Small Business Love for Brambles & Mose
Updated: Aug 21, 2020
Brambles & Mose make handmade woodland clothes for children. Check them out and show them some small business love!
Since launching Popsy and Mama I've got to know many people from the small business community. There are lots of wonderful homegrown businesses out there that more than deserve our support.
That's why I've launched a new section on my blog called: Small Business Love.
Some weeks I'll be handing over my blog to enable a small business to talk about themselves and showcase what they do.
Here's the first in the series. Welcome, Brambles & Mose!
Small Business Love for Brambles & Mose
#SmallBusinessLove
Tell us your business' name and what it's about...
Brambles & Mose. We make handmade woodland clothes for little explorers!
What's the story behind Brambles & Mose?
Brambles & Mose began in the woodlands of the New Forest, after sharing fantastic adventures with our lovable (and giant) fluff ball Mose, a 50kg Mountain Dog.
Mose adores children and has five little cousins of her own, that she absolutely dotes on. She loves nothing better than running through the woods with them, getting caught up in the brambles and causing lots of mischief. From picnics to puddles, bug hunts to bees, they explore the beautiful countryside together.
We wanted to capture this sense of adventure and connection to wildlife whilst starting a new journey together. I decided to give sewing a go and it was love at first sight. And Ben, well, he’s more around for moral support (aka my meltdowns regarding sewing malfunctions) and all the admin shenanigans that owning a small business implies!
It took us quite some time before we actually decided to create our online shop, which is probably because of my level of perfectionism. We very carefully chose all our materials, one by one, worked on our logo and found some fantastic patterns we could use to create some woodland magic.
Working with high quality fabrics, including our signature calico cotton, we ensure the highest of standards for each of our products. Every single item is handmade in Dorset and of course, inspected personally by Mose. We hope you don’t mind the occasional dog hair left in the box!
How do you juggle managing your own business?
Having a work life balance is extremely important to us. We both have full-time jobs and many, many hobbies. It can of course be stressful at times to manage these alongside a small business, but we were conscious that our products had to be quality, not quantity.
For this reason, we limit the amount of order slots available each month so we can give each item the care and love they require.
We made Mose the focus of our brand so we could share some of this gentle giant with you all. She's such a big part of our lives. And of course she's included in many of our activities, whether we explore the woodlands together, or take our very rusty van to Devon to enjoy races in the dunes and catching some waves.
Tell us what it's like launching a small business in the UK.
Starting a small business in the UK has been a fantastic experience for both of us - and Mose of course, she is the face of the business after all.
To make a business work however you need to be keen to learn, get out of your comfort zone, and meet some amazing people. But, don't forget to have fun.
We weren’t very familiar with social media initially and we could barely use Instagram. It took me forever to figure out how to make stories. Ben still doesn’t know how to create one!
Truth be told, I never touched a sewing machine until two years ago. However, as soon as I picked one up I've never let go.
Our advice is have a goal and stick with it, but don’t be surprised if there are bumps in the road. Basically, “keep calm and carry on!”
What’s been your most valuable business investment?
Finding good quality fabrics. It took us a year of ordering many samples before we were set on the different materials we were going to use in our products. Although the materials we chose are a little pricier, we wanted quality to be part of our brand.
What advice would you offer people who want to launch a business?
TAKE. YOUR. TIME. Don’t rush, choose your materials carefully (whether you work with fabrics or not).
Life can be stressful. It's about enjoying ourselves in whatever we decide to do and share the love with others who genuinely support you.
Don’t be afraid to ask others too. The support and advice we've received from other small businesses has been invaluable. Do your research and find your niche.
What small businesses would you like to show some love to?
There are so many that we can’t list them all here, but we just love Pan & Pixie, Wilf + Wildlings, Hooked by a Fin, Con & Rubes, Twig +Tale and Popsy and Mama of course!
Where can we find out more about you?
Instagram: @bramlesandmose (#bramblesandmose)
Facebook: Brambles & Mose
Etsy store here
Would you like to Guest Blog for Popsy and Mama? If yes, check out the guidelines here. I look forward to hearing from you!
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