June 24, 2013
Jo Reid, Violet + Rose
At a Glance
Bio The path that led her to this point
I have two daughters, aged nine and twelve. I tell them that I don't mind what they do with their lives, as long as they do something they love.
It has taken me over 40 years to reach this point.
I completed an Economics degree in 1992 and to this day, I have no idea why?
To say that I hated it is not an understatement. I never actually used it in any of my subsequent jobs.
I worked in retail sales, sales within the grocery industry and then sales and marketing for various hotel chains based in Melbourne and in Wellington, New Zealand.
All the while, wishing that I had have gone with my heart and not my head and travelled down a far more creative path with my career choices.
When my girls were babies, I made a conscious decision to stay at home for them.
I started to explore different creative options and I started sewing children's bits and pieces.
I made pencil rolls, bags, hair clips and patchwork bracelets with vintage buttons. At the same time, I started blogging.
I think that the advent of blogs were a marvelous way for Mum's like me to market their fledgling businesses.
My blog gave exposure to the things I was making and it didn't take long for some children's boutiques to contact me to see if I was interested in wholesaling my items.
This is where Violet + Rose was born in its first incarnation.
Things went along nicely for a couple of years. Then I started to find limitations in making things for children. My customers children (and indeed my children) were starting to outgrow the items I was making.
Sadly too, most of the independent boutiques that I was stocking had started to close their doors. I felt it was time to move on.
I dabbled in candle making for our school fete and really enjoyed the process. I decided that this was going to be my next thing.
I had seen some candles that had been poured in vintage cut glass and I decided to explore other vintage glass jars.
I became addicted to finding beautiful old glass jars to house my candles. Then I moved on to vintage tins and more recently, vintage trophies.
This combination of creating beautiful candles in vintage vessels has become a passion for me rather than simply a job.
Q&A Insider advice & tips
What's been your greatest achievement to date?
That's hard to say. Each day I think I have a great achievement. The little things all add up for me.
Possibly my first great achievement was my first retail stockist, Morris Brown.
My next great achievement would be my branding. When I started out, I created my own logo and labels for my candles. Having your branding created professionally makes such a difference.
I use my branding in everything that I do - my website, my online store, FB, Instagram and of course, my tags for my candles. It just made everything look so professional. I finally felt like a real business woman!
What's been your biggest challenge so far?
My biggest challenges are probably two fold.
Due to the fact that all the vessels that I use are vintage, I have to find them! I would love to phone a supplier and say that I need 200 glass jars but it doesn't quite work like that for me. I have to get out and about and search out these things. It is time consuming and does slow down the production process for me. But it's also my point of difference. I'm not aware of any other candle makers out there who use only vintage vessels. So I have learnt to embrace my challenges.
The other challenge for me is that of finding a balance between home life and work life. Working from home, the two quite often intersect. I can be doing loads of washing between candle pouring. Or making dinner for that night while invoicing. And convincing people that even though I am at home, I am actually working, can be a tricky one.
Best lesson you've learned along the way?
I think I'm pretty lucky in that respect in that where I am now has been a culmination of lots of things I have learnt from lots of different jobs.
I think the best lesson I have learnt is definitely to work at whatever you are passionate about and do whatever brings you the most joy. If you don't love what you are doing and you can possibly change it - do it.
A website, book or resource that has helped you in your business or inspired you and why?
Facebook! Where would I be without Facebook? Facebook has made my little business what it is today.
Update regularly but not three hundred times a day. Keep your updates relevant to your business. Post original photos of your work more often than you post photos of others work that inspires you.
Used effectively, it can be the best tool you will ever come across to market your business.
Which person or brand do you most admire and why?
Oh, so many! I admire Tracie Ellis from Aura Homewares and Lucy Feagins from The Design Files. Independent women who set the pace for what they do. It is so important to be an innovator rather than a follower.
I also have so much admiration for my retailers. All women, all running their own stores while managing their home and family life. They are all great people.
What advice would you give someone starting an independent business in your industry?
Do your homework. Don't do what everyone else is doing unless you can put your own spin on it.
You have to have something that makes you stand out from the crowd. And you have to keep changing and looking for something new so as your business isn't static. You have to keep one step ahead.
Finish this sentence
Everything changed for me when…
I believed that I could.
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