Countless job applications and 7 rejections later.. I HAVE A JOB!

Applying for  jobs was becoming a hobby, the end result of actually getting a job started to become less important. The first thing i would do and the last thing at night was to apply or search for a jobs.  The majority of interviews and the job i got was found on Gumtree. A lot if people don't give it a chance but i would recommend it. Also Linkedin, Facebook and Twitter each found me a potential job to apply for.
 We all have experienced in our lifetime the sheer prep there is in applying for job. From filling out an application form, writing a covering letter, researching the company, preparing for the interview. It's a lot of work in itself. After the seventh rejection i was certainly feeling down and out. I stopped telling people i had interviews for places, as my superstition kicked in.


With only £20 left of my overdraft, the heavens opened and the sun shone and i finally heard those words. 'We would like to offer you the job'. Relief, disbelief and happiness was the first things i felt all rolled up into one. My insomnia sleeping pattern suddenly had a rude awaking to the early bedtime routines. It replaced a 40 hours week with weekends to appreciate.

Where I work....

I would at a printing company, based in Ancoats who's main focus are B2B. My role within the company comes under the title of  Customer Service Representative. Don't underestimate the job title, there is a lot more than meets the eye. I will revised this blog in due course with some of my duties.


Everyone is really friendly and helpful, the whole team are professional and produce quality products for their clients. I've only been there a week today so I can't tell you much at the moment but i will definitely will keep you informed. I feel i will be happy there for a number of years and excited of where i could go within the company.



Some advice i can give to people who are looking for a job is just to keep going. I'm not saying i didn't have weeks of having meltdowns, doubting my abilities or secluding myself from the world. When i snapped out of the mode it was full steam ahead for the next couple of weeks. It's been two years since leaving university and i finally got my foot in the door. I can safely say that my experience on my cv, not having to many gaps it in really helped. Be proactive.  Did i mention i cant wait for pay day!!

An online store to sell your beauties: BigCartel

Well from my previous post you all know that I want to set up a small business. I am still in the research parts.  One of the questions were how am i going to be selling the products? Online of course is the best option. But what platform. The obvious choices that are well known are websites like Esty and Ebay.  I wanted something smaller, more intimate and having a feeling of creativity. Plus commission charges and costings of uploading where a big turn off from the websites i've mentioned.


Then i came across Bigcartel, as soon as I seen the homepage i knew this was a real contender. Flicking through all the different categories i got the impression that these the sellers were mainly self employed creatives' that  were selling their passion.

They're sellers from all around the world and every store has their own personality. Don't get me wrong Bigcartel isn't like Esty where the possibilities are endless in terms of plugins, translating languages, converting currencies.  However I like it. It;s a work in progress, just like the majority of small businesses that use this platform. It has everything you need to set up a very nice online store and sell your trinkets!

All the stores are split up into categories relating to what their store is selling. There's a store directory toolbar where u can search for stores as long as you know the name. I wish the went a step further and extended their search options by adding country and maybe price range. It can be laborious just clicking through numerous stores.

What also appealed to me was the pricing structure.  These are very very reasonable the best i've seen so far. If you were doing a soft launch for example you could sign up for a free account add a maximum of 5 products, use their theme (look of the website) as they're is only basic customisation, your url would have '.bigcartel.com' at the end.  You could test the waters and get selling just like that. 

As you start paying to use the service, you get more freedom with your store. From the just the platinum package you get everything that the titanium package does except from the  amount of products you are allowed to upload.  You are now able to track your inventory, use your own url, full customisation on your website, enable discount codes and most of all receive statics on the performance of your store.  You can use their own analytical software or use a plugin and use something like Google analytics.

All the stores are very unique, even the ones that use bigcatels' themes and just change font,colour back ground.

  The photography, is almost a part of the product very creative, professional and gives the sense of credibility to the store.

Everours.co.uk is the first online store that i purchased products from and now i'm hooked. I've lost a friend because of this, my bank balance. Although i think my bank balance should be grateful as the accessories i buy jazzes up an old shirt  making it look ive bought a new top.










All in all i love bigcartel I love the individuality of each store. I love to see so many passionate entrepreneurs becoming business owners and selling their craft.


I can't wait to upload and become live!

I need YOUR participation!! : Questionnaire

Hope all is well.  As you well know from the previous blog i posted, i am on the market research stage of my idea.  This is where you come in. A lot people i know an have idea, set it up as a business and can't understand why it wasn't successful.  No research, no feedback, no trial run. Just because you have an idea doesn't mean the masses will agree with you. 

Think of it like the evolution of man. There are stages, planning and all that jazz.

I would greatly appreciate you answering this questionnaire:

If you are a small business please answer this.

If you are an individual please answer this.

Thank you in advance! 

Entrepreneurial spirit is in full force: Cheeky little project up my sleeve

Being an entrepreneur you are constantly coming up with ideas and solutions for a problems, sometimes they even creep up in you're sleeping! As Richard Branson wrote in one of his many blog post right down every single idea that creeps into your brain! Before he said this of course i was writing them down, I even have a notebook and pen in my drawer next to my bed. You never know when that eureka moment will come to you. Having an idea is the easy bit, it's all the graft in-between before you produce your service/product which is the hardest thing.  I'm working with a graphic designer who is a naturally talented when it comes to designing on the computer, she plans to go to university this year to get fully 'qualified'. I mention the word research and the response was 'can you do the research bit and i'll just design' Not the answer i was looking for and certainly not a way to run or start a business research before design is key. In our case even more so because one of us believes our target audience would be B2C and the other B2B (sme's).

Here a snippet of the idea:beautifully produced artwork that is displayed on different substrates that is appreciated.



So i am building questionnaires at the moment which i would really appreciate you guys answering when done. Also if anyone is interesting in hearing more and wanting to get involved (pref living in manchester) dont hesitate to get in contact!



Watch this space for more info!