In this second of three blog posts taken from #marchmeetthemaker we look at days eleven to twenty and start getting into the detail behind the brand and finding out how a small business works...
Day 11 · Branding
#marchmeetthemaker is all about branding. A few of you may remember that my company wasn’t always named after me. When I first launched it was called ‘CMYK London’ (CMYK refers to to the four inks used in some colour printing, cyan, magenta, yellow, key- black) I hadn’t done my research properly and there was another brand that sold a collection of T-shirts called ‘CMYK’ so I had to change my brand. At the time I was completely gutted, it meant having to rebrand, change the website, sell through the stock I had printed, and the hardest part of all, choosing a new company name! 😳After weeks of brainstorming I finally decided to use my own (slightly unusual) name, Victoria Eggs. I’d lived with it all my life so I knew I wouldn’t get bored of it! I look back now and I’m so grateful that I had to make that change. Using my name works so much better and people understand who they’re buying from and who has designed it. It’s a brand with a ready made identity, personality and face! The logo itself has changed a few times and will continue to evolve, the yellow circle is my subtle head nod to my surname; it represents the yolk of an egg! 🍳
Day 12 · Postage and Packaging
#marchmeetthemaker is all about postage and packaging. All of our products have either a branded swing ticket (the card tag you find on most textiles) or a belly band (a strip of card which wraps around the product). The design includes information about the product along with the brand story and logo. Here you can see the packaging for our limited edition Royal Wedding collection to celebrate the marriage of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Before sending out the products our online orders are packed in a grey striped bag which is sealed with a Victoria Eggs sticker and posted in a yellow envelope or cardboard box. We hope our customers love opening them and it brings a smile to their faces!
Day 13 · Work Clothes
#marchmeetthemaker I don’t have any specific work clothes, I’m generally in the office and wear whatever takes my fancy on the day. It usually involves bright colours (especially oranges and reds), spots, stripes, denim and dungarees! All of which I wear with my comfy @mahabis slippers to keep my feet lovely and warm! What’s your favourite colour to wear?
Day 14 · Dreams and Plans
#marchmeetthemaker is a tough one. I have detailed 1, 3 and 5 year plans written down. Starting with 5 years and working backwards to where I am at the moment... although I really need to update it soon! Keeping creative and working on the business are always in the forefront of my mind and goals.
Day 15 · Boomerang
#marchmeetthemaker This is the Royal Wedding mug dance I do for every online order we receive! It might look simple but the footwork is intricate! 💃🏼😜More of these limited edition mugs are being posted out today, I’m so pleased you like them, the feedback has been amazing. When you buy from a small business you’re making an actual person smile and do a little dance😁💃🏼
Day 16 · Helper
#marchmeetthemaker 🙋🏼♀️Say a big hello to Tara (the one on the left!) Tara is far from a ‘helper’, she’s an enormous part of our small team, mainly focusing on account management and sales. She is a ball positive energy, loves flowers and dogs, and makes great cookies! It’s a complete joy working with her. You can see the world through Tara’s eyes over on her colourful Instagram page @backsiebird 💐
Day 17 · Customers and Feedback
#marchmeetthemaker When I first saw today’s theme my mind initially went to written customer reviews, but whilst thinking about it further I realised that there are so many less direct ways that say what customers think about my products. Having looked through old photos on Instagram I came across photos customers had tagged me in of their new VE product proudly displayed in their homes, along with great displays in high street stores such as @wbtclondon @frompaperchase & @steamertrading , thank you letters and presents from previous interns and freelancers, press cuttings and interviews, and @amazonhandmade homepage where we were the main image upon its launch. 💕It’s very rare that I take a step back and look how far my business has come (I’m usually focused on the next step), so I’d like to say a huge thank you to @joannehawker for allowing me to take this time. It’s really made me smile! ☺️I’ve also included an email I received from a customer last year that really touched me and I can’t bring myself to delete. Thank you to all of you who have taken the time to let me know what you think, I really do appreciate it.
Day 18 · Inspiration
#marchmeetthemaker My designs are inspired my experiences, whether that’s making Airfix models with my brother when we were children, my Dad calling stairs ‘apples and pairs’ and curry ‘ruby’, holidays on various British coastlines, Mum’s Shepherd’s Pie, days out in London Town or fond memories of family Christmas traditions. Each and every design has an element of nostalgia, something that’s personal to me but also taps into equally fond memories for you. All of them are designed to bring a smile to your face, I hope they do! 😊
Day 19 · Can’t live without
#marchmeetthemaker I think it’s fair to say that my amazing husband, family and friends are a given💕they’d come first over anything else. My business specific ‘can’t live without’ is definitely my beloved laptop (and giant monitor) which enables me to create designs and run my business. These aside it would be music 🎶I simply can’t imagine life without it... even though I can’t personally sing a note!
Day 20 · Tools and Materials
#marchmeetthemaker everything starts with a pen and paper! As much as I love (and need) my computer I still prefer putting pen to paper, whether that’s to design or write a ‘to do’ list!
