Name: Sophie Jewry
Business Name: Brand Kitchen
Website: www.brandkitchen.co.uk
Where in the world are you? Norfolk, UK
What does your business do? I teach women in business how to create and develop an awesome brand, business and life
Why did you start your business? I’ve been in design and print for a decade, having started my own business when I was just 22. I see clients on a daily basis that have good businesses but have never really considered the importance of their brand and so are not seeing the hidden potential in their business or being as effective with their marketing as they could be. Brand Kitchen enables me to help them to step into their greatness, achieve their goals and create a business that gives them the lifestyle that they dream of and deserve.
What’s your success story? It’s a funny thing, because I spend so much of my energy striving to be better and do better that I don’t stop as often as I should, to celebrate the successes in my life. So, what have I achieved over the past 13 years I’ve been in business? There are a few key things worth a mention:
I moved home with my 9 month old daughter at the tender age of 19, with no A-levels, no confidence and no prospects to think of. Thankfully I had, and still do have, a supportive family and so I had a stable place to lay my foundations. I chose to move forward and, without any thoughts that it couldn’t be done, started my first business just a year later. I would say moving from a very negative head space into a positive one was the first rung on my success ladder.
I’ve never worked for anyone else, so being in business I learnt as I went with my next big step being a move from my hand made card ‘hobby business’ into starting my own ‘proper’ design and print business in 2003, at the same time as launching a local BNI networking group, of which I was an active member for 7 years. My design business is still going strong and I have had the pleasure of working with hundreds of wonderful businesses and business owners over the years. I still get excited about new projects and new businesses. I get to experience the buzz through my clients on a daily basis and work is a pleasure. So, another success in doing a job that I love every day.
Another success and real learning curve for me was my online eating out directory, which I started with a business partner in 2009 and later sold in 2013. This was a totally different approach and it has been a big stepping stone in my business knowledge, including; how to work with others, data management, website building, local marketing and so much more.
In 2011 I qualified as an NLP Practitioner and this has got to be one of the most life-affirming things I’ve done. It was certainly a game changer for me. Just 4 months after doing this course I had sold my eating out directory and launched a new Limited Company; The Holistic Directory. This was a way for me to combine the knowledge I had in the design and marketing world with my passion for the holistic world. Needless to say, what I’ve learnt in the last 2 years has made me feel like I was just a fledgling when I started the business (even though at the time I thought I knew it all!).
During the past 2 years running the directory alongside my design business I have learnt so much about business, my goals, managing a team, CRM systems, copywriting, outsourcing, national marketing and more. I also had the pleasure of winning the Ernst & Young’s Future 50 Young Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2013, which just 10 short yeas ago I would never have even dreamed of.
So now we reach present day and I am 3 months into a new side of my business, Brand Kitchen. As you know, I have a passion for design and helping businesses and I also have a passion for a holistic approach to life. Brand Kitchen enables me to be able to combine my passions and help women in business create a business and life that feeds their soul and enables them to live the life they want, even if it might feel out of reach at the moment.
So, even in its infancy, I feel this business is a success for me because I am walking my talk and working in a job that feeds the fire in my belly: I feel excited about the future. I look forward to starting work every day. My mind buzzes constantly with new ways I can help. I truly love supporting others in their own transformational journeys and I have fun daily. I have created a business that does and will go on to not only provide me with the lifestyle that I want but also help others do the same – and it doesn’t get much better than that
So from single mum with no hopes or dreams to a mum of a 14 year old wonderful daughter (another of my successes!) and owner of 2 businesses and loving every minute in 12 years… I’m looking forward to seeing what the next 12 years bring!
What has been your biggest challenge? I guess it has to have been running my business around my daughter, but then I knew no different so always just felt that I did what was needed to be done. For me the logistics have never really been the biggest issue, it’s more about the emotions. The guilt has got to be the biggest challenge – feeling guilty for working Vs feeling guilty for not working. It’s a tough one to break and one I think that is pretty much part and parcel of being a mum in general. It’s something you have to learn to live with and just find a way to plan your days to mean that you can achieve as much work/life balance as you can so you can at least remind yourself that you are doing a good job. Working out my values and prioritising around them was one of the biggest game changers for this. When you have a reason to do things a certain way and you know that you’re making time for the important things, that helps a lot!
Your biggest mistake? Getting distracted by bright shiny things and also spending money on stuff i don’t need, just because it’s exciting and will look nice. Funnily enough, I use that side of it to help my clients not do the same thing. When it comes to design and print it is super easy to get terribly overexcited and get a whole load of stuff done you don’t need. I try to take what I’ve learnt by doing and help others skip that step. I’ve had a few expensive blunders over the years but the most important thing is to learn from them and use them as a lesson to make changes that stop them from happening again.
What would you have done differently if you had your time over? Ooooo… The killer question. Do you know what, I would probably not have wasted so much money on stuff I didn’t need but on the whole I am a believer that the journey that we have been on makes us into who we are today and that each step along the path is there to give us skills and knowledge that will enrich our lives and help us help ourselves and others later. So, I don’t think I’d change anything because I love where I’m at now in my life.
What are you most proud of in your biz? The fact that it is now over 10 years old! The wonderful people that I have met along the way. The Award I won in 2013 and the people that I have helped along the way. I love seeing my business help others and seeing a positive impact on others gives me a lot of pride.
What’s been your biggest achievement? Being recognised by others as being an expert at what I do and being recommended. That is a huge achievement for me. I never thought I would become anything and to have other people ask me for help and having respect for me humbles me on a daily basis and makes me feel very special indeed and lucky too.
What’s been the most unexpected thing to have come out of your business journey? Gosh – all of it!? Every step leads to new discoveries and takes you down paths you never thought you’d go down. You know, when I was 16, my life’s ambition was to have a gap year and tour the world, go to Uni, become an architect and then get married and have children at age 26. Things have NOT turned out anything like that and so every day is a new adventure with infinite possibilities.
Why do you love your business? Oh! Because it gives me SO much pleasure! I get to have fun, connect with women that I want to connect with, who make me laugh, who feel like conspirators on this journey called life, who want my help and who I genuinely know I can help. I get to be creative, every day. I get to plan and have great ideas and run with them, every day. I get to work with an awesome team of people, every day. I get to be at home when my daughter gets home from school and go to the gym and hang around with people who lift my spirits. I get a lot of positive stuff from being in my business and I’m happy that I can spread some of that happiness around to others too through the work that I do. Yes there’s some less fun aspects of being in business, but even they can be pretty exciting if you think about them in the right way.
What advice would you give to someone starting out in biz? Go with something that you’re passionate about and have a clear focus of who you’re helping and how you are doing that. Also, don’t try to be the cheapest, be the best at what you do and your kind of people will find you and be loyal to you. Have fun with your business and keep a positive mindset!
How has TGMB helped you? TGMB has connected me to lots of lovely ladies and it was during one of Claire’s courses that I decided that Brand Kitchen was the way forward for me. I’d been toying with the idea of re-branding as myself and demonstrating the different aspects of what I do beneath that brand but then a lightbulb moment delivered me Brand Kitchen and my feet have not touched the ground since. The supportive group that Claire has created, and the workshops and courses too, are a wonderful tool for women in business to find clarity. As a coach myself I 100% value the importance of coaching for growth. I surround myself with inspirational and uplifting people, Claire is one of those. I also read voraciously as personal development is hugely important to me. I would heartily recommend Claire and her creations to you.
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