Enterprise Nation

Kate Cowling was the Assistant Editor of a lifestyle magazine for nearly five years and, in that time, built relationships with business owners and private clients. She was struck by the pressure many of them were under; “there is just not enough time in the day” was one of the most common phrases she heard. It was when one of her clients said they would love for Kate to be their personal assistant that she came up with the idea for her business.

Can you tell us a bit of the background to Time Boutique?

I have always wanted to set up my own company and have always dreamt of being a personal assistant and organising people’s lives. With my background knowledge and my big fat contacts book, I realised I had the backbones of a company right in front of me.
The idea snowballed and when I mentioned it to my family, they all said that I should go for it. I wanted my company to be unique in that it offered a bespoke and personal service, something quirky rather than corporate.

The name ‘Time Boutique’ was inspired by my trip to Paris when I fell in love with all the beautiful boutiques there, individually owned and totally bespoke - this picture remained in my mind and with my company idea, I thought how brilliant would it be if someone could walk into a boutique and buy time.

When the credit crunch hit, I found myself in a rut at work so I knew it was time to see if my idea would work!

Do you run the business from a dedicated room in the house? 

I run my business from my attic. I live in an old Victorian cottage which was originally a cobblers, so I have a very topsy turvy house! Up until a few months ago, my attic remained untouched until Time Boutique launched. Accessed up a very steep paddle ladder, my home office is literally in the roof but I love it. I have a big sky light and when open, I can hear the seagulls and the sea!

The attic has boarded walls so I decided to paint it white to open up the space and paint the old wooden floor black, so I have quite a monochrome feel up there. I have added touches of colour in that I have a bright red filing cabinet and an original 1950s red and white desk. I also have a mini two-seater sofa, tea, coffee and biscuits for any surprise visitors! My next job is to make myself a chalk board for the wall where I can write all my daily tasks, aims and forecasts.

How are you promoting your service to clients?

My website www.timeboutique.co.uk is one of my main marketing tools. I have spent a long time working on this with my website designer to get it exactly right. I am thrilled with the result as it really sums up what Time Boutique is all about.

On there, clients will find everything there is to know about Time Boutique and its services. Aside from this, I have a local radio slot in a few weeks time where I am on for the afternoon talking about my business. I have also come to realise that networking is the buzz word at the moment and I have joined lots of networking groups and am visiting as many meetings and breakfasts/lunches that I can. The key for me is going out there and meeting people and introducing them to Time Boutique. Aside from all of the above, it comes back to my existing contact book and making use of all the clients in there.

What is the one thing you are most enjoying about being your own boss?

One of the main aspects I’m enjoying is the flexibility and the fact that I am totally self-reliant. Making my own decisions gives me an enormous sense of freedom and allows me to do exactly what I want. I love the challenge of being my own boss and can plan my day and what I want to do, at my convenience. The beauty of it is the self-gratification. If Time Boutique is a success, then I know it is purely down to my own hard work.

What would you most like to achieve in your first year of business?

In my first year of business I want to see Time Boutique develop and grow successfully, financially and physically. I would like Time Boutique to be recognised (at least locally) as one of the leading Lifestyle Management companies but most importantly, for clients to recognise the key difference and that is our bespoke and personal service. I want to establish a good reputation so that people are happy to tell others about Time Boutique. My first year will be my biggest challenge and with the credit crunch affecting so many companies, if I can survive this, then I know I am onto a winner!

• Kate Cowling, Time Boutique