Hey readers, subscribers and new visitors. I committed to the interviews and the blog and then this happened... Well you'll find out next weekend, but all I will say for now is if you follow the social media pages you'll have seen some new faces. It's opened out to a new add on to the business and whilst it has dropped in nicely the set up process was not so easy to squeeze in. I'm pretty much set up now, and organised, tests have been run and I've got a lovely chap coming out to quality assure the process very soon so thats been exciting but pretty full on.
As with most things the set up is what takes the time. My little business is demanding because I'm building it from the livestock upwards which of course means infrasture. In the long run it will all be worth it. We have a very clear goal as to what we are doing now and how it needs to run to be profitable for us and of course to offer some fantastic products and experiences for our customers.
So of course I'm building the goat barn in the background come rain or shine, sourcing cheap bathroom sets, tiles and moving rocks.... It's a heavy job. There's been a few issues in the background to try to resolve, unfortunately thats taken some time and I've been unable to get on to the computer to finish these interviews. I was going to publish this interview on the 15th October, and that evening one of my dogs suddenly had a stroke. I spent the evening with him as he fitted twice and passed away.
However the routine will resume and I'll carry on sharing these wonderful people running amazing local businesses. Part of the creation of the Clean Goat Smallholding was to share the wonderful life and the lifestyle and to share the small rural business world out there for others to get inspiration and to show anyone wanting the same... You can do it too!
So a few weeks late (but then the weekend this would have been launched it was all sunshine and warm so perhaps not the best weekend for everyone thinking about keeping warm!) Here is a compilation of an audio recording of an interview with Jenny Allen from Little Brown Bird Co. Moving to a rural location and setting up her own business has seen it blossom into something wonderful and importantly something that she controls and is profitable for her.
Living rural and running a business has some people thinking its about having land and livestock but keeping livestock isn't for everyone. What if you fancy the rural life but you don't look at a field full of sheep going green with envy just planning when you can buy some...
For some people the business they create is more fundamental to what they can produce, their own skills and what they can source locally.
Jenny Allen has always loved making things from wool, her crafty and can do attitude meant that she learnt how to make her own clothes and is a master of self sufficiency in the vegetable garden as well as the home environment. She has a creative eye that has a traditional, slightly retro style. Yet her social pages and photography styles are rooted in a modern look and appeal to so many customers that she successfully has built a one woman business that operates throughout the autumn/winter months almost exclusively. Making only hats, snoods and head bands in an array of colours she really can demonstrate how you can take your passion and turn it into a thriving profitable business.
That certainly is something that would appeal to some thinking a home run business that really offers a home life balance (if there is such a thing). I often see her images pottering in the garden during the summer months were she has time to visit family and relax. Of course it's not that simple, because to balance it out she's working long hours in winter to get all the orders boxed up and to make the wholesale orders that come in during this time.
We sat down in my garden in July this year and chatted, mostly writing down notes and recording the audio on my phone. As I explain in the video I had intended to type up some of the chats but Jenny has such a lovely voice and was relaxed chatting that I thought perhaps you would love to hear from her direct. So the audio has been pasted alongside lots of her wonderful images to watch along side the audio.
I really hope you enjoy the little video I've put together and I hope even more that you pop over to her website and put an order in. To watch click the logo.
