Q: What's your main driving force behind the creation of 'Pockets for Women UK'?
A: After years of being a developer for hire I was looking for something to
build for myself, but why pockets? I have always loved clothes with
pockets, but I had seen it more as a bonus, rather than something to be
expected.  It was when I took my youngest son swimming and realized he
had his hands in his swimming shorts pockets, that I thought, this is
wrong.  I then noticed that my husband had pockets in his PJ's ( which i
didn't even know was a thing) after that I couldn't unsee the pocket
disparity and set on a mission to change it.


Q: What's been your biggest challenge developing your brand & your business?
A: I am a developer by trade and design and marketing is not something that
comes naturally to me at all, so that part has been a bit of a steep
learning curve.  Getting the word out there is still a challenge to be
honest.  however, I have been luck to feature in some national press,
which was lovely.  People seem to love talking about pockets.

Q: Do you have a motto or words to live by that encourage you on your path?
A: Pockets are a feminist issue

Q: How has your experience in previous jobs made a difference for you
in your entrepreneurial journey?
A:  As I've  done work for other eCommerce companies, I've had a great
opportunity to see what does work, and what doesn't. I've also had to
learn quickly about something new to meet a specific need of a client,
which I hope has helped.

Q: What are 3 pieces of advice you'd offer to other folks who may be
thinking of starting their own venture?
A: 1. Be prepared to go out of your comfort zone. Nobody is good at
everything, and certainly at the beginning, it's often all on you. For
me, this is putting yourself out there, but this is something you really
have to do. The more you do it, the easier it gets.
 2. Be patient, success probably won't happen overnight, unless you're lucky.
You'll make mistakes, everybody does, but making mistakes is part of the
learning process.
 3. Be prepared to take advice.  Often it's hard to see your baby
objectively, so it is really useful to have an outside take.  That said,
don't let be railroaded from something you feel passionately,  you'll
probably have thought more about the issues than anyone you know.


Q: Please share your favorite business success moment to inspire others
to reach for their dreams :))
A:  I think it has to be featuring the Times newspaper. For me, that was the
encouragement I needed to convince me that what I was doing was indeed
worthwhile thing.

 

 

Thank you Mandy for taking a little time to speak with us from across the pond :)  
And for those of you who would like to check out her resource website,
please do go make a visit or 3 to pocketsforwomen.co.uk ! xox