Business & Work

But it took two marriages, two children and several jobs before she began fulfilling her ambitions. With the help of Business Link, Angela has finally set up her own business www.hatsonheads.com  in partnership with her friend Carol Robinson, and now the duo design and make hats that are turning heads on the London catwalks and at Ascot.

Angela left school at 16 years old and worked in a variety of jobs far removed from the career she desperately wanted to pursue in fashion. After getting married several years later she had two children, Georgia, now 28, and Stuart, 21. The marriage didn’t last and when the children were still young, Angela and her husband divorced. As a single parent in her 30s the responsibility to earn a living was essential but she decided the time was right to do something for herself. So Angela signed up to a City and Guilds course in Fashion Design. Juggling five cleaning jobs, a part-time course and two children, she certainly had her work cut out.

“It was a struggle but you just had to get on with things. I was more than ready to sign up to a course in fashion and I really wanted to do something for me. I had always been creative but because of different circumstances I never had the opportunity to think about using them in a job capacity,” she says.

The City and Guilds course was a new start for Angela, and it was here she met Carol Robinson, her business partner.

“Carol and I have led parallel lives. Both of us had two young children and were single parents when we met. I was divorced and Carol was widowed. Both of us had been sewing from a very young age and had wanted to work in fashion but for one reason or another we both hadn’t taken the chance. We both remarried again within a year of one another and bumped into one another again 10 years later at university studying and from then on we stayed in touch and ended up going into business together.”

After graduating Angela discussed the idea of setting up a fashion business with Carol. As fortune had it, Angela then spotted a perfect property, which was large enough to double up as a workshop and a shop in Bracebridge Heath in Lincoln. With the support of their husbands, Angela and Carol purchased the property and kitted it out.

Angela then contacted Business Link. She had used them previously when running another business and knew how useful the service was: “I knew what Business Link could offer. Their free advice helped us with the old business from employment issues through to advising us on our business plans. So it was one of my first calls once we had moved.”

Their Business Link adviser also put them in touch with the Designer Factory, which specialises in helping creative businesses. She says: “The Designer Factory has been able to offer us heaps of advice on what shows to attend and has put us in touch with other creative companies.”

HatsonHeads has now been up and running for more than four years and has expanded its services. Angela says: “We knew we would have to be a bit creative if we wanted to survive in this business and make any kind of living. We run IN2Fashion workshops, which Carol is brilliant at and now we sell DIY hat kits as well, which we also use for our hat making ‘Hen Days’. With the help of our Business Link adviser we have come up with a price and a marketing plan to get the kits into high street retail stores. Fingers crossed it all comes together!”

Their talents have not gone unnoticed by the fashion world and the duo have beaten off stiff competition from all over the UK to be selected three times for the Alternative London Fashion Week, which runs alongside London Fashion Week and showcases up-and-coming talent.

“Thanks to events such as the Alternative London Fashion week, we have created a profile for ourselves. But it is still a struggle and Carol still works part-time in a hospital lab to help out financially. We do wonder at times if we are doing the right thing but then you have to remind yourself it’s only been four years and the support available from Business Link to help us with our ambitions is invaluable.

Real ambitions and dreams never leave you, no matter how many years pass

“But neither of us are spring chickens. If we had started this when we were 21 we wouldn’t have been ready. Our life experience has helped us tremendously and we are proud of what we have achieved so far.”

Carol and Angela now have two studios where they make their hats and have a terrific website that they are very proud of.

Angela’s top tips for business success

• Follow your dreams! Put in the research and if it feels right, then do it. It’s never too late. 
• Find out what help and grants are available before you make any big decisions.
• Use Business Link to put you in touch with other helpful organisations. It’s free, it’s online and you can give them a call; it’s too good to miss out on!

Great Opportunity!

John Lewis are now stocking their kits so check our their web site for more information.

More about Hats on Heads

Hatsonheads - Artisan Design Studio Studio 8 St. John's Workshop
Caistor Drive Bracebridge Heath
Lincoln LN4 2TA

www.hatsonheads.com

Hats on Heads images are by photographer Dave Overton.