Social entreprise business model: SEVENLY

Ever since I can remember I've been thankful for living in a safe place. I think about how different my life would be had I been born in a war torn land or a poverty stricken country (or both). With setting up rose & lula I want to build giving back into my business model, and so have been researching other businesses doing the same.

I came across the company Sevenly through Erin Giles' website.

Sevenly work with 52 charities throughout the year, designing and selling tops and totes for men and women. These designs change every week. $7 of each sale goes to the charity being spotlighted that week. Their innovative social media strategy makes each client (Sevenly call them "supporters") feel totally involved in the success of the charity and Sevenly. There is a film explaining the mission of the charity of the week, as well as updates of the amount raised. This week's charity is Destiny Rescue who are rescuing girls from sex slavery in Thailand. You can see how many girls have been rescued already this week on Sevenly's facebook page.

Source: Sevenly

It's such a great idea to have limited editions of the tops and totes - as they are only available for a week Sevenly's supporters are encouraged to keep coming back. Many of the tops are $22 which means with $7 of each sale going to charity Sevenly are giving 30%. Not too shabby!

Murmuration

It's a stunning, autumnal day today. There's nothing like a bright, blue sky to show off all the amazing colours of the leaves. As I was driving home today I saw starlings flying in groups and suddenly remembered two things:

- Noah, when he was little, would wake after his nap and come downstairs and we would sit down at our window to watch the "bird show" - hundreds and hundreds of starlings whoooooshing past our house, circling and coming round again, four or five times.

- This youtube video, where I learnt that a group of starlings doing their whoooshing thing is called a "murmuration".

A special place

Bonjour! Aujourd'hui je partage avec vous un de mes endroits préférés pour se promener. C'est un étang pas très loin de chez nous. Derrière l'étang on voit le Jura. Pendant la semaine il n'y a presque personne, sauf quelques gens qui font de la pêche, et moi, qui promène le chien. Aujourd'hui j'y ai même fait un peu de footing, mais ca c'est une autre histoire.

A chaque fois que je vais à cet endroit je me sens mieux, plus heureuse, plein d'énergie. Et c'est toujours beau, quel que soit la saison.

As-tu un endroit préféré pour t'échapper?

Hello my lovelies. I'm sharing with you today one of my favourite places to go for a walk. It's a little lake just down the road from where we live, and in the background that's the Jura mountains. In the week there's hardly anyone there, just a few people fishing, and me, walking the dog. Today I even did a bit of jogging but that's a different story.

I always feel so much better when I go to this place, happier, energised. And it's always beautiful, no matter the season.

Do you have a special place to get away from it all?

Too late

Based on an idea from Keri Smith's book "Living Out Loud", I wrote down the words that these doubting voices in my head keep speaking to me. In the book, Keri tells you to then scribble them out. The scribbling out bit felt good, even though some of the stronger voices continue to nag at me.

The loudest voice of all tells me I'm too late to carve out this creative life. I'm not encouraged when I fall in love with a textile designer's work, and discover they're only 26. "Gahhhhh, why didn't I start earlier?", I wonder to myself. I marvel at how these "youngsters"can already be brave enough to follow their passion. I wish I'd had that confidence when I was their age. I feel I have wasted time.

It came to me this morning, when the loudest voice was starting up again, that the 26 year old me was happy. OK, I wasn't designing and sewing, but I was working in an international organisation, my first proper job, meeting people from the 20 European member states, being good at providing a service, gaining experience. I don't regret my nine years in that organisation for one minute. When I left, finally listening to my heart and wanting to be more creative, I finished my interior design diploma, prepared everything to set up a business... but just wasn't ready. I wasn't mature enough business wise or even in a knowing myself way. Then I got married, and our children came along and I am so happy I stayed home with them, nurturing them, getting them off to a great start in life. So now they've both just started school, am I too late? I've been preparing for this creative life for a long time. I've done business and personal development courses. I've been practising at sewing and selling. I am happy in myself, in who I am, in how we are as a family.

It's time to tune out the loudest voice, to tell him he's not welcome in my head. To reread my words and get encouragement to just start. Just start and don't look back. Now there's a kind voice I'd like to listen to.

Resistance

Long time, no post...

Our family is in a transition period with the kiddywinks both starting back at school and me wanting to get going with the business. Christmas is coming!

But I'm feeling big resistance. Huge questions. Major doubts. In me I mean, my family is really supportive.

It's so odd as I've been waiting for this moment for a long time (as well as dreading both my babies being out of the house) and now it's here, I'm feeling resistance.

A friend has told me to take my time in this change phase. So I'm listening and taking slow steps. This week I'm sorting out the studio and updating the furniture. I had coffee with a friend. I'm walking the dog. The house is lovely and tidy. I did some doodling in a sketchbook. I had a rest.

I'm waiting for the sewing machine to call me back. She will.

Are you struggling with the switch after the summer?

A sneak preview - new blog design

A first glimpse of the new rose & lula blog design, after doing the amazing Your Darling Blog course with Jo Klima. I'm trying to decide between two slightly different versions.

Next phase - implementation!

Sooooo looking forward to seeing you in my new home :)

For the future shop

Voici un nouveau design pour mes housses de iphone - sorti directement de la machine à coudre! J'en suis très contente. Il va parfaitement avec ma vision de rose & lula et il sera dans la future boutique on-line!

Je n'arrive pas à decider si je devrais mettre une fermeture - comme celle-là ou autre. Je vais tester cette housse pour voir si mon iphone sort trop facilement dans mon sac.

A votre expérience, qu'en pensez-vous?

Here's one of my new designs for an iphone snug hot off the sewing machine! I'm really happy with it I feel it fits right in with my rose & lula vision and it will be in the future on-line rose & lula shop!

I can't decide whether to put a fastening at the top like these ones (or just a snap fastener). I'm testing it at the moment to see if my phone falls out too easily in my bag...

What do you think would be best?