Small Business Saturday Blog
SmallBiz100 Julu on design, manufacturing, and building an online business with friends
Thursday, June 21 at 09:00
When many friends and family admired a wall hanging airer which Lucie Savidge had designed for her home, she asked her school friend, Julia Adams, to help her to develop it into a product and start a business, Julu Laundry Ladders. Both were involved with the design and development, taking Lucie’s concept idea and making it the Laundry Ladder with many unique selling points. Lucie now runs the day to day shipping of the product to customers and Julia manages the accounts and marketing. The Laundry Ladder is now an award-winning product at the FSB West Midlands Awards, where they won the category for Business and Product Innovation.
Julia has a background in sales and selling to retailers, and this knowledge has been helpful as it gave them the understanding of pricing a product with wholesale margins included. However, with no previous experience of running a business or developing a product, both directors have had lots to learn along the way.
Once they had their intellectual property rights and Trade Marks pending, Lucie and Julia set about the task of finding reliable and trustworthy manufacturers. Their first manufacturer came through a contact which helped open that first door, and once they had one manufacturer here in the UK, they were then able to start the process of looking for one in Poland. They have also found that having a sales history helps with negotiations, making the approach to manufacturers a little easier.
Lucie and Julia say that they are still learning a lot about business but have some great tools:
- Cloud based accounting and other Cloud based systems help them easily access accounts and files from any location, allowing them to work from home but share files and information easily with each other and keep up to date with their financial position.
- They have found great support in groups like FSB/Chamber of Commerce in technical and legal aspects of the business, plus networking.
- Their website developers also keep up to date with regulations and help them to renew their website, keeping it fresh and continually improving the SEO of the site. The internet is a constantly changing beast, so having a team who know what’s changing and how to adapt to those changes keeps their site high up in the searches, which is crucial for an ecommerce business.
- Through MAS (Manufacturing Advisory Service) they received a grant plus one of the contacts which eventually helped them to find their first manufacturer. The grant was given through a gateway process which gave them the encouragement that as they passed each gateway their business idea/product was worthy of production. Part of the gateway grant was used to commission a business case study report which highlighted that the clothes airer market is competitive and largely dominated by big high street names at middle to lower price point, leaving a gap in the market at the higher end. They then set out to design the Laundry Ladder to be stylish and functional, giving it many USPs to place it at this gap in the market, where it stands strong and unchallenged. Their customer reviews prove that they have succeeded to create a well-received, innovative and needed product.
- The internet has levelled the playing field for small business to compete: now with one’s own website, you can reach a vast and wide audience from your home. With good SEO which is regularly maintained, you can keep your business profile in view. The use of websites such as Amazon help improve your SEO and social media, and support you to grow your brand. Julu only market here in the UK but sell all over the world, and this can only be done due to their presence on other platforms.

Lucie’s top tips:
1. Being on other websites, even little known ones, can assist your SEO.
2. Lifestyle images are a must when selling a product for the home. Even on a limited budget, Lucie and Julia managed to create different looks within their own homes in order to produce images for their website. They borrowed furniture, pictures and props from local retailers who they then linked to from their website by way of thanks, which added to their SEO as well as creating powerful lifestyle images to market their product.
Lucie’s best advice:
Keep asking, whatever it is you need. A manufacturer? Platforms to sell on? An accounts system? Consumer shows to attend? You will receive many different answers but the right one will come along eventually. Don’t give up.
Lucie says that she is looking forward to the Julu Laundry Ladder becoming a piece of must have furniture in every home, and a successful business of which she and Julia can both be proud.
About the author: Lucie Savidge is co-founder of Julu Laundry Ladder. Find out more on their website here.
Categories:
Latest Posts:
- Zero to hero in Nottingham8 Weeks Ago
- Monday Seller Success with eBay: That Vintage Football Shirt8 Weeks Ago
- Rock on in Southend on Sea9 Weeks Ago
- Monday Seller Success with eBay: Purrfect Cat Gifts9 Weeks Ago
- One love, one heart on Ipswich’s high street10 Weeks Ago
- Monday Seller Success with eBay: Hampers by Lauren10 Weeks Ago
- Good graces in Bristol and Bath11 Weeks Ago
- Monday Seller Success with eBay: Top Dog11 Weeks Ago
- Weigh to go in Northwich12 Weeks Ago
- Monday Seller Success with eBay: Handpicked Penrith12 Weeks Ago
- Holy cow in Westmorland13 Weeks Ago
- Monday Seller Success with eBay: The game is afoot13 Weeks Ago
- All fired up and ready to go in Gerrards Cross14 Weeks Ago
- Monday Seller Success with eBay: Meteorite Man14 Weeks Ago
- Dorset's Ice Cream Appreciation Society15 Weeks Ago
- Monday Seller Success Story with eBay: Giddy Goats Toys15 Weeks Ago
- SmallBiz100 celebrated at the Blue Tie Event16 Weeks Ago
