Sarah with her little teepee inspirations, Charlotte and Evie
BUSINESS INSIDER
CHILDREN’S ACCESSORIES
WHEN LULU MET WEASEL Salisbury born and bred Sarah Phillips-Chirwa is the owner of When Lulu met Weasel, which specialises in handmade children’s teepees and accessories. Here she explains why teepees and how she came up with the name How did you get into teepee making? I always loved design and textiles, and I made my first teepee when I was pregnant with my second daughter, Evie, as a gift for my firstborn. I wanted her to have a small space to play in once the new baby had come along. So was this the beginning of When Lulu met Weasel? I was already running a small Facebook business selling hand made bags and other items, and I posted a photo of the teepee on the Facebook page. People loved it and the business started in December 2013. How did you choose the name? My eldest daughter is called Charlotte; her nickname was Lulu. Weasel became the nickname of my youngest daughter Evie, which inspired the name of the company. What were you doing before that? I had lived in Malawi for a number of years, running a lodge and a charity project. I spent the best part of 12 months living in a mud hut with no power or running water, and did sewing on a manual foot-pedal sewing machine, reigniting my passion for fabrics. I then moved back to Salisbury when I was pregnant with Evie.
What are the highs and the lows you’ve experienced in continuing the business? Hitting my target of selling over 500 teepees in one year was a wonderful high point. A low point was when my youngest had chickenpox but I still had to work around the clock to ensure that orders were satisfied. What have you found to be the best tools for growth in your business? Over 70 per cent of my sales come via my company’s Facebook page.
THEO PAPHITIS,
EX-DRAGON’S DEN, HAS
RECOGNISED WHEN LULU MET WEASEL AS A
NOTABLE
SMALL BUSINESS
What are the benefits of setting up on your own? I can fit in work around my family commitments. I love being able to control the design and quality of the teepees and being able to choose exciting new fabrics. ...and drawbacks? The business requires a lot of hard work and time commitments and it’s sometimes difficult when customers expect you to be available 24 hours a day to answer their queries when there’s just me running the business. What is the When Lulu Met Weasel approach? I try and treat every customer like a friend and make every teepee as if I were making it for my own children.
Is there someone in business that you admire and try learn from? I think that Jamie Oliver is a good businessman; he has developed himself into a brilliant brand. I also admire the fitness coach Joe Wicks –he has, through sheer passion, taken his brand to a new level. Is the world of children’s teepees unaffected by trends? Not at all! I see requests alter according to current fashions. At the moment the colour grey is a massive thing for children’s accessories – I think that the next season will include lots of Scandinavian prints and geometric prints.
Any celebrity fans of your teepees? David Weir CBE, the Paralympic athlete is a fan; he recently bought a teepee for his daughter. And recently Theo Paphitis, ex-Dragon’s Den, has recognised When Lulu met Weasel as a notable small business. What toys did you play with as a child? I remember loving playing with a two-step wooden ladder at my grandmother’s house, which I continuously climbed and jumped off. What are your plans for When Lulu met Weasel’s future? I’d like to be in a position to employ a permanent member of staff within a year; within five years, to be established in an office or workshop and not making teepees in my conservatory, and in ten years I’d like the company to be an international business, shipping teepees worldwide. For more: When Lulu met Weasel, tel: 07908 113540; www.teepeesbyluluandweasel.co.uk
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