The second week of the Talented Friends section 2019 is my second cousin Larisa who is actually the older sister of Megan who I featured in this section last year. She is so talented, has overcome so many challenges to keep this flourishing business of hers going and always manages to see the positive in things. It’s amazing, awe-inspiring even. I shall let her tell you more about it though. So, without further ado, here she is:
Hello! I’m Larisa and I’m a 33 year old wife and Mumma to four children!
I started my little business four years ago now! Formerly known as Sissy’s Bowtique, so named because my nickname is Sissy and I predominantly made hair bows.
At that time I had three sons and I was on maternity leave and missing the creativeness of being a primary school teacher, so decided to learn how to make hair bows and do something girly seeing as I was completely surrounded by males in the household!
The business quite literally took off overnight and provided me with a full-time income which was completely unexpected but amazing!
I spent the next two years successfully building my business and went on to have my daughter, Aurora Lily.
Unfortunately, during this time the likes of instagram, where 90% of my sales came from, changed with the algorithm changing peoples feeds and many small businesses suffered terribly as suddenly we were no longer getting seen.
After a short break I decide to rebrand including a new name. This didn’t need a second thought and I rebranded as Aurora Lily’s. I hope some day my daughter can take the business over!
Over the past year I have expanded further and now offer all kinds of gifts, homeware & accessories to suit all. We are now officially known as Aurora Lily’s Home & Gifts.
As a small business and working self-employed, times are certainly tough however what motivates me daily is remembering where I was when I started this venture and looking at how far I’ve come. The fact that I started this business and have made this business a success makes me extremely proud and I think that’s something that can get lost sometimes during hard times.
In this current small business climate, I believe the keys to success include targeted advertising. Ensuring you know your market and who’s more likely to purchase from you. The next and probably the biggest thing for me has been engaging with other small business owners. Supporting others, even if that means not purchasing from them, but simply liking, commenting and sharing posts on social media makes such a massive difference to us and I would encourage all small business owners to join and build up networks.
Being self-employed and your own boss is so rewarding! But it doesn’t come without its hardships. Over the last few years I’ve learnt so much but my top tip is simply to be organised! Even I still struggle with this especially with having four children and a house to run, but honestly the more organised you are, the easier things run and flow.
When I’m not working, being a Mumma, a housewife etc etc, I like to try and stay fit by attending a regular fitness session taught by an ex Royal Marine. Because I travel 30 mins away to this session, three times per week, the other way I de-stress is by turning my favourite music up loud in the car and singing my heart out! If I didn’t have music in my life I am unsure how I’d ever function! I also do the occasional modelling too which I thoroughly enjoy as I get to be pampered for the day.
Please come and show your support by following my Instagram page @auroralilys and my Facebook page Aurora Lily’s Home & Gifts. I love to meet new people both face to face and virtually!
Come and say hi!
Our website is currently undergoing some maintenance and will be launching soon. You’ll be able to find us at www.auroralilys.com
Being self-employed and your own boss certainly isn’t easy but the rewards outweigh the hard times and never forget…
“Do something you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.”
Larisa Gosden
Owner of Aurora Lily’s Home & Gifts
Thank you so much for taking time out of your manic schedule to write this all out for me, it is so greatly appreciated. Love hearing people’s success stories and how well people are doing, it motivates me to try more things. If you’ve read my more recent posts you may know I have been looking into becoming self employed, I plan to use the advice I’ve received through these posts to help me launch my own business. Fingers crossed.
Until next time, TTFN
As usual feel free to like, comment, share, subscribe, follow my other social medias and message me if you want to collaborate.
