Vendor at trade show: Hi Me: Hi! Does your factory do digital printing? Vendor at trade show: Yes we do (friendly smile back). We only do sublimination printing. Me: Wonderful. (shoulders back, confident, ‘I mean business voice’) I’d like to print on 100% cotton at approximately x GSM. Can you help me with this? Vendor …
Hooray. I have samples. It’s been quite the process to get these made. I was initially in talks with a manufacturer I was interested in working with. We’d actually got quite far down the line talking, but we couldn’t go any further as I felt the MOQs (minimum order quantities) were just too high. I’m …
This was a big question for me. If you’ve read my previous blog posts you’ll know I registered Mummy’s Muse as a company back in 2017. I’ve always been sure that this would be an e-commerce business so I knew the website would be my very first shop front. It’s hard having high standards and …
I don’t like mess, I don’t like untidy spaces, to be honest I don’t deal well with aesthetic chaos. However, you would never think this looking at my house because with two children under three, the house stays neat for approximately 30 minutes each week. These are the first 30 minutes after the (wonderful, sanity …
Oh Friday night, how you’ve changed! I’m in bed with a cup of redbush tea as I write this. Elsa is singing ‘Let it Go’ on repeat faintly from the babies’ room and I’m a little on edge because in the back of my mind one of them may wake up at any moment, demanding …
On this journey I’ve read a lot about people’s experiences starting businesses. The fact that I’ve found the accounts of others interesting, helpful and inspiring is part of the reason I started this blog. It’s not really in my nature to document my journey or process for others, it’s only ever been something I’ve done …
The more common version of this saying – I won’t dignify it by writing it out – involves felines. Now I’m not an animal rights champion, I’m not even vegetarian, but it felt inhumane to write that phrase down. Fortunately the clever people at http://theanimalrightsactionsite.blogspot.com/2014/01/animal-friendly-alternatives-for-common.html gave me this alternative and here we are. In my …
I’m realising there are points within this process that I find myself slowing down further and further and further still, before I get stuck. It’s not a conscious slowing down, it’s more like things are becoming muddy and difficult and heavy. Things aren’t feeling right. What gets me out of these ruts? I’ve learned I …
Two questions I’ve been grappling with of late are: What kind of brand am I going to be? When do I need to decide by? I’ve worked in communications for over 10 years but never explicitly in branding. I say this to highlight the fact that I’m no branding expert. I do know that when …
…or get your head out of the sand. I pride myself on being quite organised and a ‘together’ kind of person. However, I totally slipped up on my HMRC/Companies House duties. My thinking was that as I’m not selling anything yet and therefore not making any money, HMRC and Companies House don’t care about my …