If you click on the about me section you will find out more about me and my background and why I chose to set up my own business, but what I haven’t covered is the light bulb moment. So as this is one of my first blog entries I thought I would share this with you. I love reading about how businesses first started (because I'm nosey like that) so if you are as nosey as me read on...
I’ll set the scene, it’s 2021 and 2 friends with 2 toddlers are going for a walk. I say walk, the toddlers were in the prams and we were pushing them along handing snacks to them every 2 minutes so we could finish our sentences. I was talking to my lovely friend Annie about setting up a gifting business but my hopes and dreams seemed rather far fetched, I had so many ideas but I didn’t know how to start small. I wanted to be able to provide people with gifts/gift boxes to send to their friends for the big and small moments in their lives. I knew I would have to build up to this of course so I was a little lost with what products to start with.
Annie was wearing a wish bracelet that her sister had bought her with a cheese charm on it (Annie loves cheese, I won’t tell you quite how much she loves cheese because she won’t forgive me) and I loved that, a simple gift but it meant so much to Annie.
I went off and started thinking about wish bracelets and all the occasions you could gift them for. I wanted to be able to make them extra special and personalised to the occasion. I started thinking about all the life events myself, family and friends had been through and choosing charms that could perhaps match these; back to the drawing board after realising this wasn’t the best plan. I also liked the thought of writing a poem/verse instead about these life events and putting the wish bracelet with it.
I always wanted to base my business on kindness because that’s what gifting is all about isn’t it, sending gifts because you are being kind and thinking about that person and wanting to put a smile on their face. I came up with an idea of “A little wish of kindness” this was followed by 3 other product ideas;
“a little pinch of kindness” (pin badges)
“a little scratch of kindness” (scratch cards)
“A little key to kindness” (key chains)
For all of which I made up the phrases, wording and design for. Since then I have developed more product ranges and now Rainbow Bear is the home of all kinds of kindness and pretty things, because sometimes you may want to send something that’s pretty along with the thoughtful gift or simply keep the pretty thing for yourself!
It all started with a wish so I’d like to try and bring a smile to whoever is reading this (whether it’s a one off or every week) with a wish for the week, so here is this weeks:
Happy Monday!
We have reached the middle of March and the sun has finally started to shine,
I know what you are thinking, it’s about bloody time!
We will all start panicking about our summer bodies but its ok, the nights will be lighter,
You’ll be able to go on evening walks to get that bum of yours a little bit tighter!
Daffodils, green grass and blue skies are here to stay (I hope)
So enjoy these moments and try not to wish the time away
Stay positive and fabulous for the week ahead
But if thats a struggle some days, have a cheeky wine instead!