Bright future for Golden B with Business Support Programme support
A new Warwickshire mother, who altered some of her favourite dresses to help enable her to breastfeed in style after the birth of her first child, has turned the idea into a business.
Sophie Titchmarsh and her husband James welcomed their daughter, Grace, into the world in March 2017, but 32-year-old Sophie soon found herself wanting to wear more stylish items than the traditional maternity dresses on the market - while still being able to feed her new baby easily.
What started out as an experiment has now transformed into a thriving start-up for the trained costumier with the Royal Shakespeare Company, with her own company, GoldenB, preparing to release a new summer range after launching in March this year.
After taking her original idea to the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, Sophie received help and support from the Coventry and Warwickshire Business Support Programme.
The programme, which is funded by the European Regional Development Fund, in partnership with Coventry City Council, Warwickshire County Council and the district and borough Councils, helped her in terms of website design, marketing advice and tips on how to develop her brand.
And with that help, Sophie, from Stratford-upon-Avon, has found a niche in the market and took more than 30 orders from around the country on Golden B’s first day in business.
Sophie said: “When I first had Grace one of the many challenges I faced as a new mother was finding fashionable clothing suitable for breastfeeding. I was desperate to wear my pre-baby style dresses, but nothing I could find was breastfeeding friendly. All that was available on the market were maternity clothes, with nursing access. They are obviously designed to flatter a bump so look completely wrong post-birth.
“There are a lot of clothes out there for women to wear during their pregnancy, but nothing for them to nurse their baby in, once they’ve given birth. I wanted something different, and couldn’t see anything out there, so I decided to solve the problem. I started using my work skills to experiment on my own clothes and when I got talking to other mothers they told me what a great idea it was. The dream is for Golden B to be a major, international internet brand.”
Sophie added: “I was recommended by a friend to take my idea to the Chamber and the help they have given has been invaluable.
“They have helped me on so many levels, from giving me ideas about when to launch new lines and how to use feedback to create a better product through to advising me on choosing the right stockists to enhance the Golden B brand.”
Tanya King, a business coach with the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce, has advised Sophie every step of the way so far.
She said: “I think Sophie has an excellent idea here, she really has tapped into a niche in a constantly expanding market and she has the perfect background to make it a huge success.
“We can often help someone take a great idea and turn it into a successful business and Sophie has worked with us to do this in the case of Golden B.”
* The Coventry and Warwickshire Business Support Programme is funded by the European Regional Development Fund, in partnership with Coventry City Council, Warwickshire County Council and the District and Borough Councils.