Organising a white wedding can be one of the most stressful things you will ever have to do. With so many things to arrange, you’re bound to get frustrated at a lack of choice or your limited budget when trying to create the perfect day.
Annabelle Hamilton experienced such frustration before her wedding in 2003, finding it impossible to find high quality handmade wedding stationary at reasonable prices. Showing a true entrepreneurial spirit, Annabelle realised there was a gap in the market for a business that supplied such products and set up Especially for you Designs shortly after she tied the know.
Initially selling handmade cards and stationery packs in her local area, demand saw Annabelle’s business quickly grow. She now offers everything from candles to tiaras and has been featured in countless magazines. The niche market she discovered has certainly proved profitable.
Starting off with just a computer – a gift from her husband – and a small business loan, Annabelle built up the website from scratch and create the products herself.
The Oxfordshire-based entrepreneur worked as a long haul stewardess for Virgin for nine years before giving up the job to have her son, Jack, in 2002. Other than admitting a strong admiration for her former boss Richard Branson – “he is an inspiration and a fine example to all budding entrepreneurs” - Annabelle was keen to go it alone rather than return to her old job.
“I have always wanted be work for myself,” Annabelle explains. “Being my own boss suits my personality. I have ambition, dedication, motivation and self-belief, which are the key aspects of running your own business.”
Annabelle started off by exhibiting at local wedding fairs, something she admits was initially daunting.
“They were nerve wracking but very successful and I not only gained business from these but befriended local wedding suppliers and people ‘in the know’ to give me advice and steer me in the right direction,” she says. “I am also regularly asked to supply items for top bridal publications too, which is great as they are free advertising and I always receive enquiries when one of my products has been advertised.”
As the products are handmade to particular designs, within a fairly niche market, Annabelle experienced initial problems finding wholesalers and sourcing products.
“It took months and months to fine the best, yet affordable, products,” she explains. “Wholesalers are hard to come by as they rarely advertise on the net and others are loathed to inform you of their suppliers due to the fact it took them so long to source them themselves, so you have to be prepared to put the work in.
“I now have good working relationships with wholesalers around the country but it was hard getting there.”
Having exploited this under-populated market, Annabelle is now looking to move to new premises and expand the business further. So what do entrepreneurs need to do to follow in her footsteps?
“Be pro-active, be prepared to work hard and remain motivated,” she says. “Have sufficient capital available and do not be deterred by failure or criticism.”
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