- Why apply to be a #SmallBiz100 2022?8 Months Ago
- From field to fork – making the most of Cheshire’s local produce13 Months Ago
- Sustainable living with BLANC14 Months Ago
- Pizza power14 Months Ago
- In the good books14 Months Ago
- From babygrows to beer kits14 Months Ago
- Smile and say cheese15 Months Ago
- The perfect planner for when you didn’t plan for this16 Months Ago
- Why apply to be a #SmallBiz100 2021?19 Months Ago
- Feeling lighter than air at The Float Spa3 Years Ago
- At the cutting edge of local community3 Years Ago
- Sewing the seeds of success in Scotland3 Years Ago
- Joco's leap of faith pays off3 Years Ago
- No messing around! How Tom Foolery Coffee Company pivoted during the pandemic3 Years Ago
- How Mandira’s Kitchen has its eye on spicing up your freezer3 Years Ago
- Wild about keeping it local and healthy in Bristol3 Years Ago
- Award winning small business announced at Blue Tie celebration3 Years Ago
- Free leadership training for SME leaders delivered by leading Business Schools3 Years Ago
- Six things you can do in your business right now3 Years Ago
- How can my employees return to work safely and legally after Covid-19?3 Years Ago
- What is it really like being a #SmallBiz100? – Stamptastic spill the beans3 Years Ago
- Why apply to be a #SmallBiz100 2020?3 Years Ago
- Why embracing technology should be your New Year resolution3 Years Ago
- Starting a new business: financial tips for start ups4 Years Ago
- Top 10 security tips for small businesses storing personal data4 Years Ago
- From architect to artisan at the Dumfries Larder4 Years Ago
- Putting down new Roots in Abergele4 Years Ago
- How Amazon is helping one woman tackle taboos and period poverty4 Years Ago
- Creating a community: What it means to be a small business4 Years Ago
- Building an enabling bridge, brick by brick4 Years Ago
- Get ready to rock with Rockit4 Years Ago
- How to create an event for Small Business Saturday UK4 Years Ago
- Jampacked with passion: the local cinema that’s giving back4 Years Ago
- Celebrating the North East’s cycle stars4 Years Ago
- Don’t know what to write about? 9 ideas for your next business newsletter, blog or social media post4 Years Ago
- Take a butcher’s at the first of the #SmallBiz100 20194 Years Ago
- 7 essential growth tips that small businesses need to know4 Years Ago
- Making a great first impression: photography & small business4 Years Ago
- Strength in numbers4 Years Ago
- How to choose the right pricing strategy for your business4 Years Ago
- How taking matters into her own hands led to huge success for Revival Retro4 Years Ago
- 5 content ideas every small business needs4 Years Ago
- The Flour Pot Bakery's secret to success4 Years Ago
- How to harness the power of Instagram and drive your business forward - the GB Labels way4 Years Ago
- Making Tax Digital is here! What does it mean for your business?4 Years Ago
- How we should champion success for International Women's Day4 Years Ago
- Step aside Mystery Shopper scheme - hello new Public Procurement Review Service!4 Years Ago
- The top three causes of entrepreneur burnout and how to avoid it4 Years Ago
- Get a great digital ad for your business for just £50, and help tomorrow’s entrepreneurs learn with iDEA!4 Years Ago
- Badge Your Brilliance with iDEA4 Years Ago
- How to make your Christmas the most successful yet!5 Years Ago
- Life in the fast Laine5 Years Ago
- Small businesses shine at launch of Silver iDEA Award St James's Palace5 Years Ago
- Local and sustainable is winning formula for SmallBiz100 Hays Hampers5 Years Ago
- Red Herring Games – Case Study5 Years Ago
- Keeping Up With The Tylers: How To Move With The Times5 Years Ago
- Making our own kind of music at the Blue Tie Ball5 Years Ago
- How to guest blog (and look like you know what you’re doing)5 Years Ago
- How to market your small business on a budget5 Years Ago
- Top summer marketing tips!5 Years Ago
- Purposely: embedding purpose into the heart of your small business5 Years Ago
- A ‘Dog Day Afternoon’ for Britain’s small businesses5 Years Ago
- Five ways to make your business successful in five years!5 Years Ago
- SmallBiz100 Mooch revive the local high street5 Years Ago
- Why apply to be a SmallBiz100 2018?5 Years Ago
- SmallBiz100 Julu on design, manufacturing, and building an online business with friends5 Years Ago
- Small Business Champion Series From Rich Brady ... Setting Business Goals5 Years Ago
- SmallBiz100 Techsixtyfour on how to successfully build an online business5 Years Ago
- SmallBiz100 Frequently Asked Questions5 Years Ago
- Small Business Champion Series from Rich Brady...Putting the Family into Family Business5 Years Ago
- Exporting - not just for the big!5 Years Ago
- Can Giving Really Be Good for a Small Business? Spoiler: Yes!5 Years Ago
- Let's get organised....5 Years Ago
- Is your business leaking money?5 Years Ago
- Podcasting - The Ultimate How-To Guide - Part 25 Years Ago
- Setting BIG goals – why do it and how to go about it5 Years Ago
- International Women's Day 20185 Years Ago
- 9 tips for Business Success - it's all about love.5 Years Ago
- Demystifying LinkedIn for Small Businesses5 Years Ago
- 10 Top Money Tips for Small Businesses5 Years Ago
- Organising a Small Business Event - Tips from the Experts5 Years Ago
- 12 Top Tips for Micro-businesses5 Years Ago
- ACCA on board the Small Business Saturday Bus Tour6 Years Ago
- Is Britain Becoming a Cashless Society?6 Years Ago
- Small Business Spotlight - How Technology Can Help Small Businesses6 Years Ago
- Taking Your Business Beyond the High Street6 Years Ago
- 5 Ideas to Improve your Time Management6 Years Ago
- The Small Business Saturday Bus Tour launches across the UK for its fifth year!6 Years Ago
- Making the most of Small Business Saturday7 Years Ago
- Why I applied to Small Biz 100: Crafty Revolution tells all8 Years Ago