STARTING a business is anything but plain sailing, the owner of a Swindon jewellery company admits.

Hot on the heels of Global Entrepreneurship Week, Holly Robinson, 30, spoke to the Adver about taking the leap.

After working in shops, the 30-year-old says she decided to put her “big girl pants on and make it happen” by launching Holly Robinson Jewellery in the summer of 2018.

And she has faced a number of challenges along the way.

Holly said: “When you start a business on your own it is difficult to challenge yourself daily, to not be too precious about your work and always having to look at how you can do things better and to do them differently.

“Then of course with the pandemic I haven’t been able to see anybody to do an appointment. I’ve been very lucky that all my suppliers are in the UK so unlike some of my competitors I was able to keep my supplies coming in.”

Rather than seeing customers face-to-face because of the coronavirus crisis Holly has had to have conversations over WhatsApp and Instagram to keep sales going.

In normal circumstances she would see clients in their homes to discuss their requirements – usually engagement or wedding rings.

But Holly had felt prepared for this situation because she has always had things in order – including not having a bulk of stock as most of her jewellery is bespoke – and is savvy with her money.

“The first lockdown wasn’t bad, it seemed everyone was falling in love back then, a lot of people were ordering engagement rings and we did it over Zoom,” Holly said.

Getting her business off the ground was made a little easier after taking part in NatWest’s Entrepreneur Accelerator scheme.

She said: “When I started on my own I realised you do everything, marketing, admin and sales. NatWest offered entrepreneurs like myself an office space in Bristol and we would have social gatherings, talks and drop-in sessions with a coach.

“It was fantastic but I wish I had done it now rather than at the start as it’s an accelerator course but it was good experience.”

Her advice for anyone looking to start their own business is to assess if there is a need for the product or service, if the business side of things doesn't bring joy then don’t go ahead with it, and to be confident but not to deaf to other opinions. Holly is willing to help self-starters and is contactable through www.hollyrobinsonjewellery.com