Chupi Sweetman
CEO, Chupi
Chupi’s beautiful handmade jewellery frequently graces the pages of IMAGE. The designer and creator behind her eponymous brand, Chupi launched her first luxury nature-inspired jewellery collection in 2013. Today, she employs a team of 48 and ships to 67 countries around the world. On track to deliver 47 per cent growth yearon-year in 2019, she admits she has a hugely competitive streak. “I built a company because I love the idea of winning, but winning and losing are both as powerful. I was shortlisted as IMAGE Businesswoman in 2013, when we founded the company, and I came with my husband. I remember losing and thinking, ‘Oh, I want to win.’ I learned so much more from losing. I wanted to go big, I wanted to change the world, I wanted to build a company that people saw. Losing made me figure out why. It’s so much more powerful than winning.”
Starting in a recession, she was told the brand would never succeed. “But I thought, why not? Why can’t we do this here? Growing up, my mum was amazing, and taught us that we could do anything we wanted in the world, as long as we were prepared to work hard.”
Chupi has enjoyed the help of many influential mentors along the way and found the Going for Growth community key to her company’s development. “When I quit my first business to start Chupi, I really wanted to ask for help. I think as women, we’re really bad at asking or saying, ‘I don’t understand.’ As a woman, it can be really hard to stand up and say, ‘I actually don’t know what I’m doing.’ But I think it’s so important.” After six successful years, Chupi is volunteering with Going for Growth for female entrepreneurship. “Except this time, I’m going to mentor on the programme for free, so the success is going full circle.”