Real Life We’re Facebook famous
With a growing army of over-50s starting their own businesses, we speak to two ‘olderpreneurs’ who’ve used social media to become a success
‘MY FOLLOWING QUICKLY BEGAN TO GROW’
Michelle Burgess, 53, lives in Whitstable with her husband, Ian.
At the age of 45, I found myself spiralling into a midlife depression. I had a good career in finance and lived in a lovely home with Ian, my husband of five years. I was happy and contented, but in 2013 I started suffering from excruciating headaches and nausea. I was diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, otherwise known as ME. The cause is unknown and there is no cure.
Very quickly, ME began to take over my life. The constant muscular and joint pains rendered me largely inactive, with no desire to even leave the house. With difficulty concentrating and little energy, I was forced to give up a career I’d spent two decades building up.
I was devastated. My job meant everything to me, and suddenly I felt lost – like a huge part of my identity was missing.
Aware that I was lacking in confidence and growing more depressed, in late 2013 Ian proposed we get a dog to keep me company while he was at work.
We met 11-week old
Border terrier Barney that December and instantly fell in love with his excitable personality. Barney restored my sense of purpose, giving me something to wake up for. Taking him for walks forced me outside, and training him proved a good distraction from my pain.
The following year, I got creative and turned one of the photos I’d taken of Barney into an image inspired by Andy Warhol’s Four Marilyns. I uploaded it to my largely unused Facebook page – and what was
‘A BIT OF FUN TURNED INTO MORE’
just a bit of fun soon turned into something more. ‘You should put this design on a mug,’ one of my friends commented on the picture. Launching my own business wasn’t something I’d thought of, but with the new-found confidence Barney had given me, I decided it would be a great way to further distract myself from my ME.
So, in late 2015, I launched Scruffy Little Terrier – an online shop for dog lovers – and set about creating gifts for both hounds and humans, including homeware, clothing and accessories featuring unique designs. Though I’d never been an avid user of social media, I realised its potential in promoting my brand, and created a Facebook and Instagram page. We adopted another scruffy little terrier, Sandy, in May 2016, and I began populating my social-media pages with
photos of the three of us, playing, out on country walks and having snuggles, alongside pictures of my gift range.
I used relevant hashtags to reach different audiences, posted at least once a day, and my following quickly began to grow. Now I have over 8,000 followers on Instagram and 2,000 likes on Facebook. I never expected to have such a big audience, and it’s still growing every day.
I don’t smother myself in make-up or edit my pictures , and I think my followers like that they’re so natural.
I’ve come a long way from the woman who lacked confidence and rarely left her home. Now I’m a successful business owner – and I owe it all to my scruffy little terriers. ✱ scruffylittleterrier.com