Learning how to start a kitchen table business might be the best way to get your side hustle off the ground. Often as women we are juggling childcare and a million to-do-lists while also working full time. This shouldn’t mean an end to your dreams, you need to think of a way round the issues. I started many businesses as a side hustle. I had the pleasure of chatting to Chloe Haywood all about how she set up her successful business. Like Chloe Haywood I too started from a kitchen table. 
What was so refreshing about talking to Chloe, was that she started her kitchen table business organically. She was honest about her journey and the pivots she made. Yes she took risks, but she also involved the customer in her design process.
You can listen to the podcast here, and grab those tips.
Three things you need to start a business
There are a million of things that you need to start a business. But the main things that are worth thinking about are the following:
- Work out why you are doing this. What makes you excited about it. You know that you are passionate, so what makes you jump out of bed in the morning? This is going to form the base of your story. Without a story we can’t sell anything.
- Look at branding that you love. Why have you connected with it? Does it make you immediately think of the price point it will be? Think about when something looks cheap or expensive. Can you read the writing from across the shop floor? Do you have colours that represent your brand, or typography that is yours? In a noisy world, with others creating businesses in the same way, you need to have a way of standing out. Branding is going to help you do that.
- Listen. It sounds like such an obvious thing to do, but you would be surprised at how many people don’t. This isn’t about saying yes to everything that someone suggests, but it is worth listening and understanding why they have said it to you. It might be coming from their own fears, or from an old story they are telling themselves. But sometimes there can be a nugget of truth in what they are telling you, and it can help you pivot successfully. When we listen to our customers we get fantastic feedback on what is or isn’t working. They call this design thinking. Tech companies use it all the time to adapt and change their products. It is something that all creatives can do. Part of it is getting over wanting to be perfect and getting your product into the hands of the customer. Then you adapt.
You can find out more about Chloe and her work here: CLICK
How to make a successful business
There is no point creating things in isolation. If you don’t tell people what you are doing, or get feedback from customers you are only creating for yourself. Press is another great way to raise your profile and get new clients. It doesn’t have to be massive publications, you can look at ones that are online as well. Journalist love a story, so sell the story behind your brand. Get them to be as excited about what you do as you are!
Enter competitions. It is a great way to get exposure for what you do, even if you don’t win. It also helps with your website SEO and building back links. If that all sounds alien to you- basically it means that Google will see you as a good thing and pull you up the search rankings. This happens more if other larger websites point to yours, and what better way to do that, than with competitions.
I have created a free worksheet to help you with all of the above. It doesn’t have to be overwhelming, and in fact starting and adjusting as you go is the best way to make progress.
You can download it here: 
And if you have been thinking about Crowdfunding but don’t know where to start, Back Her Business have a great opportunity at the moment to match fund what you raise with Crowdfunder. You can find out more about it here: Yes please!
I believe that more women should be given the support to set up businesses!