Female Founders: Small Business

To round up 2020, we're highlighting small businesses that are founded by women & giving an insight into what's it's like starting & running a business throughout a global pandemic.

In our first feature we hear from Jo who has turned her love for Northern England into a clothing business, Shantelle who produces quirky mirrors that double as art pieces and Rebecca who uses her skills to create handmade concrete designs.

Name: Jo Hunter

City Of Residence: Leeds

Business name: Nowt2wear

Website: www.nowt2wear.co.uk

Instagram: @nowt2wear

What does your business create/provide?

Nowt2wear is a clothing and gifts website for Northerners based around Northern slang

What does a typical week look like for you with Nowt2Wear?

A typical week for Nowt2wear is pretty varied, the most important job is sorting out orders and making sure they get sent out as quickly as possible. My favourite task is replying to lovely messages on Instagram and Facebook, people get in touch with ideas they'd like to see on T-Shirts which is handy! I think up new posts and pictures for social media and upload new designs to the website regularly.

What inspired you to start the business in lockdown?

I was inspired to start Nowt2wear when I was furloughed from my job back in March. I work as cabin crew for an airline, I wasn't used to being at home and while I really missed my job I was so appreciative of my lovely friends and family and their northern ways keeping me sane. I started with an EY UP T-Shirt on Etsy and it got a great response. A couple of months later I set up my own website on Shopify (me and computers don't get on so I was shocked I could do this) Since then it's been going really well the T-Shirts have appeared on Gogglebox, Stephs Packed Lunch and in Hello Online Gift Guide. People have been so lovely and supportive and it's been an amazing distraction during these times.

Name: Shantelle

City Of Residence: London

Business Name: Lotta Blobs

Website: lottablobs.com

Instagram: @lottablobs

What does your business create/provide?

Colourful blob framed mirrors.

What does a typical week look like for you with Lotta Blobs?

I'm a full time Graphic Designer so I do that during the weekdays and in the evenings and on the weekends I work away at making blobs and running the business.

What inspired you to start the business in lockdown?

At the time I was on furlough and was desperately in need of creative outlets so the making of Lotta Blobs was probably like my 6th crafty project I was working on! I was also looking for any type of distraction from this crazy year!

Anything else you'd like to add? I haven't been running Lotta Blobs or been a blob sculptor for long but I am truly blown away and grateful for all the love and support I have received in such a short time! So I just want to say thank you to everyone who follows me and has bought a blob so far!

Name: Rebecca

City Of Residence: York

Business Name: Narvi Design

Website: narvidesign.com

Instagram: @narvidesign

What does your business create/provide?

Female owned business, hand making concrete homewares from York!

What does a typical week look like for you with Narvi?

I usually take 4-5 hours of my day making, this happens maybe 4 times a week, the rest of my day is filled with admin, sanding the products, sealing them and the dreading packaging with as much eco friendly or recycled materials as I can get my hands on!

What inspired you to start Narvi in lockdown?

I’ve always been interested to make functional products from an industrial material, furlough

allowed me the time to get the formula just right! I never set out to make a business out of the items, it just snow balled from the first few enquiries from Instagram back in June!

Anything else you'd like to add?

It’s been a whirlwind so far but I am loving every aspect, my website is due to launch this month, and I have lots of plans for 2021 🥰