Business is bubbling as Danielle takes on six staff during pandemic
Cases heard recently before Southern Derbyshire magistrates
■■Kevin Doherty , 53, of Etwall Road, Willington, was fined £440 and was ordered to pay £90 costs, a £44 victim surcharge and had his licence endorsed with six penalty points for driving without insurance in Griffin Close, Chellaston, on February 5, 2021.
■■David Hawkins , 41, of Woodville Road, Hartshorne, was fined £660 and was ordered to pay £90 costs, a £66 victim surcharge and was disqualified from driving for six months for driving without insurance in Woodville Road, Overseal, on September 8, 2020.
■■Jacob Deas , 32, of Lancaster Drive, Hilton, was fined £220 and was ordered to pay £90 costs, a £34 victim surcharge and had his licence endorsed with three penalty points for speeding at 48mph in a 40mph limit in Warwick Avenue, Derby, on December 11, 2020.
■■Amanda Dixon , 48, of Cornwall Road, Burton, was fined £40 and was ordered to pay £90 costs, a £34 victim surcharge and had her licence endorsed with three penalty points for speeding at 36mph in a 30mph limit in Burton Road, Midway, on December 5, 2020.
■■Dean Flatt , 49, of Trent Avenue, Willington, was fined £220 and was ordered to pay £90 costs, a £34 victim surcharge and had his licence endorsed with three penalty points for speeding at 38mph in a 30mph limit in Burton Road, Midway, on December 8, 2020.
■■Nicola Lambie , 37, of Bretby Lane, Newhall, was fined £89 and was ordered to pay £90 costs, a £34 victim surcharge and had her licence endorsed with three penalty points for speeding at 39mph in a 30mph limit in Park Road, Newhall, on December 30, 2020.
■■Daniel Rutherford , 34, of Porters Lane, Findern, was fined £440 and was ordered to pay £90 costs, a £44 victim surcharge and had his licence endorsed with six penalty points for speeding at 98mph in a 70mph limit on the A38 near Coxbench, on January 30,2021.
■■Chloe Storer , 22, of Stanton Road, Burton, was fined £184 and was ordered to pay £90 costs, a £34 victim surcharge and had her licence endorsed with four penalty points for speeding at 67mph in a 40mph limit on the A52 in Derby, on December 28, 2020.
■■Abbie Cornock , 53, of Tudor House Close, Newhall, was fined £440 and was ordered to pay £90 costs, a £44 victim surcharge and had her licence endorsed with four penalty points for speeding at 41mph in a 30mph limit in Park Road, Newhall, on January 28, 2021.
A SWADLINCOTE woman who set up her own business just one week before the first lockdown now has a team of staff as demand for her products continues to grow.
Danielle Dunn started bath bomb and pampering business Divine Box at the beginning of the first lockdown and as many businesses struggled during the pandemic, she has seen demand soar.
She now has a team of six who she has helped to gain employment during the pandemic and has found ways to not only keep her business afloat but also manage the exceptional growth she has seen due to popular demand.
And as we reported in the Mail last week, the 34-year-old, from Swadlincote, has been shortlisted as one of the finalists for the “Business Hero” award at the National Business Women’s Awards 2021. She will now get to attend a night of celebrations in Wembley in November.
Danielle said: “I am through to the finals in a national business award. Even saying those words doesn’t feel real. To say starting a business just as the country went into lockdown has had its challenges would be a massive understatement, but through grit and determination, we’ve managed to get through.
“Hopefully, our small bath bomb business will be able to celebrate a win in November with some fizz – pun intended.”
The National Business Women’s Awards recognise the achievements of women business owners up and down the UK.
The ‘Business Hero’ award specifically recognises the challenges that have been faced over the past 12 months and the people who have found innovative ways to overcome them.
Danielle gave up her job as an assessor in the care industry to concentrate on her business full time – and then Covid hit.
She said: “We started off making bath bombs but during the pandemic we’ve grown quite rapidly.
“I’ve now got six staff members and we make everything from candles, to bath bombs, wax melts, room sprays, carpet fresheners, shampoo, so I kind of put it in a generic category now of self-care items.
“We’ve got two workshops in the garden so we’re still abiding by Covid.”
After starting her business as a side hustle alongside her full-time work, Danielle realised she would be able to get more out of her work if she committed her full-time working hours as well.
The launch of the business allowed her to give her family and friends jobs during the pandemic after they were made redundant.
She told the Burton Mail: “I’ve got one mate in one of the workshops, myself and my partner work in the other, my wholesale team who is actually my mum and dad, who lost their employment over Covid, so they work from home making bath bombs for other businesses all around the country.
“Then I’ve got another friend who also lost her job due to Covid who is my admin coordinator and gets to work from home as well.
“That was quite nice as well, that I was able to provide my family with that employment because we’re quite close-knit.
“Family and friends are obviously your biggest supporters and the work they’re putting in is because they want it to succeed and support your dreams, so it’s nice being able to work with them.”
Now, Danielle is looking forward to the future of the business and aims to take the e-commerce business into physical shops, before hopefully branching out internationally. She said: “I want to go international and I want to become a franchise, so I’m dotted here, there and everywhere.
“Obviously at the moment we are just e-commerce, other than people coming by who can have a nosey and pick out what they want, but apart from that we are e-commerce, so I would love to have some shops and go international.
“I am looking at Australia and America, which are two of the countries where we have the biggest demand, so I’m looking at that at the moment.”
I want to go international and I want to become a franchise, so I’m doted here, there and everywhere.
Danielle Dunn