Looking back, Tracey Pretty thinks her fate was sealed when her mum bought her a toy sewing machine when she was about four or five years old. She used it to make handkerchiefs to sell to friends and relatives. She would also help her mum, who was a dressmaker, cut out patterns. “I was so small, I probably wasn’t really any help, but I have lovely memories of us sewing together. That, to me, was when I knew that [sewing and making things] was what I wanted to do,” says Pretty. She recently opened her first shop, Miss Pretty London, which sells her handmade items along with others from similar makers, in Twickenham.
Yet the path from entrepreneurial schoolgirl to shop owner was anything but straightforward. It took Pretty several stressful years working as a PA in the property industry to realise she needed a change of career. She reignited her passion for craft with the purchase of a new sewing machine in her mid 20s, staying up late to make bags and accessories for friends. A stall at a weekend market in Greenwich, south-east London, followed, which she kept going for two years while continuing to work full-time. Finally, in 2015, she quit her job to focus on her sewing projects, which she also sold online. Now she wonders why it took her so long to believe in herself and pursue her dream.
Details from the shop
Some businesses start out with massive loans and office space and big plans. But mine started as a hobby and a passion – it’s something I built up from nothing.
It took a long time to get to where I am, because I was scared to give up my day job. I didn’t have the confidence to talk about my business. Even after I’d set it up as a limited company and I had the website I’d still say I was a PA when people asked what I did.
You have to have the confidence to say this is your business and you can do it. It’s super important to be in the right frame of mind. If you believe in yourself you can move a lot faster in setting up your business and achieving your goals.
I’d work Monday to Friday as a PA, leaving the house at 8am and getting home at 7pm. I’d sew in the mornings and evenings. Some nights I remember being up until 11 o’clock with fabric all over my living room. I look back and don’t know how I did it – maybe it was being in my 20s, plus having the passion and belief.
Taking a slow journey to where I am now gave me the headspace to think carefully about my brand and what I want to be. It also gave me the time to learn everything. I didn’t know anything about accounts, or marketing, or even what a limited company was. It’s been a steep learning curve, but now I know every single tiny crevice of my business.
Miss Pretty London in Twickenham sells Pretty’s handmade items along with others from similar makers
People look at the front of the shop and think it’s pretty, and that it must be fun to display all the stock. But there is a whole backlog of admin that you don’t see. I’ve just recruited a someone to work Sundays and I had to make sure she has a contract and her payroll is OK. You don’t necessarily think the corporate admin things are the most important things for your business, but if you get them wrong you’re in deep trouble.
When I worked from home I had to hold a lot of stock so I had to insure it. It was really difficult to find an insurer that understood my situation. At the time, AXA was the only company that understood my needs and offered a policy that was affordable. So when I opened my shop, it was clear that I’d stay with them. Someone at AXA talked me through all the insurance I would need, not just for contents, but public liability insurance and employers’ liability.
One of the most frustrating things about setting up my business was working from home. Getting a work-life balance is extremely hard when you’re sitting in your office space, trying to focus, and out of the corner of your eye you see a pile of washing. Unless you’ve worked from home it’s very hard to understand. It was also hard to be taken seriously as a business when I didn’t have a branded shopfront or an office space and had to have meetings at Starbucks.
No matter how busy your day is, I think it’s really important to have some head space away from your work. Although I often don’t have a day off, I walk to work every day for an hour and walk home for another hour with my two little dogs. I also close the shop for half an hour for lunch at the same time every day. We put a “Gone Walkies” sign on the door. You should always take time out, because when you get back, you’ll power through any to-do list more quickly and probably get more done than if you hadn’t taken a break.
My best advice is if you want to start a business don’t be scared of doing it. It will take trial and error. If it goes wrong, as long as you haven’t lost lots of money, you’ve learned from it. It’s better to make little mistakes than do nothing and not move forward. If you believe in what you’re doing and you think it can work and you have the workmanship and are prepared to put in the hours, then go for it, go for your dreams. Believe in yourself and have confidence in yourself.
Tracey Pretty takes care of business. AXA Business Insurance takes care of Miss Pretty London. To find the insurance that’s right for your business, try AXA’s Business Insurance Wizard today
