Tracey Goodall, whose Brides of Dorset business is based in Gillingham, was a full-time midwife when she took her sister shopping for wedding dresses in 2006. ‘I LOVED it. The dresses, the shops, my ability to help … it was wonderful. A friend soon asked me to come with her to choose her wedding dress, then another friend… I have no idea why. There is just something about being in a wedding dress shop. It’s my passion. I come alive. And back then I said to myself “one day, I’m going to do this”.
‘I became a stay-at-home mum when my first child was born, but it’s been ten years, and it’s time for me to do something for my own career again. I already knew what I wanted to do. I just had to take a deep breath and go for it.
‘I took a year to plan, working in some bridal shops to gain industry experience. I knew it was the right thing for me immediately – I’m actually living my dream job! The first year has been amazing, I cannot believe how far I’ve come, so fast.
‘But I had a clear vision, and I stuck passionately to it. I did so much research and visited so many dress shops. I have been with friends who have left shops in tears and have heard some horror stories from my brides. Giving brides and prom girls that special experience genuinely matters to me – and in the end, all the research led me back to myself. ‘I have just stuck to my own values – I treat every single bride the way I would want to be treated. I’m sure that has been a key factor in my success.
‘The first year was tricky, mostly because the business was brand new. I had no expectations or plan because I had no idea what sort of seasonal trade swings there might be or how long it would take to build a solid reputation.
‘And you have to be ready for the quiet months. I quickly realised that’s the nature of running your own business. You’ve just got to ride out the quiet spells, cover your bills and keep going. It’s daunting, and it’s difficult.
‘But fairly quickly, my word of mouth reviews started to spread and everything began to snowball. And the wedding industry is like a new family – the local wedding suppliers have swiftly become friends and mentors. I stock a range of options for bridal gowns, in sizes 6 to 30. It was so important to me to be size inclusive, to ensure that fuller figure brides can have the exact same experience. Every bride should get a choice and feel special no matter their size, shape or style.
‘I have a team of seamstresses – Bespoke by Summer Mai in Dorchester – who are amazing.
I stock a range of ex-sample dresses which the seamstresses will alter and adjust – many brides will fall in love with a dress but want to add sleeves, or some sparkle or lace, for example. And the Louisa Jackson Bridal Collection is all made to order, with a four to five month delivery time.
‘Surprisingly, my biggest issue was finding the right premises. I nearly quit before I’d even started. I have no idea how businesses manage to stay afloat while they’re paying High Street rates. It was a total eye opener. Finding somewhere that was big enough and also affordable almost broke me. But then at the end of 2022 this place on the Kingsmead Business Park popped up out of nowhere – I hadn’t even considered Gillingham, but it’s perfect for me. It’s on the Dorset/Somerset/Wilts borders, and it’s gorgeous inside, attached to an old farmhouse with exposed brick and beams, huge windows so there’s loads of light … I knew immediately I could make Brides of Dorset into a destination experience, and I realised I didn’t need a High Street shop front.
‘Learning the nuts and bolts of running a business has been tough too – the admin, the tax, the finances generally. The not-fun bits you MUST do. It’s all so new to me. I attended a free course through Dorset Growth Hub which was incredibly useful. I strongly recommend it.
‘I had to make the choice to concentrate on what I was good at, and paying for what I wasn’t. I’m pretty good at marketing and social media, but don’t have a clue about websites (Vicky from The Graffiq Web Studio was an absolute saviour).

Love it or loathe it?
‘I love the flexibility I have to work around a young family. I love the absolute control that being my own boss brings – and also the lack of reporting to anyone else! Having said that, I work evenings, I work weekends … I probably work longer hours even than I did as a midwife. You’d never do it for an employer, but when it’s yours you somehow don’t mind. There’s joy in watching the business grow and thrive, knowing it’s down to you.
‘The flip side is that I’m constantly juggling – it’s a good job I’m a great organiser and good at time management! The balancing act is tough.
‘But in the end you’ve just got to be confident. Trust yourself and go for it. Because you’ll never know until you do it – and when you do, it’s fantastic.

