“I was always going to run my own business. As a child I was continually starting up small enterprises at school selling homemade crafts to my peers and family members. Then a few years ago, unhappy in my day job, I put pen to paper and seriously thought about what kind of business I would like to set up. It took a year of thinking up ideas, costing them, making business plans, then realising they weren’t financially feasible and going back to the drawing board.

“During this time I began tending an allotment with a friend and not only did we spend all our own hard-earned cash on gardening bits and bobs, but all our friends and family began buying us gardening-themed presents for every special occasion. Here was a need – gardening was on trend and growing at a frenetic pace and people were after wonderful gifts for their green-fingered friends but didn’t have time to trawl the internet seeking the beautiful things out. There was my market and What You Sow was born. Well, almost. It took a while for inspiration to strike around what to call my business, until one perfect day Lou Reed appeared on TV singing it to me.

“With a miniscule stock of garden-themed items from other small businesses piled up in my living room and help from a friend with my logo design, What You Sow launched a few weeks after that.”

What’s on my desk?

My weekly planner
“As a small business owner my daily tasks can be very changeable, and there are plenty of distractions, so I need to have a clear idea of what I am doing each day to keep me focused.”
Plant-based inspiration
“…in the form of gardening books.”
My trusty Canon 600D
“I have this and lots of photos of plants and What You Sow products that I have taken with it.”
Actual plants
“We have over 50 (!) plants in the What You Sow studio - they provide a beautiful environment to work in as well as helping purify the air.”
Washi tape and stickers to decorate customer orders
“We want everyone to be delighted with their post from What You Sow and this starts with the packaging.” A notepad and pencil “I use these to scribble, draw and write down ideas, make lists and work things out.”
Healthy snacks
“I love plants so much they’re also the only thing I eat so I always have plenty of plant-based snacks on my desk to keep my energy levels up.”
A bag of my favourite coffee
“I use this to give me a creative boost.”

Successful self-made women reveal what’s really in their desks