Lisa Berry was working as a research scientist in 2009 when she decided to start her own business. While at a country show, she became inspired to create bespoke jewellery embedded with fingerprints of loved ones. Having recently given birth to her first child, Lisa loved the idea of having her baby’s fingerprints captured in beautiful silver jewellery for her to treasure forever.
She took a training course in jewellery making, built a basic website and set up social media accounts. Since launching her business, Lisa has created several pieces of jewellery under interesting circumstances, such as jewellery from a paw print accidently left in concrete or the time she was asked to take a print from a tortoise!
After trading for a few years, Lisa was looking to take her business to the next level when she heard about the Swindon and Wiltshire SME Growth Programme, delivered by Business West. Lisa attended the Marketing Made Easy workshop, before enrolling on the programme and receiving 12 hours of business support from her adviser Yesim Nicholson.
“I loved the Marketing Made Easy workshop; I got a huge amount of value from the day and immediate tasks that I could get started on to benefit my business. After enrolling on the programme, it has had a considerable impact on my strategic business vision. The SME Growth Programme is free and Yesim is fantastic, more businesses in Swindon should definitely get on board!” – Lisa Berry, Cheeky Little Prints
After all she has learnt from starting and running her own business, Lisa has some advice to share with other entrepreneurs looking to grow their business:
“As soon as you can afford to work with experts, do it! I spent years building my own websites to save money but it was counterproductive as I was wasting so much time by not knowing what I was doing, using software that did not give me the website I needed and sites that could not easily be search engine optimised. Working with experts does cost, however, you will save so much time and effort in the process that it’s definitely worth it.”
Lisa has recently had her website professionally re-built by a web designer and has purchased a professional jewellery polishing machine, both of which should significantly help to improve her business turnover.
Are you looking to grow your business in Swindon or Wiltshire? The SME Growth Programme will provide you with up to 12 hours of support to ensure that you have this skills and knowledge to successfully grow and develop your business. From providing you with the skills to market your business and create robust financial plans, applying for a start-up loan, or accessing tailored business advice, working closely with our growth advisers will give you the head start that you need.
Find out more about Cheeky Little Prints.
Swindon and Wiltshire SME Growth Programme
Receive 12 hours of tailored support to ensure that you have the skills and knowledge to successfully grow and develop your business.