Emma’s story – Helping businesses to grow

Emma who runs Every Nook, an online fragrance company based in the district, has been supported to grow her businesses thanks to one-to-one sessions run by Business Advisor Dawn Fear which has been funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. She now has a space at the Beacon Centre in Newark and has been selected to have a pop-up at John Lewis in Nottingham.

Read Emma’s story below…

I first set up Every Nook when I moved to Newark with my family 5 years ago. We had been living in London where I had worked in Beauty Buying, most recently for Marks and Spencer. Now with two small children we needed to be closer to family and I wanted work that would allow me to work flexibly around them. I had seen friends start up creative businesses that worked around family life, so I thought why not me! I really enjoyed working with fragrance in my previous career, and who doesn’t love a candle - so I went on a candle making course and the idea for every nook came along! 

It was extremely small scale at first, I used a cupboard under the stairs to work from (hence the name every nook) and set up an Etsy shop which pretty much only my friends and family knew about! I didn’t have a lot of time to work as I was looking after the children full time at home, but gradually I built up confidence by trialling local markets at weekends and selling in a local craft shop (Crafty Bettys).

When lockdown started, I actually saw a real boost in online sales through social media, I took part in virtual markets increasing my brand awareness and making connections with other makers for advice and encouragement. With increased visibility on social media, I gained some interest from independent retailers and the wholesale side of my business started to grow as restrictions eased. 

Over the years I have discovered some amazing local artisan markets which have allowed me to grow my business, I have traded regularly with AMFF, Sherwood Makers, Sherwood Market, Craft at the Nottingham Contemporary and Ay Up Market Nottingham. All which are great for networking with local customers and feeling connected to the area since moving here. 

To grow my wholesale business recently I have stood at trade shows, Top Drawer London and Home & Gift Harrogate, and plan to return to Top Drawer next year. These have been great to meet retailers from across the country and overseas and where I have been able to build my stockists. 

Earlier this year I first made connections with the business support team within Newark and Sherwood District Council. It is from this interaction that I discovered the Newark Beacon and the space and resources they had available which would help scale my business. I have been fortunate to have had some 1:1 business advice from Dawn Fear, which has been invaluable in focussing my business plan and giving me the confidence to make decisions for future growth. 

Next month I have a pop-up stand in John Lewis Nottingham via Pop Up Indie for the first time. This initiative facilitates small businesses like every nook to trade within selected multinational retailers. I hope to be able to utilise this opportunity to grow the awareness of my brand and gain experience of working with a large local retailer. 

Now I have larger premises at the Newark Beacon, my plan is to utilise this to grow my wholesale business and product line up, plus host candle making workshops as a new revenue stream.

The Economic Growth team offers a range of fully funded support for businesses in the district both in-house and through partners, including; 1-2-1 tailored face-to-face advice, access to grants and scale-up programmes, access to the Boosting programme in partnership with Lincoln College, access to the Accelerator programme with East Midlands Chamber, the opportunity to attend various business focused workshops, access to grant finder schemes, advice on business rates and many more!

To help your business grow, contact: economic.growth@newark-sherwooddc.gov.uk