MEET THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE BUSINESS …
Your name? Jo Wareham
Your business name? The Little Branding Company Ltd
How long have you been in business? 3 years on the 17th November
What do you love most about your job? I feel so lucky and grateful to be able to do what I love to do and from the comfort of my home – it’s a great industry to be in and every day is different
Your claim to fame? Oooh I always get stuck when people ask me this…our family dog was in Four Weddings and a Funeral… the black labrador at the end was Brandy, a beautiful dog but sadly no longer with us
Your first childhood memory? I’m from a tiny little Hamlet in Norfolk so we had to make our own fun, I loved going for rides on the tractors and combine harvesters in the summer and making houses out of bales of hay… also going for long walks with my parents and looking for birds nests and taking the eggs and blowing them and collecting them in a sawdust tray.. we had so many different shapes and colours… that’s kind of cruel I guess but you did that back then if you lived in the country… please don’t hate me !!
How long have you been a member of WIBN and why did you join? I’ve been a member of the Luton Group since it began back in May this year – I wanted to get back into a Ladies Group and Louise contacted me just at the right time…
Most frightening film and why? I don’t do frightening films, I'm a big woos!
What sort of training did you have before going into this business? I had 15 years hands on experience working with one of the largest distributors in the industry so I had a fabulous supplier/client base to call on when I set the company up…
What advice would you give someone who wants to set up their own business? Stop talking about it and just do it! It’s probably one of the scariest, best, most challenging and amazing things I’ve ever done – it’s an incredible journey but one so worthwhile… The support I got from my family, friends, clients and suppliers was phenomenal so I would say speak to WENTA, they are an amazing team of people who know loads about everything and join lots of networking events – most of my business comes from networking and referrals…
The one business you couldn’t possibly live without? The water company – I love water!!! Seriously though I have some fabulous clients and suppliers and I couldn’t do any of it without them so I couldn’t pinpoint one business – chocolate keeps me sane though so Cadburys play a big part.
If Hollywood made a movie about your life, whom would you like to see play the lead role as you? It would have to be Bridget Jones – I am her … lol
What is the last book you read? The Magic by Rhonda Byrne – magical things happened in all aspects of my life after I read that - its all about positive thinking – it makes you think differently – read it if you haven’t already!!
What is the best thing that someone has said about you and your business? My dad says he is proud of me and that Im a great little business woman… that means a lot … I love my Dad so much !!
Hindsight is a wonderful thing – what one thing would you do differently? Gosh I wouldn’t do anything differently – things are meant to be and everything happens for a reason so you can learn from them
If you could be a super hero, what would you want your superpowers to be? I’d give everybody eternal life so nobody would ever have to lose people they love to horrible illnesses
How would you describe your business in three words? Fun, Innovative and Professional
How have things changed for your business over the past few years? My business has grown month on month since I began which is fabulous and totally unbelievable – I mean its just silly old me but I guess I must be doing something right - As I get busier though its clear I need to get some computer programmes in place to free up my time from all the administration – that’s proving challenging as I know nothing about computers and software… any help welcome!!
What is the greatest challenge in running a business? I think Cash flow can be a bit of a headache at times… one minute the bank account can look nice and fruitful but then very quickly its gone – I made sure I kept my feet on the ground from day one - it was 2 years before I got a nice car – before that I was driving an old Ford Focus but I knew I couldn’t commit to high monthly payments without knowing the business was established – also the VAT return can be a bit of a headache but I’m learning to budget well…
What are your plans for the future? That's a very good question… I’ve just started doing some volunteering with Macmillan so that’s exciting and I’ve signed up to be a student mentor with the 6th Form College – I need to think about where I take my business, employing people etc etc but that’s really grown up stuff and can wait till after xmas… Oh and I will continue to search for my perfect man too but we all know he doesn’t exist … won’t stop me looking though
What’s the best thing about being a member of WIBN? Meeting Louise and all of the other ladies in the group… its truly wonderful to be able to meet, eat, chat, talk about business and feel like you are surrounded by friends.. its wonderful and it works!!!
