Millie Launches a Lockdown Business!
Millie Hartley left Redhill School in 2019 and put herself to the test of starting her very own business when lockdown came around!
‘I got back into making in lockdown 2020 because I took part in Noel Fielding’s art club with my sister on Twitter, which was so much fun! Once that was over, I continued with this hobby but just loved creating these items and couldn’t keep making them for myself, so I made a couple and put them on depop. From there, a few were purchased and I thought, maybe I could properly start a business from this!’
Millie sells hanging decorations and trinket boxes of music artist and film/tv characters. She also makes decorations or boxes of pets and loved ones which are lovely keepsakes. Her business is still in its foundations, it recently reached its one year anniversary on the 12th February! This first year of her business has been amazing for her. ‘Don’t get me wrong, there have been a few weeks where I haven’t had a sale and you do start to panic, but as always, it picks back up. It’s a great feeling when you sell an item. At first, I only promoted myself through a group on Facebook, but when it was going well on there I chose to create an Instagram account dedicated to my business, which now has over 1600 followers! I’ve met some amazing people and had some really great orders.
Whilst at Redhill, Millie was always very creative and used the variety of creative subjects at Redhill to figure out what she liked. She said since leaving Redhill, what she misses and appreciates the most are the teachers! ‘So many of my teachers were so supportive and helpful. In school I struggled a lot with anxiety, but there was always somewhere I could go if I was having a bad day. I’ll be forever thankful for them!’
Millie especially shouted out to Mrs Parker ‘for being my Mentor in Year 11, she did so much for me and always helped with any problem I had. I don’t know what I would have done without her! Miss Bradburn was also a huge support for me in my final year and gave up her lunch times to help me with drama coursework and always gave me advice when I was struggling. Mrs Wooldridge literally gave up her office for me most days when I was having a bad day and was always there to listen to my problems. I am very thankful for you all’.
Millie still has strong friendships with some of her Redhill peers who are supportive of her business. She dreams to grow her business bigger and bigger, to get a steady amount of orders each week and to one day completely sell out! For now, she is happy and grateful with what she has achieved and takes each day as it comes.
So far, one of the biggest achievements in her small business is how far it has come over such a short time. She loves the customers who see her products and want them, who think ‘I’ve got to buy that!’.
In terms of a future career, she is still unsure! She is currently doing a dog grooming course as one of her dreams is to open a doggy day care. Dog grooming is a great foundation and addition to the business idea. She would love to continue her small business on the side of any career she follows.
As she looks into the future and celebrates her current achievements, she also reflected back on her past at Redhill. ‘Redhill has shaped me by being a huge support system in my life while I was there. I was always encouraged to do my best and to put myself out there and be confident.’
Have a look at Millie’s Business Instagram Page <