive to cheer me up when things get tough. But I had a mortgage to contribute to, fees to pay and now a child to support.

Trying to fit those cake toppers in to the vision I had in my head was proving harder than I thought, and I didn’t have the energy to justify doing them alongside my accessories any more.

With a heavy heart and a clearer head, I finished my last cake topper in 2018, and opened the door to new opportunities with designers, photographers and editorials.

It was only then that I realised how supportive the wedding community is. Before then, I had been told the industry was competitive and it was every supplier for themselves. Nothing could be further from the truth, and I am proud to be part of it.

As anyone who’s started a business will tell you, it’s a massive journey of self-discovery, which forces you to put faith in yourself. Was it all worth it?

Absolutely :)

Thanks for joining me for the next chapter!