https://bridesofdorset.co.uk/

When she was 18, Louise Davis decided to put off university for a year by taking what I intended to be a ‘short term’ job in retail.
‘I managed to get hired on the spot in a jewellery store for an assistant manager position. I wasn’t qualified – I knew very little about jewellery! But I instinctively understood what could make the shop better. I turned out to be really good at making the shop profitable. Before long I was promoted to an area manager position, moving to struggling stores within the company and turning them around.
‘Eventually I moved on to a high-end jewellery showroom in Kingston – where I was miserable.
They had what they called the BOB tick sheet, which we had to complete for every single customer. Did we greet within five feet of the door? Offer a seat? Show what they asked for, plus the range in the next price bracket? Sell them insurance? Take their contact details and anniversary dates?
‘It was hard pressure sales and I really hated it.
‘But they offered terrific diamond training, so I decided to suck up the misery to get my qualifications, and as soon as I could, I left. It was most definitely what we now call a toxic workplace.
I’d had my fill of retail, so I moved into the manufacturing side of the business – and found that I loved it.
‘We manufactured the jewellery that was stocked by retail outlets like John Lewis. I learned every aspect of the wholesale trade, and eventually I was designing my own ranges, overseeing their development within manufacturing and then taking them out on to the high street.
‘A few years ago I made the move to the West Country and decided to start Honour Jewellery. I wanted to take all the elements I loved about what I did, and to hire people to do the bits I didn’t!
Richard is my business partner and Sam works with me on face-to-face design appointments. I have two goldsmiths, a stone setter and an engraver.
‘We started with a small studio in Mere – it worked well, but wasn’t really big enough, so after COVID we moved to our current design studio at the Wincombe Centre in Shaftesbury.
‘And it’s funny – I still see elements of that old BOB sheet! My clients are appointment-only now – no more standing around mindlessly polishing! But they always get offered a seat and a cup of tea… We only do bespoke or personalised pieces, so we’re either designing something from scratch, or taking something from one of our ranges and adjusting it to make it more personal.
‘I particularly enjoy the unique work, where we might take a client’s own sentimental metal and gemstones and make a new piece out of them. ‘That’s the most interesting and also often the most technical work, if we’re combining different metals, for example.

Be consistent
‘The biggest thing I think I have learned is to treat every single customer in the same way. Every single one. We find people will often come in with a small job first; can we just fix a little silver brooch for them? Next time they come in, they might be there for a platinum and diamond ring.
‘Or they might just tell all their friends and family about the brilliant place they went to where the people were so lovely – and that sort of word of mouth referral is absolutely priceless. Never ever let them walk out feeling undervalued.
‘One client was a funeral director. She had a ring which had a strong emotional significance for her, but the setting was quite tall, and whenever she carried a coffin, it dug very painfully into her finger.
‘The ring I designed sat low and flat against her hand, she loved it. She not only became a long-standing client but also a useful business associate too.
‘The other absolutely vital thing is consistency. Whatever you do to find your customers, whether that’s a poster in the corner shop or big glossy ads, you have to keep on doing it. People need to feel assured that you’re real, and not going to vanish next month. I have relied a lot on social media, because I could easily control it and it’s very cheap for a start-up. But I’ve lost count of the number of people who have said ‘I have been following you on Facebook for a couple of years, and I’ve finally managed to come and get something done.’
‘If I’d stopped using social media, I would probably have lost those clients.
‘And on a purely practical note, don’t spend all your money! Keep some cash in reserve – you still need to pay the bills during the quiet periods, and there are always quiet periods.
‘Actually, holding your nerve and just plodding through the mud in the bad times is a key resilience skill you need to run a business.

Love it or loathe it?
‘I love the flexible lifestyle running my own business allows me. Sitting at a desk 8.30 to 5.30 bores me rigid. Now I can choose balance – I can finish early, spend time with my kids, but then also work late into the night once they’re in bed. I’m not answerable to anyone.
‘I simply don’t do well in a controlled environment, having to justify every minute. I do the same for my team – I give them space, and trust them to do their job. They have free rein on when and how they work; I always try to hire the right people, then treat them well.
‘I do loathe the admin side though. I am not a fan of jobs I must do that ensure the business runs smoothly. In an ideal world, I’d just talk to the customers, do the design work, oversee production … and someone else can deal with all the rest!
‘But at the end of the day, all the dull admin jobs in the world don’t outweigh the benefits of having ultimate control over the business and its direction.
‘That freedom is priceless.’

