Mum of four celebrates successful first quarter of trading
Mum of four celebrates successful first quarter of trading
A mum of four from Levenshulme is celebrating a successful first three months of trading with her business Caress Clothing.
38-year-old Lena Rowe had previously worked as a medical secretary and wanted to create a better work/life balance. Caress Clothing manufactures and sells women’s club wear, dancewear, exotic wear and lingerie through its website.
Lena said she decided to launch her business after successfully selling the clothes on ebay.
“I started making club wear in my spare time and decided to test the waters by selling it on ebay,” she said. “It sold well and I could see that owning my own business would allow me to spend more time with my children, aged between one and 17. I contacted Business Link and they told me about Blue Orchid business support agency. I was given a personal business advisor who helped me write a business plan and explained key areas such as setting up a business bank account, marketing and selling online. I set aside some money while planning and bought my first batch of stock to sell on the website. I am so pleased with how things have gone and it was great having someone to call when I had a query.”
Lena is currently planning to set up her own store and would like to see her brand become a household name similar to Ann Summers.
“I want to expand my line over the next year and introduce a more diverse product range. I am currently looking into premises and hopefully will have a shop by the end of this year. Blue Orchid has been a great support base for me and being a working mother it is great to be able access advice at convenient times.”
Lena’s support was delivered though the ISUS programme, which is provided by the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) and delivered by Blue Orchid in Manchester. ISUS is part of Solutions for Business, the Government's package of publicly funded business support designed to help companies start and grow. The programme is funded by the NWDA, European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), and backed by Manchester Council.
For more information visit Caress Clothing at www.caressclothing.com or call 07554 661 835.
