Eileen Venner, 65, dreams of making her textiles brand Whiskey & Venner into a household name. After a career spent in education, Venner relocated to Bristol and now works as a part-time gallery assistant. With plans to relaunch Whiskey & Venner in 2024, she’s enrolled on a Google Career Certificate in Digital Marketing and E-commerce to help make the business a success

“Whiskey & Venner is a venture that’s been bubbling away for a long time now,” says Venner when asked about why she founded her small business.

“I’ve always loved the vibrancy and heritage of African prints, so started making things like bags and homewares and selling them on Etsy,” she told us. “But I realise now that wasn’t the right time for me to launch a business. Juggling a full-time job with sewing, designing and childcare while selling my designs at markets on the weekends just wasn’t sustainable.”

Since taking a step back from full-time employment, Venner wants to relaunch her brand with the right skills to help make it successful. That’s why she’s studying for a Google Career Certificate in Digital Marketing and E-commerce.

“The certificate is already giving me the confidence and skills to engage with current digital marketing platforms,” says Venner. “It’s also assisting me in building my own online store, in order to promote and market my business more effectively.”

In terms of the future, 2024 is looking bright. According to Venner, she’s now hopeful that she’ll be able to put into practice everything she’s learned from the course and see positive results.

“I knew that I needed to upskill in order to move forward. This course has given me so much more confidence in how I approach everything to do with the business, from branding to social media platforms. I’m excited to see what happens next.”

3 inspiring women on how upskilling is helping them boost their career