Business Startup

Jan Howarth began making jewellery as a way to keep her mind occupied when her mother was diagnosed with cancer and after receiving superb feedback and praise for her pieces, Jan then decided to turn her hobby into a business .

A former fraud investigator for Shop Direct, and with no experience of running a business, Jan turned to Blue Orchid, a specialist team of start up business advisors that help people develop and grow their business models, which gave her invaluable advice on a range of business matters such as taxation, how to register as self employed, what funding she was eligible for and how to apply for it.

Commenting on her experience, 34 year old Jan says: “I had no idea how to go about setting up my own business, so I found the help and advice I received from Blue Orchard invaluable. One of the business advisors, Chris Halliwell, became a real friend to me and helped put my concerns at bay. Chris answered all of the questions I had, no matter how minor they seemed. He also made starting up on my own seem much simpler than I had first anticipated because he explained everything in a way that was really easy to understand.”

Misty Rose, Jan’s unique range of costume jewellery, officially launched in 2009, with customers able to purchase her beautiful bespoke pieces via her website: www.misty-rose.co.uk.

From vintage to modern styles, the collection includes necklaces, earrings, bracelets and watches. Each piece is carefully hand crafted from materials such as freshwater pearls, Swarovski crystals, natural gemstones and beads.

Jan adds: “I’ve always enjoyed jewellery making – I love the fact that you can make completely individual pieces which nobody else has, so setting up Misty Rose has been a dream come true for me. Having my own business also suits my lifestyle better as I have children and being able to pick and choose my hours allows me to be more flexible and spend more quality time with them. I also have a condition called Pancreatitis, which was always a constant worry and drawback in employment. Working flexibly allows me not to worry and to decide how long and when I work.”

A typical day for Jan now includes making new pieces to add to her collection, taking photographs to upload to her website, taking orders and arranging deliveries for customers. Her long term business goal is to looking to make her collection available in a range of galleries as well as on the high street.

Jan concludes: “Working for yourself is hard work, as you have to make sure you stay focused and disciplined and at times you can feel a little isolated. But I know that I can take as much time off as I need without worrying about losing my job or a drop in wages. Having my own business has also opened up so many opportunities for me and brought so many fabulous friends into my life. I only wish I’d thought of doing it a lot sooner.”