Click for fashion – a start up story : High Growth Scotland with Kim McAllister

23/03/2018

Necessity is the mother of invention, right?

So often when I speak to entrepreneurs, they tell me a wonderful story about how they happened upon their business idea.

I bet we could all list inventions we reckon would make great companies (my husband came up with the concept of a golf bag/baby seat combo and was delighted with himself) but turning these epiphanies into money-making enterprises is a whole different ball game.

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Last night, Cally Halpin launched Lux Boutique Outlet at a gorgeous event in Edinburgh.

She describes the concept as a “lightbulb moment” when talking to a friend about storage challenges for end-of-line stock.

Here’s her story:

“After 11 years in banking and a career break to have my two daughters, I was ready to start up my own business and do something different. Oh and I love fashion too! The business has come a long way from the kitchen table concept. In preparation for the Lux Boutique Outlet launch, getting the right infrastructure in place has been key. We have partnered with a fulfilment house Fulfilmax which means we are now in a position to scale the business quickly. The team at Fulfilmax store the stock and pick, pack and post all online orders, it’s the heart of our business operation. We are also working with a strong team of PR, social and digital consultants to help shape our marketing messaging. Having the right team will ensure I can focus on growing the business.

The best advice I’ve received is to stop procrastinating, you’re only holding yourself up! Over thinking gets you nowhere fast so start doing and keep going! And of course believe in yourself and never give up.

I have focused carefully on getting the right products to grow the business. I am very selective about the fashion businesses we work with to ensure the products we offer are from high-end luxury designer brands. Two of our ten current business partners are the award winning Edinburgh boutique Jane Davidson and style-led high performance outerwear brand Protected Species. Businesses like these are integral to our product range and will continue to be the case as we expand our portfolio of fashion businesses and luxury designer outlet clothing.

I have invested in infrastructure both operationally and digitally including new branding in order to grow the business and will continue to do so in the coming year. You need a good website with good product and a slick operation behind the scenes to enable growth. This has been our main focus year to date.”

Cally is looking forward to working with Mike Welch’s company Atterley in the future and has big plans for growth.

Is your business growing fast? Share your story kim@impactonline.co.uk


Read more from Kim McAllister here – [insert page=’stay-in-the-one-lane-dont-watch-what-anyone-else-is-doing-a-start-up-story-high-growth-scotland-with-kim-mcallister’ display=’link’]
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