Mums In Business featuring Gift It 2

This week as part of my Mums in Business in series I am delighted to be interviewing Anne-Marie from Gift It 2. Gift It 2 is the perfect place to shop and find presents for children of all ages, and adults too, and this interview couldn’t come at a better time, right before Christmas when parents or family are wondering what to buy for their loved ones. Take a read of Anne-Marie’s story below and then head on over to her website for Christmas present inspiration. I know that I will be.

Tell me a little bit about you, your background and Gift It Two

My background is Corporate Events, however unfortunately due to lots of travelling, I could not continue this once I had children. So I joined a friend in her small business appliqueing designs onto children’s t-shirts. It was fun, but hard work not least because we were a ’sweatshop’ and doing everything from manufacturing, through to selling, marketing, and so much more. Unfortunately this only lasted a year or so, because my friend went back to full time teaching, so the business had to fold. However, it gave me enough of an insight to want to start my own business, also in children’s gifts, but not manufacture. So my business is very simple – I buy in, and sell on. That’s it!

What were the drivers and your motivations for setting up Gift It Two

Gift It 2 is all about sourcing original products such as gifts that offer value for money, and have a strong emphasis on quality and quirkiness. It is no coincidence that my range of products are not widely available on the high street. My motivation for starting my own business was to be around for my children so that I was not tied to office hours and could attend their sports matches and school plays. Alongside this another motivation for my business in particular was to find unusual birthday and christmas gifts for friends’ children that were relatively inexpensive and a bit different.

I sell through my website, Amazon and I also attend a few Christmas fairs. At Gift It 2 I try to save my customers time and money by providing a carefully selected range of spot-on pressies. I totally understand the importance of quick delivery, good and personal customer service.

How do you balance your business around your family and children

I am based in Cambridgeshire, near Huntingdon and as my children are at school, my working day is fairly short but as productive as I can possibly make it. Sometimes, it is necessary for me to return to work once I have finished some home chores, especially in the Christmas season. It is tricky running your own business during the school holidays when you are constantly pulled in opposite directions, but I just try to limit my working hours each day. So far I seem to have muddled through.

Since setting up Gift It Two what’s been your biggest success to date

I think my biggest success to date is increasing my stock base from 10 product lines when I first began (I began v small!), to now just under 500 product lines. Since I buy in and sell on, I take a risk every time I try a new product as that product is purchased in bulk. I store the products on my premises (a converted shed) so there has to be a constant and quick turnover of stock. I always aim to introduce ideally approximately 40% new product lines each year, to keep my business interesting and new to all customers – but especially those who keep coming back.

What’s your top tip for anyone who’s thinking about setting up their own business

My top tip for anyone starting their own business is to have a lot of patience, and don’t worry about failure. If something does not work, stay positive and move on. But be prepared for hard work and little reward to begin with.