https://honourjewellery.co.uk/

Nick Hunt is a quiet, warm man with a dry sense of humour, disarming kindness and a direct manner which small business owners can only find reassuring and easy to understand – both essential characteristics for any accountant. He started running his own business in Yeovil almost 30 years ago, moving to Sherborne as Hunts Accountants in 2003. ‘I went straight from GCSEs into an apprenticeship at 16. It’s a less common route now, most people do a degree or at least A Levels first and skip some of the apprenticeship levels, but I knew what I wanted. Starting at 16, it’s a seven year qualification – which meant I was a qualified accountant at the age of 23.

‘But then I hit a major issue – I knew I wanted to be my own boss, running my own business in the way I wanted to run it. But who on earth would hire a 23 year old accountant?
‘So I started out by selling SAGE – this was the early 90s, and at the time it was ground-breaking new accountancy software. It was incredibly intuitive to use to my young brain, but was much harder to the many people in finance departments and business owners still working with hand-written ledgers. Even spreadsheets were a new thing for them.
‘So I had some business cards created, and spent my Sundays walking round Yeovil’s trading estates, just dropping cards through doors. It was a slow start – I had to invest in my SAGE training, which also happened to be in Newcastle, so that was more cost. Plus I had to buy the dealership to be able to re-sell the software. I also rented a single room office in Yeovil, because back then you had to have premises, a door to have your name beside, even to be considered a professional. It was a full time day job, but I was working evenings and weekends in a pub just to pay the bills.
‘After 18 months doing what every new business owner does and working every hour I could, I had a steady list of clients. I would sign them up for SAGE training, and while there I’d offer accounts advice or suggestions. Inevitably they wondered how I knew so much, and I would point out I was a qualified accountant. Having earned their trust, they would often move their entire business accounts to me.

Common misunderstandings
‘My first member of staff was my cousin, who I employed part time once I simply couldn’t handle the workload alone. I currently have a team of 14.
‘As well as my own experience, I’ve obviously spent my entire adult life with other business owners. And the overriding factor of success, I would say, is that they must really really want it. Starting and running your own business is incredibly hard work. I was driven very much by my desire to do my own thing. But I had to want it enough to make sacrifices for it.
‘And it always takes more money and more time than anyone expects. The time factor is huge – in my experience, most small businesses fail not because they’re a bad idea, but because they simply run out of time.
‘Also, the business doesn’t owe you anything but what you’ve earned. Clients will come and see me and say ‘the business owes me £2k a month’ – well, no, it doesn’t. There’s no value on time and effort and input, and you get out what you create. If it’s not enough, then work out how to make it better.
It’s a bit brutal, but it’s true. You want to be a business owner?
Take ownership.
‘Resilience is probably the biggest skill any business owner can have. You must accept whatever comes up – because it’s on YOU to solve it. This is as true today as it was when I learnt it 28 years ago.

Love it or loathe it?
‘I do love running my own business – and it’s not about the money (which, I know, sounds like nonsense, especially from an accountant). I love the freedom that it gives. If you don’t like your working week, YOU can change it. Businesses are like boats – the smaller they are, the more nimble they are, and that exciting flexibility can be their biggest asset.
‘If things aren’t going well – well, that’s your fault, and you can find the solution.
And if it’s good? Well, hey! YOU did that!
‘And it’s about your whole life, not the numbers in the business account. I’ve managed to also be the husband and the father that I want to be. I haven’t been in the office on the weekend since my oldest child was born 18 years ago.
‘But at the same time the business is fundamentally mine, and whatever it takes to achieve my version of success, I do it. You don’t even question that when it’s yours. If there’s a challenge, it’s on you to solve it. I like that.
‘It scares the hell out of a lot of people. But a certain type of person will just back themselves, and take the risk.
‘The down side is that exact same responsibility; it has a flip side, and the neverending turning of it can become a grind. It’s great on a good month, but some months it can feel like a noose.
‘My ultimate aim is to retire and become an absolute irresponsible flake. I love the idea of that. Finally being able to enjoy my turn at being an unreliable idiot.’

https://www.huntsaccountants.co.uk/