Kent
SMALL BUSINESSES
CONTINUING TO CHAMPION KENT ’ S INDIE TRADERS AND NEW BUSINESS VENTURES , JESS MARSHALL PROFILES THREE INSPIRING ENTREPRENEURS .
Chelsea Candle
In 2015 Chelsea O ’ Neill moved from her hectic life in London , back to her childhood home of Kent , and , inspired by her travels and other memories she held dear , started the scandi-inspired , luxury , soy candle brand ; Chelsea Candle – all hand-poured in Chelsea ’ s very own Kent studio . When asked why candles had become her calling , Chelsea explained ; ‘ There is something so magical about the power of fragrance and its connection to our emotion and memories . We hope to help you unwind and reminisce after a long day in this busy world we live in .’ Life during a pandemic has of course meant a drop in sales after shops were forced to close for extended periods of time , but with all of us being shut inside for so much of 2020 , and wanting to make our surroundings look and smell as beautiful as possible , the business definitely started 2021 on a high . Chelsey advises others looking to follow in her footsteps and break into the small business world , to not look for perfection before diving in , otherwise you may never get out of the planning stage .
chelseacandle . co . uk chelsea . candle
The Wild and The Tame
The Wild and The Tame was founded by Chantelle Laker after a lifetime of creativity melded perfectly with the life-long ambition to be a business owner . A well-timed move to Kent to start a family , coincided with her spotting a gap in the market for one-of-a-kind baby and toddler clothing and accessories with some character . Though the road hasn ’ t always been an easy one for Chantelle , and trying to run a business while also navigating lockdowns , home-schooling two children and hand-making every single product herself has been a particularly large hurdle . But with the closure of physical shops , she has seen a way to keep families connected by offering gift cards , hand written notes and complimentary gift boxes , while also taking advantage of online pop-ups and shopping events . Chantelle has no end of passion and love for the business she has created ; ‘ I love that I ' m able to make products which help parents create beautiful worlds and wardrobes for their little ones , and which give family and friends a way to spread joy and welcome new babies into the world .’
www . thewildandthetame . co . uk _ wildandtame _
Lydia ’ s Cakes
Lydia Alton is the definition of a tech-savvy business woman , having grown her Lydia ’ s Cakes Instagram following from just 2000 followers at the beginning of 2020 to over 20,000 in just a year . But life before Lydia had a booming business on her hands simply consisted of a love of baking for friends and family . However , when she posted some images of a drip cake she had experimented with , her social media following recognised raw talent when they saw it , and started lining up to pay for her to rustle them up some extraordinary cakes . After a successful 2020 , this year looks even more exciting , with the release of her very own guide of how to start and grow your own cake business from home and a hopeful move to her own premises . In terms of advice for other budding small business owners , Lydia says ; ‘ My main advice to anyone wanting to start their own business is to just go for it , there will never be a perfect time and there will always be reasons to not do things . But it ' s so rewarding and gives you the freedom to be creative .’ Take a peak at some of Lydia ’ s Cakes marvellous creations or order a picture perfect cake via her Instagram .
lydiascakess
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