I am not a natural business woman. My background is largely academic - my degree was in Art History, my post grad in Museums studies and I happily immersed myself in the rather rarefied world of museum galleries until I decided one morning that it just wasn't what I wanted to spend my life doing.
So I left work when pregnant with my younger daughter, retrained in horticulture and started to grow flowers, selling them from a vintage citroen h van in the drive and at local farmers markets.
(wet flowers)
The change in the climate and a period of dragging illness gradually ruled that out as a properly commercial business but by then I was embroidering things, selling them at fairs like Country Living.
We bought an airstream, I moved the business out of the kitchen and had a proper workspace.
I began to sell wholesale to shops - I took on a team of helpers, we built a wooden cabin in the field behind the house
A work space which - as you can see - we quickly outgrew.
It became obvious that unless I managed to clone myself then I would have to expand the non embroidery side of the business.
So we developed the printed side of the range - and I am so delighted with it. Every single vehicle mug we make makes me smile.
But really - from month to month, year to year there has been no plan, no strategy just a kind of frantic pedalling.
Last week I found that Snapdragon has been accepted onto Scottish Enterprise's High Growth Pipeline
Which basically means that we have been identified as a business with exceptional growth potential, as a business which would repay some investment of time and expertise.
I am pretty overwhelmed that my little old kitchen table business seems to have grown up while I was busy with other things.
And so, here we are on a new page - a page that will be immensely exhilerating and challenging, a bit frightening and definitely in need of a plan.
Congratulations Jane, richly deserved.
Posted by: French Knots | November 12, 2012 at 09:57 PM
Well done Jane, you've worked hard for that.
Posted by: Margaret Ogden | November 12, 2012 at 10:37 PM
Well done to you and all your team - you've worked hard and deserve the recognition. Here's to the next chapter.
Posted by: Mountainear.blogspot.com | November 13, 2012 at 10:52 AM
Congratulations Jane! I look forward to seeing what comes next.
Posted by: Piccadillylane | November 13, 2012 at 05:12 PM
Well done Jane look forward to seeing your business grow X
Posted by: Mairdyer25 | November 13, 2012 at 07:06 PM
Fantastic news and well deserved! Also a very inspiring story for all of us who want to make things and work for ourselves.
Posted by: Smashing Chintz | November 16, 2012 at 09:00 PM
Really wonderful news, well done! (sorry to be late to the party, I'm just catching up on my blogs ;)
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