Katie-Louise is the face behind Florence and Lavender, a brand that offers eclectic watercolour prints inspired by her rural life in Norfolk.

Katie-Louise started the business after an interest in her work began to grow and it was the natural next step to go all-in to take the brand to the next level. As a single parent, she has made her son a huge part of the business and she’s a self confessed crazy chicken lady.

Intrigued? So were we, went spent some time with her to find out more…

Tell us about the journey that lead you to launching Florence and Lavender…

So I grew up in the countryside & love everything about rural life. I am most happiest in my welly boots and surrounded by animals! Being a single parent I wanted more of a life/work balance and working from home really worked for me. I decided to be bold and quite the day job I didn’t enjoy. Sometimes you just have to take the jump and begin building your own dreams! I started designing a handful of prints in late 2019 and things quickly took off! There soon become a demand for my work and it has rapidly grown throughout 2020.

Do you have plans to expand your product range in the future, if so, what will you add?

I am really keen to offer larger sized prints such as A3 and also some canvas’s! Textiles is something I am also looking to venture in to, providing country interiors for the quaint essential country home! Think pillows, fabrics, aga covers etc.

You live a lovely life in the country with your son, how did you find running the business during lockdown?

So it naturally has come with its challenges! Being a single parent definitely made it more challenging as I was trying to grow my business and home school at the same time! However the positives really outweighed the negatives and I look back on that time with fond memories. My son is a big part of my business and often helps me out, packing up orders or sticking the labels on ready to post! It was such an uncertain time to be in business but it made it more exciting and I work best under pressure!

Talk us through an average day in your life…

My day starts off like other mum’s being quite a rushed one! Ensuring my son has the endless necessities for school life we then get to school in a rather hasty manor. Then it is time to get stuck in to work. I love speaking with my customers and hearing their stories on why they chose one of my products. A lot of care and love goes in to each order. I spend my days packing up orders and also taking some time to work on new designs! It is then the daily trip to my local post office where I drop all the orders off. I try to find a spare half an hour to walk my dog over the fields before heading home and normally continue work once my son is in bed. Being out in the country side I am lucky to have on my door step is a great inspiration! Life is very busy at the moment but I love it!

How much has social media played a role in the success of your brand?

I have really loved using Instagram as it enables me to directly engage with my customers. Trial their likes/dislikes and to show that I am a real human being behind the business. I run this by myself, I’m not a big corporate business with lots of assistants. I like to show people a bit behind the scenes, my day to day life and share my business story with the customers as well as showing exclusive first looks at new products!

What is your go-to quote when lacking motivation?

‘’You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step’’ I think sometimes life and business can become a little overwhelming but I often make lists and cross each thing off as I go. Even if I achieve one small thing each day towards my business goals, I am striving ever closer day by day.

How has Covid19 impacted your business?

I feel very fortunate to be able to continue business as normal during these times. I have not been able to attend the local & national country shows like I had planned but hopefully in the coming months these shall reopen! It certainly is challenging times for all businesses but now more than ever I feel people want to stay connected. I offer a service to ship directly to loved ones on your behalf, so you can input their address during checkout and I will ship directly to them for you, even including a gift message for you. This has been especially great for those that are shielding. You can send them a little gift to brighten their day!

What’s your ten year goal?

Gosh! Big question, so I would love to grow the business more, increase the shops selling my art and build my brand further with the help of social media and working with magazines such as yourself.

What does self care mean to you?

Self care is really important, now more so than ever! It should never be deemed as being selfish which is something I have struggled with in the past. As a women & mum in business I have often put a lot of pressure on myself to be superwomen but reality is we can’t do it all! By going for that dog walk, taking that bubble bath or just simply taking 5 minutes to just stop and be present in the moment is so important. Being outside is so great for our soul and I love nothing more than heading to the beach for the day and completely de-stressing! A favourite spot of mine is North Norfolk where the coastlines are stunning and there is just so much space to de stress and take some time away from the digital world we can often become absorbed in! Life is so busy I really try my best to appreciate all that I have and be humble, these are challenging times and we need to be kind to ourselves.

Where can people find out more?

So you can find me on www.florenceandlavender.co.uk I am also on Instagram: florencenlavender

Author

Northern girl Laura is the epitome of a true entrepreneur. Laura’s spirit for adventure and passion for people blaze through House of Coco. She founded House of Coco in 2014 and has grown it in to an internationally recognised brand whilst having a lot of fun along the way. Travel is in her DNA and she is a true visionary and a global citizen.

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