Boxes of Fun for Two Busy Mums

TWO Northampton mothers have turned their lives around since being made redundant last Christmas and launched their own gift company to fit around their busy family life.

Amanda McManus, 33, and Maria Palmer, 41, hit rock bottom last year when the company they worked for suddenly went into liquidation.

But instead of burying their heads in the sand the pair got together to fulfil a lifetime ambition of running their own company.

Mother-of-three Maria, who lives in Overstone, said: “We both saw being made redundant not as a negative thing but as an opportunity to live out a dream in setting up our own business.

“We have both always been very positive, determined and ambitious people and having worked in a small business we felt we had the skills and experience to set up on our own.”

But they were also keen to run a business that would not interfere with their family life and decided an internet company was the best way forward.

Single mother Amanda, who has a seven-year-old son called Alex, explained: “Working for yourself is a flexible solution to meeting both these needs and means you get the opportunity to be there for your children at the end of their school day if you choose to be, without compromising anyone.

“It's internet based, so we can work anywhere at anytime. It’s an ideal solution for everyone as we get to see our children grow up whilst fulfilling our own dreams and ambitions.”

The idea of a gift company was spawned from Amanda, who was trying to think of something original to give to her five-year-old cousin who loves books.
She put together a box that contained the book Oi! Get off our train! and included a host of items that brought the story alive including a train set, soft toys and a pyjama case.

Amanda, who lives in Kislingsbury, explained: “He loved the story box and spent hours going through the story and each of the items. The idea expanded from there as we are both avid internet shoppers, probably because of lack of time to actually go shopping.

“We were also pretty uninspired by some of the gift websites and thought that the idea could migrate into gift boxes for adults. We put together a few boxes ourselves as presents for friends and family, who thought the selection of smaller presents in a gift box was more original and exciting than just one present and so Cocoon Collection was formed.”

Finding a workshop to store supplies and create the gift boxes was the next challenge for the innovative duo.

They eventually decided on a space in K2 business centre in Kings Heath, because of the flexibility and security on offer.

The centre allows people to rent on a short-term lease and can offer additional space if demand for the business increases.

Maria, who spends much of her time looking after her children Alexandra 19, Nicholas 10 and Harvey aged three, said: “Christmas will be a busy time for us and the fact that we could expand our space at peak periods was key to our decision to move in.

“One of the benefits we never realised at the time we moved in, was how much we now appreciate the 24-seven access. It’s not so much the access but the whole security set up makes us feel very safe even if we have to come back to work late at night.

“There is also very much a family feel to the whole place. They are always other unit holders around and we have a chat, and there is always someone to lend a hand if they see us struggling with big deliveries.”

To view the gifts or get one specially made visit www.cocooncollection.co.uk

SETTING up a business whilst juggling a family may be a daunting prospect for many women but there is plenty of help available.

Business partners Amanda McManus and Maria Palmer did much of their research online with a little help from friends and family.

They launched their web based gift box company in April, providing presents for birthdays, anniversaries, and special occasions.

The presents are based on individual themes for all ages and contain a selection of goodies from £15 upwards.
Maria said the best piece of advice she could give was believing in yourself.

“Always have the courage of your convictions in the worth of your product but be prepared for results to take some time. “It is very easy to get disheartened and give up in the early days but if you truly believe you are offering a worthwhile product or service, stick at it.”

Much of their start up inspiration and advice was taken from a website designed for woman: www.everywoman.co.uk

The site, which was the first of its kind in the UK, was launched by friends Karen Gill and Maxine Benson.

Ms Gill said: “We wanted everywoman to be a place where women could come to research, ask questions, source information or just let off steam. We laid the foundations of a library that offered impartial information, we invited experts on board who could advise members, and we provided the means by which our members could start to build their own community.”

Professional advice is also available at a local level through Business Link Northamptonshire, which offers workshops, courses and one-to-one support.

Contact www.businesslinknorthants.org
For workshop availability visit www.kgbc.co.uk


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR TO ARRANGE PHOTOGRAPHS PLEASE CONTACT:
Amanda McManus amanda@cocoooncollection.co.uk 01604 655566 / 07947 750566
Maria Palmer maria@cocooncollection.co.uk 01604 655566 / 07939 618457