Creative Fridays, over at Life is Peachy Towers, usually consists of yummy recipes and crafty tutorials, made by my own hand! BUT, this Friday, I decided to shake things up a little bit with a piece about Mimi and Will - a very interesting new start-up business with a focus on independent design. Wonderful stuff!
Mimi and Will is the brainchild of Jo and Katy, two entrepeneurs who both have their own Etsy stores, but came together to launch a brand of eco-friendly children's wear. After meeting on the craft fair circuit in and around Glasgow, the two ladies continued to strike up a friendship and spend their (very limited) free time meeting up and brainstorming creative ideas and plans together. The seed for Mimi and Will was eventually sewn through a simple text message from Katy to Jo, saying 'Kid's T-Shirts'!
Through Katy's struggles to purchase a screen-printed t-shirt for her toddler, the girls decided there was a gap in the market for this type of clothing; which was due to the risks and costs of mass-producing for small sizes. Mimi and Will was going to be a brand that brought interesting designs to the children's clothing market, whilst championing the work of independent designers.
Once Katy and Jo had the go-ahead from several independent designers they knew, they found a UK-based company who sourced ethically-produced t-shirts as well as eco-friendly ink. A few samples later, the early stages of the brand were complete and Mimi and Will were ready to be unleashed to the world.
Now, as a huge fan of Crowdfunding projects, I was really interested in how Mimi and Will has been set up as a Crowdfunding Start-Up, which runs until 9th October. There are lots of perks on offer, if you decide to help out and get this wonderful brand on the go - including pre-order t-shirts. Why not check out this campaign for yourself, where you can see some of the wonderful designs that will be on offer. Mimi and Will have been attending several events with their sample tees and the feedback, so far, has been really positive.
What I think is so special about what Mimi and Will is trying to do, is the fact that it will serve as a great platform for independent designers and has to potential to really showcase new talent to a wider audience. Finding clothes that are ethically sourced and produced is also a real selling point for Mimi and Will, the t-shirts will retail at £20 including p+p, not a bad price for one of these amazing, unique designs.
With just a few days left to help the project out, I really wish Jo and Katy the very best of luck with their campaign - though I'm assured they will be around whether they reach their target goal of £2000 or not. To be kept up to date with the latest news and exclusives from Mimi and Will, be sure to follow them on Twitter, they have a great page over on Facebook, plus you can find them on my favourite thing ever at the mo Pinterest
They do, of course, have their own lovely Blog which is updated regularly with news and events.
For those Twitterites amongst you who read Life is Peachy regularly, you may be aware or even have taken part in the awesome #handmadehour hashtag session. Every Wednesday between 7.30 and 9.30pm, the crafting cream of British crop gather together to tweet their wares and show support for handmade businesses up and down the country. It really is an inspiring hour, I've already met lots of really talented people - many of whom have appeared or are due to appear on the blog soon. Plus, it will be my go to twitter account for help marketing my crafts when I set up my shop, to run alongside Life is Peachy, in the coming months.
But the creator of HandmadeHour, the lovely Owen Birkby, has gone one step further and has set up a crowdfunding campaign to launch a website promoting handmade businesses and he needs YOU!
What had started out as providing help for small businesses on a budget, when Owen's wife started up her own business Neverland Creations, Owen helped to market the business through Facebook and, today, the business continues to grow successfully. Owen set up his social media management company, SocialHighs, from this experience and then Handmade Hour became another platform to support small businesses on Twitter. The gap in the market, it seemed, was an easy marketing platform for people who dreamt of turning their hobbies into businesses, but were short on time.
Cut to 2013, Owen and his handmade accomplice, Becky Doggett, have decided to set up a crowdfunding campaign to create a website space for handmade businesses to showcase their products and a hub for resourcing relevant support and advice. There are plans in the pipeline for membership deals and events - but Owen does keep schtumm about some things, after all, it is very early days. On the back of HandmadeHour's twittering success,
they already have an ever-growing list of retailers looking to stock handmade products, not to mention the thousands of Twitter followers who may be one step closer to making their dreams a reality.
And it doesn't stop there. Owen and his HandmadeHour team are looking to bring deals from
all over. They are currently negotiating with a PR firm for a cracking percentage
off deal and they have already agreed a deal with @Popupstall for businesses to
have 50% off room hire so they can run their own workshops! It is early days, but they are
looking to do more with other businesses to bring similar deals both
within the business sector and outside!
Need to hear any more? Let me leave you in the company of Owen himself, who had this to say:
"We do not
have the funds to pay for the website ourselves. We're not in this for
the money, we want something that is beneficial for the small and
handmade businesses that use it. We're
just working really hard now to raise the funds through membership
sales and advertising sales. We're working around the clock with
business partners to negotiate some pretty fantastic deals. We really appreciate all
the support, both financial and words of encouragement that we have
received so far but there is still a lot of work for us to do. We are
determined to make this a reality and help support all the amazing
talent that there is out there!"
For more information on Owen and Becky's campaign follow the link here --> http://www.gofundme.com/3crtbk
For an array of wonderful handmade businesses why not give @HandmadeHour a follow on Twitter and get involved with the Wednesday hashtag #handmadehour to find out more.
Kickstarters and Crowdfunding projects are of the utmost interest to me. I think it's a fantastic way of the public getting involved with starting up and sponsoring small businesses and really gives that sense of community I so long for! I am currently in the early stages of planning a Crowdfunding project myself - information on that to follow in a few weeks!
As a major foodie, how could I not dedicate a post to the lovely Sam and Liz, of Waffly Nice, who emailed me with details of their Crowdfunding project for their food project? The lovely couple, pictured here,
are big fans of creative food and had a dream to share their passion and creativity with their hometown community of Canterbury, not to mention, the world! Encouraged by friends and family, they decided to unleash their ideas for a waffle van to dominate soggy sandwiches and boring lunches! Unfortunately, due to a lack of funding opportunities in the United Kingdom, they decided to turn to the idea of Crowdfunding to raise money for their outside eaterie, Waffly Nice. I love food, I love waffles and I love communities - these people might as well by my new best friends! I urge you to take a moment to read about Waffly Nice's Crowdfunding Project here - http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/waffly-nice-street-food-cart
What really struck me, when talking with Liz, was the 'food with a conscience' ethos that both her and Sam seem to share in their business.
Whilst the pair dream big, a fleet of waffle vans here, a friendly waffle cafe there, a dreamy cookbook to top it all; they are conscious of the impact they want to have on society and have pledged not only 10% of their profits, but also as much time as they can spare to a local charity. They want their potential investors to be just that, investors in their business who retain some sort of power over the direction the business eventually takes; helping to shape its long-term future and, most importantly, contributing to the local community. I have it on good authority that 'badass merchandise' will also be in plentiful supply to Waffly Nice's investors. Need I say more?
Having overcome many obstacles, Waffly Nice still needs OUR support and has recently just relaunched. Waffly Nice has received lots of local interest, but need to raise funds for materials, equipment, set up of the Waffly Nice website and a marketing campaign. I have been given exclusive rights to publish this mock-up of the proposed van - soon to be hitting a market square near you.
So do not delay in giving a little of your support where you can - help the lovely Waffly Nice guys fulfil their dreams and give back to their community!
Follow Waffly Nice on Twitter for regular updates @WafflyNice
Do you have a campaign or Kickstarter project you would like to be featured on Life is Peachy? I would love to hear from you! Email missemmaberry@gmail.com
