Bootstrapping to a multi-million pound business whilst navigating motherhood with Steph Douglas

This week we are joined by Steph Douglas, Founder of Don’t Buy Her Flowers. 

Steph Douglas founded Don’t Buy Her Flowers in 2014, leaving her brand marketing role, to pursue an idea she had following the birth of her children. 

After receiving eight bunches of flowers when she had her first baby, Steph realised the well-meaning bouquet soon lost its shine when you were the one filling vases, all while juggling a newborn and feeling overwhelmed. Steph started sending building packages to her friends who were also managing the early days of motherhood, and she saw the delight, and real emotion a thoughtful package, tailored specifically to encourage them to take a bit of time for themselves, could bring. 

With a background in corporate brand marketing, Steph knew she could “sell” a product. But the journey to building a retail business was new and unnerving; despite admitting she’s never worked harder in her life, it has always felt exactly like the right path. Originally launching for new mums, the company now offers packages for all occasions, including gifts for him, workplaces, couples and more. 

Insta: @dontbuyherflowers

Twitter: @dbhfgifts

Facebook: www.facebook.com/dontbuyherflowers 

In this episode Steph and Coni discuss:

• Taking the leap from corporate to self-employment 
• Growing a business whilst juggling little people
• Having difficult conversations with your partner on sharing responsibility
• Bootstrapping your product based business and considering investment 
• Growing your team and getting over the fear of the first hire
• The impact of covid on the business’s growth and success
• Steph’s top tips for a product based business owners

 

We hope you enjoy.

Find out more about Steph:

• IG: @steph_dontbuyherflowers
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephdouglas 

Resources:

• We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle

To find out more about this podcast and to nominate a guest visit www.foundflourish.co.uk/podcast.

More about Found & Flourish

Found and Flourish is a growing network, online membership, media & events platform, aimed at empowering the next generation of entrepreneurial women and impact driven change-makers to launch, grow and scale their businesses. Join us by visiting www.foundflourish.co.uk.

Connect With The Hosts

Lara Sheldrake

• https://www.larasheldrake.com
• https://twitter.com/lara_sheldrake
• https://www.instagram.com/lara_sheldrake/

Coni Longden-Jefferson

• https://www.conilj.com
• https://www.instagram.com/conilj/
• https://twitter.com/cljwrites