BUSINESS
Kent
SMALL BUSINESSES
SHOW SOME LOVE FOR KENT ’ S SMALL BUSINESSES WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM JESS MARSHALL …
Turn Off The Lights
When Hannah Metua got furloughed from an unhappy job , she was given a chance to look inwards and contemplate what it was that she wanted to do with her life . Having always loved candles , she decided to roll up her sleeves and give this new found passion a go . Spurred on by the reception from friends and family , Turn Off The Lights was created and the rest , as they say , is history . When we asked Hannah what it was she had learned from starting her own blooming business , she exclaimed that diligence was definitely the biggest learning curve : ‘ I have really learnt that self discipline is the key to success .’ Talking of success Hannah has many exciting plans to grow Turn Off The Lights in 2022 , including travelling the country building her brand , with the intention of one day opening her very own brick and mortar shop . When we asked Hannah what it was she loves about her job she said simply : ‘ I never dread Monday mornings on Sundays anymore !’
www . turnoffthelights . co . uk turnoffthelightsx
White and Charm
White and Charm started life as Weronika Klamrowska ’ s passion project to dedicate time and energy to being creative after her son was born . After selling a dozen or so paintings Weronika knew this was the start of something new and decided to totally rebrand her business as White and Charm . This included adding products such as her signature elegant white jewellery dishes with gold rims to her shop , all of which are handmade by Weronika in her home studio in Maidstone . Speaking about her biggest achievement with her business so far , she excitedly told us about recently earning an Etsy Best Seller badge on one of her most popular dishes , and that ’ s not where the excitement ends for White and Charm . 2022 is set to be a big year for the shop with Weronika full of inspiring ideas for new designs and products , including a range of handmade greeting cards . When we asked her what advice she has for other new business owners she had some sage words of wisdom : ‘ Mistakes are a part of creation and I ' m not afraid of them . Running a small business doesn ' t have to be perfect .’
www . whiteandcharm . com whiteandcharm
CD Concrete Creations
Originally from Spain , professional photographer Carlos Dominguez has always been into DIY creating CD Concrete Creations in 2016 to explore this love . After a few particularly successful hand-crafted concrete Christmas presents , he started receiving orders from friends and family . Six years later , CD Concrete Creations is stocked in multiple shops around Kent and London , and this side-hustle is now a thriving business . During the height of the pandemic , like so many other small businesses , the business got hit hard , but with many years of being self-employed behind him , Carlos saw opportunities to grow his business via his social media sites , and so came out the other side having actually grown CD ’ s notoriety . One of the things Carlos loves most about his business is that every product , whether that be a concrete fire pit , a lamp or a cast plant pot , is totally unique due to the handmade manufacturing process . His tip for other entrepreneurs also stems from his one-of-a-kind form of creativity : ‘ If I have to give a tip to anyone starting up it would be to create something unique .’
www . etsy . com / uk / shop / CADAcreations cdconcretecreations
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