Case Study
Thrifty Bambino
I am a 33 year old mother to twin toddler girls, originally from Northern Ireland but lived abroad for 13 years when in my teens. After moving back home I worked for a number of years in hospitality management before deciding to start my own business that would allow me to be more flexible and spend more time at home with my girls while at the same time, doing something I love and have experience with.
At university I studied clothing design technology and had always wanted to do something with clothing and so came about an idea to start my own business, Thrifty Bambino.
What inspired me to consider self employment
I was inspired to start Thrifty Bambino when I realised the amount of unworn, or worn a handful of times, but still in amazing quality clothing that my twin girls had outgrown.
With such a quick turnaround, I witnessed the sad wastage on children's clothing so came up with the idea to create a website that would allow these beautiful pieces, along with others I sourced to be rehomed and reloved whilst contributing to keeping them out of the ever growing vast amount of landfill and helping the environment.
How beneficial was the Exploring Enterprise Programme to you
Joining the Exploring Enterprise Programme helped me to understand all aspects of starting my business and take the steps needed to follow through with my idea.
Each session was a learning tool and any questions I had were answered, any doubts were explained thoroughly and I was walked through every step of what needed to be done to start by own business.
My key achievements from the Programme
My key achievement was launching my business, just a short time after completing the programme and doing it with confidence, knowing I had covered all aspects needed for running my own business.
Where I am now
I am fully live online and am currently driving my social media to push hits to my website, to increase my business awareness.
How I found the support from Antrim Enterprise Agency
The support I received was amazing...always there to help and hold my hand through every step and any doubts or questions I had were addressed or answered.
My advice for someone starting a business
Take a risk, go for it and don't be afraid to ask for help.
Through support from Antrim Enterprise, you can gain more knowledge and learn things you might not have known about being self-employed and starting your own business.