Our journey…
Life is a funny thing, isn’t it? You start with one idea of what it will be like and that morphs into something else, then twists and turns in another direction, and before you know it, you’re somewhere completely different to where you started. You’re someone completely different to who you were.
That’s not a bad thing. In fact, for me at least, it’s been a wonderful, exciting, fun-filled journey.
I started my working life in the NHS, as a manager. I am organised. I like making things happen. I was pretty darn good at what I did. But I was also tired. You’ll probably have felt it yourself; that realisation that you’re doing something but it’s not quite right for you. So when I was offered voluntary redundancy I took it. It was the best thing for my mental health.
But before I could start anything new or even really think about what I wanted to do, there was the house to clear up. With two people working, housework can fall somewhat to the bottom of the list of priorities. Being at home more, I began to understand why my partner Ali was always asking me to either take my completed craft projects to the charity shop, or sell them. There were a lot of them.
That’s because crafting had always been my passion. It was my way of relaxing. It was how I wound down at the end of a difficult day in the NHS. It was something I couldn’t wait to get back to, and something I missed when I wasn’t doing it. I just hadn’t realised how much I had made over the years.
I couldn’t just give all of my makes away. This is when I discovered that I could open a shop on Etsy, the selling platform of handmade. I sold a few things. I sold a few more. Pretty soon I was making crafts in order to keep up with demand.
And there it was. Just like that. An accident, really. My hobby, the thing I had always relied so much on, was suddenly even more important. This hobby became Wool Couture.
From kitchen table to John Lewis
Honestly both Ali and I agree that the first few years were completely ‘bonkers’.
We suddenly went from having a hobby and literally working from our kitchen table, to selling a full range of kits in John Lewis.
Then we were approached by Free People in the US. They wanted us to supply a homewares range and guess what…we did it. At this point, we still didn’t know the power of saying ‘no’.
By 2017, we were shipping to 42 countries worldwide and selling to successful high street stores.
Whilst it was an amazing journey, Ali and I are both very clear that we could have looked after ourselves much better than we did in reality.
What a difference a phone call makes
Sat at our desk in our little office in Barnsley, I answered the telephone and when I got off the call, I asked Ali “shall we go on Dragons Den”?
At the beginning when we started our business, we were so happy that people loved what we were doing, I don’t think we ever sat down and made a real plan about what we wanted the business to be. We just went along with the flow and worked really, really hard.
Then we had this call and it made us think. Do we want to grow our business (quite honestly we were impressed we were turning over £300k at this point) or shall we keep it as is?
We were attracted by the thought of taking our love of crafts and turning this into the biggest craft business in the UK. So we looked very closely at our figures and we decided to give Dragons Den a go.
It’s Claire speaking now…you could say Im quite a determined person and once Ali and I agreed to do Dragon’s Den, there was no messing about on my part…we were going in there to win a Dragon or 2.
Was this a good idea? I will tell you soon.
The Pitch…
Like many before me, I stood in front of five Dragons to sell a share in my business. What I was actually looking for was help and support from people that had been there and done it.
It was the most intense interview that I have ever had. Luckily, with my career in the NHS, I had experienced tough interviews before.
If you're ever in my position, and you are serious about finding an investor, do your homework and study your figures as if you are going into the most important exam of your life.
My second tip, especially if you are nervous about standing up and talking in front of people is practice, practice and practice some more. Don’t just think it will be okay on the day - it won’t. Have you ever tried standing in front of a mirror and talking? It’s really hard, but that’s what I did, day after day until the words just flowed.
My final tip is don’t let anything stand in your way. I have anxiety and depression and it’s quite acute at times. But I won’t be defined by it, even though it can sometimes be a daily battle. I class myself as an anxiety warrior - it’s not going to beat me!
If you want to make the pitch of your life, go and do it!
What was it really like?
You start by filling out an application form. Next are interviews, TV screen testing and a lot of information to submit about your business.
If you're lucky enough to get through all of these stages, you then get the invite to pitch your business to the Dragons. On the actual day, you layout your wares and wait for your turn to walk out of the elevator.
Once you're being filmed it is really down to you and the Dragon’s. The TV crew are there in the background and they film every second. I was asked to stand on a certain spot and make my pitch. Then for the next 90 minutes the questions went on and on and on…
There was one point where I got really stuck about my numbers. I knew my numbers were right asI had been through my figures so many times with my accountant. I knew I had to be saying it in the wrong way. So I reminded myself that this wasn’t live TV. I looked down at my new shiny shoes, took a moment (quite a long moment to calm myself) and I went back for a second attempt at explaining myself.
Hallelujah! We were speaking the same language and then the offers came in.
Touker Suleyman
“I knew from the minute that Claire walked into Dragons'Den that she would be brilliant at everything she chooses to do. A woman with passion and integrity, Claire and Wool Couture was an investment that I wasn't going to let go.”
Tej Lalvani
“We all strive to be memorable, but it is rare on first meeting that you instinctively sense a person is going to be special. You look and hear their proposition and all is confirmed, that is exactly what happened when Claire stepped out of the elevator into.”