I started this monthly feature during lockdown to encourage people to start supporting more small businesses and give small businesses a place to showcase themselves. It started with this post and since then I have interviewed the founder of Cocabana, AlicexLizzy and Dumb Blonde Club. Make sure you go and check those posts out!
Today I’m interviewing Maisie, founder of House of Small. I’m so excited to share this with you as Maisie is one of my good friends from school and we actually studied Fashion together (there’s a fun fact if you didn’t know I was a Fashion student). I’m so proud of her for creating this amazing brand during lockdown and would love for you guys to join me in supporting her!
House of Small is an ethical and sustainable clothing brand for both adults and children and currently has a range of organic cotton printed tees, sweatshirts and tote bags with some adorable designs!
One of my favourite things about the website is that you can find out in more detail the journey of the products your purchasing: https://houseofsmall.com/the-journey/
HOW DID HOUSE OF SMALL COME ABOUT?
House of Small actually came about because I started doing embroidery in lockdown for something to do other than watch the news and sit on social media all day. I initially was doing embroidery just for me, but a friend of mine asked me to embroider their dog and it kind of took off! Before long I had a waiting list for my embroidery and as most of my designs were for children I started pondering with the idea of my designs being on children’s clothing. After a lot of trial and error I decided to move away from embroidery and look into printing because it was softer and more durable, and finally House of Small was born!
The face behind the brand!
HOW LONG WAS THE IDEA FOR THE BRAND IN YOUR HEAD BEFORE IT CAME TO LIFE?
I’ve always wanted my own brand and thought about going for it for a few years, but House of Small was created in maybe two months. Lockdown meant that I had more time than ever before to put my plans into action.
WHAT’S THE HARDEST PART ABOUT RUNNING YOUR OWN BUSINESS?
Even though I had more time, I still don’t have enough time! I work full time in digital marketing, so run HoS on the evenings and weekends, and they go by super quick! I also run HoS completely on my own and do EVERYTHING myself. It’s hard but I’m so proud of everything I’ve achieved in a few months.
WHAT DO YOU WISH OTHER PEOPLE KNEW ABOUT BEING A SMALL BUSINESS?
I recently heard the quote, ‘watching a marathon doesn’t feel the same as running it’, and that’s 100% true when starting a business. Starting and running a business is not as easy as it looks, and there really isn’t such a thing as overnight success.
DO/WOULD YOU USE INFLUENCER MARKETING? WHAT HAS YOUR EXPERIENCE BEEN?
I’ve worked in influencer marketing and been a blogger myself so am a real advocate for it, but I haven’t done influencer marketing yet for HoS although I will look into doing it in the future. When it comes to influencer marketing for HoS it’ll be super important to work with influencers that align with our brand perfectly and not just because they have followers. I’m a massive believer in quality over quantity.
WHAT IS ONE THING PEOPLE MIGHT NOT KNOW ABOUT THE BUSINESS?
Every month we do a buy one get one tree weekend, where we work with Teemill to plant a tree for every purchase made. These trees then maintain natural biodiversity and combat deforestation, and the project itself offers long term employment to local communities! Protecting our planet and people are at the heart of everything we do. Keep an eye out on our Instragam to find out when our next ‘buy one get one tree weekend’ will be.
ARE THERE ANY SMALL BUSINESSES YOU’VE SUPPORTED OR DISCOVERED RECENTLY?
I’m obsessed with small businesses! Pepita Makes create gorgeous handcrafted accessories, Pixie & Bobs is the place to go for made-to-order, slow fashion pieces and Penny London sells beautiful vegan handbags. There’s so many amazing small businesses it’s hard to pick!
ANYTHING ELSE YOU’D LIKE TO ADD?
Small businesses are a great place to shop ethically and sustainably! I rarely buy from the high street anymore, and love finding unique pieces for my home and wardrobe!
[…] October’s Small Biz Spotlight post was probably my favourite because it was my school friend Maisie’s business House Of Small. She makes adorable and fun sustainable and ethical clothing for both adults and children. Read about it here! […]
Oh wow this is such a cool brand! I’m obsessed with ‘buy one get on tree’, that’s an amazing idea. Really enjoyed reading this 🙂
https://www.femaleoriginal.com
I love the buy one get one tree too! Glad you enjoyed 🙂
What a lovely interview! This brand sounds so cool! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
Thanks for reading!
[…] October’s Small Biz Spotlight post was probably my favourite because it was my school friend Maisie’s business House Of Small. She makes adorable and fun sustainable and ethical clothing for both adults and children. Read about it here! […]