Enterprise Nation

Lissa Cook runs her business from home in the Peak District making handmade dresses for babies and little girls in Liberty prints. The business is called Peak Princess and this image is the view from Lissa’s home office window. We call to ask her for other views; on topics from site creation to marketing plans.

An Introduction

Lissa kindly wrote in after reading a copy of ‘Spare Room Start Up’ – this is how she introduced herself and the business:

'I'm just writing to say I read your book in one sitting last night (I'm rather tired this morning!) and wished I'd seen it six months ago when I started out.  It's packed with loads of really useful, practical information.  More importantly for me it's uplifting unlike many of the daunting and frankly rather depressing business books I've read.

I had the idea for Peak Princess last June sitting in the park with my god-daughter.  I used to work in London producing news for Radio 4 and then made documentaries in Manchester but was totally burned out.  It's not such a left-field idea as it seems as my Mum was a dress-designer and my grand-mother a milliner. 

I love working from home.  I have a little sewing room at the top of the house.  My husband works as a freelance writer.  Like your case study, Sarah from Pomegranate PR, we love working here together and often bounce ideas of each other during trips to the village post office or over lunch in the garden.

I've had some great press - Liberty's blog called the dresses 'truly exclusive, personal and original...not something you'd find on the high street' and Angels and Urchins (the London parents' guide) called them 'too divine to miss out on'.'

Let’s find out a little more

We asked Lissa a few more questions about her business and plans:

Did your Mum and grandmother consciously hand down their skills to you or do you think you just subconsciously picked up on the art of fashion/design/dress-making?

I always had an interest in sewing & knitting.  My sister, Emma, loves fashion and used to manage a big West End store (Reiss) and is now in retail recruitment.  But she was never interested in making clothes whereas, I used to get Mum to show me how to make easy things like cushions & hair scrunchies. 

Then when I was at school she helped us set up a Young Enterprise Company making duffle bags & we won the competition and made quite a lot of money.  She also showed me how to make simple clothes like A-line skirts and shift dresses.  Mum did an apprenticeship from the age of 15 and is incredibly talented.  Nan didn't live close by and died when I was quite young so I didn't get the chance to learn direct from her but as she was a milliner and her father was a bespoke shoe-maker so I guess there must be something in my genes! 

I really also ought to mention my in-laws.  My father-in-law, Phil, is a graphic designer and my mother-in-law, Carol, is also artistically talented and they've been wonderful and helped design the logos.  Sophie, my sister-in-law, put me in touch with Liberty and is great source of business advice.  And my husband, who's a writer, is endlessly patient and supportive.

Do you sell 100% from your own online store or are you selling on other sites too?

I sell in a variety of ways.  I get quite a lot of sales through word of mouth.  People find out about me through friends.  They quite often use the website as a shop window and then phone me.  More and more people are happy to order direct online. 

I'm also doing a small & select number of fairs over the summer, mainly to build the brand.  I sold off a lot of samples on ebay as an experiment at the beginning of the year which worked well and gave me the confidence to build my own site.  I've also posted my clothes on Etsy and Folksy but people always seem to prefer to come direct or via my own website.

You are using mrsite.com for your site – how are you finding this package?

I have a love-hate relationship with Mr Site.  When I started out I was told I'd have to pay £2,000 for a web shop which is an awful lot of money when you're starting up.  A friend who runs a card company (www.nostalchick.com) recommended Mr Site. 

The good things are a) the price (£99) is unbeatable b) they are constantly improving it and c) the customer support is good. 

The downsides are that you're restricted to using their templates so I never quite get the layout/fonts/colours I need and there seem to be quite a lot of incredibly irritating glitches which mean that updating your site takes much longer than it should.  I'd also say that to run a shop like mine with loads of detail and variety of products you need to be fairly nerdy and a grasp of html helps.  I used to edit the PM Programme's blog when I worked at Radio 4 so I quite enjoy that side of things.  If you're a technophobe it would be a nightmare.

What has been the most enjoyable moment in your first 6 months of business?

The most enjoyable moment was getting a sale from a 'real person' (i.e. not friends or family) and then getting the loveliest email back saying her daughter absolutely loved the dress.  It's always such a buzz to hear from customers.  But I think the thing that means the most to me has been working with Mum.

What are your plans for the business over the next 12 months?

My long-term business plan is to build a strong and trusted niche brand.  I'm working on my autumn/winter Liberty collection and a boys' range ('Peak Prince' of course!).  My ideal would be to have a word-of-mouth customer base who mainly come to me through recommendations.  I'd also like to supply one or two high-end boutiques to raise my profile but allow me to sell mainly direct to customers as that's more satisfying (and profitable).

The view from your home office window sounds amazing – would you mind showing us a photo? 

Attached is the view from my sewing room - it's Cracken Edge which overlooks Chinley.

• Lissa Cook, Peak Princess
• Lissa's blog