Crafting a shiny future using digital innovations
CITY SHOP OWNER ON HOW HER BUSINESS IS RISING TO CHALLENGES OF PANDEMIC
FROM teenage entrepreneur to dinner at the House of Lords, a Nottingham businesswoman has found success from what some might say is an unexpected source.
You might not imagine you could make a successful business out of selling beads, but Hana Glover knew otherwise.
At 18 years old she decided to start her own business and the rest of the story is, well, inspirational.
Hana was taking a year out before starting university, but when the owners of the Nottingham bead shop for which she had been working decided to move out of the city, she knew there was a gap in the market she could fill.
She said. “I was only going to university as I’d done well in my A-levels. What I really wanted to do was open and own a shop.”
Looking around for a suitable location, she took out a £2,000 bank loan, with the backing of her dad as a guarantor and the help of her then boyfriend, and opened The Bead Shop, in West End Arcade.
She said: “I wanted to make my own mark.”
A brave move? No, she said. Adding: “It’s easier [to start a business] at 18 - I had nothing to lose and I knew I could fall back on going to Uni or getting a job, plus we had a break clause in the lease at 15 months.”
Now aged 40, Hana recalls how the business developed. The business quickly outgrew those first premises and moved to Upper Parliament.
In 2006, it settled into its current distinctive purple fronted location in Market Street, Nottingham.
But having made a success of the venture, Hana then had to contend with the issues the pandemic threw at her.
She said: “It was a real struggle initially and I didn’t think the business would survive. The shop had to close and I had to furlough some of the team.
“I did worry whether I would end up losing my house - it was a huge worry - but during lockdown the business pivoted.
“Before the pandemic we already had a website and were trading online, but necessity forced us to innovate. We increased the range of kits we offered creating things that would keep people busy - I was keen to help tackle lockdown loneliness.
“We sent out weekly newsletters, pushed out as many free projects and patterns as we could, became very active on social media, and decided to put on workshops but that meant developing new skills.
“With the help of free webinars offered by BT and Google, I mastered how to set up my own webinars and use social media to grow our community, and made sure our online events were free and available to anyone.
“If it hadn’t been for the pandemic I don’t think I would have gotten round to creating the workshops.
As lockdown lifted, focus came back to the store. “Last year we realised we needed a reason for people to visit from further afield,” said Hana.
“When our customers come in they are often accompanied by their partners, who look bored, so in July we opened a cafe. Now they can sit and have a coffee and cake while their partner browses.”
The Bead Shop now has a staff of nine. It runs workshops including macramé, silversmith, jewellery making and bead weaving on the first floor of the building, with the cafe and shop on the ground floor.
The events of the past 18 months have created lots of challenges, but Hana says she has learned a lot.
“I know that if we hadn’t innovated and embraced digital technology we wouldn’t be here,” she said. “My advice to other small businesses is work with your neighbours as much as possible. Cross-promotion makes a big difference and collaborating and sharing gets your product out to new audiences.
“It is also amazing how many free resources there are out there.”
Hana’s success as an independent who has thrived with the help of technology has now been highlighted. Having used BT and Google’s free digital skills training, she was asked to front a social media campaign to help kick-start the post-pandemic recovery in other small businesses.
As part of the BT and Google venture she was invited to lunch at The House of Lords, met fellow attendees including Levi Roots and MPS including Lilian Greenwood, but it seems it’s her core business that still has her heart.
“No two days are the same. People bring in pieces they’ve made to show us, it is fascinating to see what people have created, how intricate the items can be, and the stories behind pieces. I love it.”