Bumper show issue - Gift Focus magazine

seeds ofsuccessSally Morris is sowing the seeds for success with her newbusiness, big tree little tree. Read on to fi nd out moreSally Morris is an entrepreneur with a growingbusiness – quite literally.She produces a range of products withseeded attachments that when planted cangrow into vegetables, fruit, fl owers and herbs.Her company big tree little tree offers apro-active way to send greetings and giftsto friends and family, while at the same timehelping to promote local biodiversity andencouraging people to think green and growtheir own.There are fi ve different ranges of seededstationery including recipe cards, grow mefl ower cards, bookmarks, gift tags and a specialcollection of vintage seeded fl ower cards.The company is committed to the principleof being as eco-friendly as possible and theproducts, wherever possible, are made fromrecycled material all sourced within theUK. The seeded embellishments are 100%biodegradable – ans so is the glue used.Sally, a graphic design graduate, decided totake the plunge and set up on her own afterworking in a variety of different jobs and ayear off travelling. The fi nal push came whenshe was made redundant.“I am a great believer in the saying ‘necessitybreeds invention’. I knew whatever I did hadto be both responsible and ecological andmerely by accident I stumbled upon the ideaof seeded paper,” she explains.“I eventually found a botanist that couldproduce my designs on seeded attachmentsthat could carry a variety of seeds includingfruit, vegetables, herb and fl ower seeds. Byengaging people with the novelty of planting aseeded shape, the cards encourage people toeat healthily and get into gardening whileat the same time helping to improve theirlocal biodiversity.”She started big tree little tree with just aset of four seeded and boxed vegetable notecards and tested the market to see if it wasworth proceeding.“We booked a stall at a Christmas marketin Leeds and waited. The fi rst sale was anamazing feeling – to know that somebodywanted something that I had produced gaveme such a high. We had some great feedbackand we did really well so that gave me all Ineeded to continue,” she recalls.Following more successful retail markets sheoffi cially launched her range to the trade atthis year’s Home & Gift, Harrogate, and wasbowled over by the response.“Quite unexpectedly we had the mostamazing response, on the fi rst day, we couldn’twrite orders out quick enough. Although itwas daunting, as a new business we were ableto get into the Intro North section of theexhibition, specifi cally designed for newcomers.I truly believe even if we hadn’t taken anyorders it would still have been a valuableexperience, spending four days around likemindedpeople that are going through thesame experiences you are, was one of thebest things I could have done. I’m defi nitelyvery pleased I took the leap.“There is lots of help out there, it just aquestion of having the time to sift through andfi nd the bits that help you the most. I foundBusiness Link a great resource and certainlyworth talking to when I needed a bit ofimpartial advice,” she adds.As far as the future goes, Sally wants toexpand the range to include various gift itemsand explore different market opportunities.Moving out of her spare bedroom into somededicated studio space is also high on herwish list.“My ethos will still remain strong, and I amcontinuing to look into ways to make myproducts even more eco-friendly. I have alsostarted a sister business that concentrates onbespoke eco-friendly designs for marketingand business needs which I will be launchingsoon,” she continues.Her top tip for other would-beentrepreneurs is not to put off the bits theydon’t like about being in business to onlyconcentrate on the things they do.“The problem with being a sole trader isthat you have to do the bits that you’re notgood at along with the things you are – andfor me that has been the hardest part – and Istill have a very long way to go.“The best advice I can give is just to knuckledown and don’t avoid or put off doing theboring bits, and get your friends and familyinvolved, challenges are much easier to scalewhen you’ve got support near by.” gFurther informationTo fi nd out more visit the websitewww.bigtreelittletree.co.uk or emailsally@bigtreelittletree.co.uk.146 giftfocus146 giftfocus