Ruth’s plan for the first year of business was to say yes to trying everything and see what worked. We talk about the awards she’s entered (and won!) and the long-term benefits she’s still experiencing from them. She also shares her story of sending products to Joe Wicks and what happened when he shared them on Instagram.

Listen in to hear Ruth share:

• An introduction to her business and what she sells (1:19)
• How having a child inspired her to start her business (1:44)
• The importance of children understanding the World around them (5:14)
• The (gungho!) first steps she took to get started (7:57)
• Why just getting started can be a good thing - and a way to test your product idea (12:37)
• How she got her first sales and the importance of involving your customers (13:45)
• How and when she expanded her product range (16:50)
• How (and why) she’s found a new printer, closer to home (19:08)
• Some of the challenges around finding and working with suppliers in the UK (23:48)
• How working with Chinese suppliers can be a positive experience and tips for getting it right (26:00)
• How she manages the logistics around shipping and storing her products - and why it can be nice to do it yourself (28:29)
• The awards the Little Black and White Book Project has won - and why she entered (32:37)
• The (lasting) benefits of winning awards for your product (36:45)
• What happened when Joe Wicks shared her products on Instagram (39:30)
• Why she chooses to donate 25% of her profits (45:00)
• What she loves about selling products (51:28)
• Her top piece of advice for other product creators (54:16)

USEFUL RESOURCES:

Little Black and White Book Project website

Little Black and White Book Project on Twitter

Little Black and White Book Project on Facebook

Little Black and White Book Project on Instagram

Ruth Bradford on LinkedIn

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