Christmas Cometh

Hi Everyone!

I hope you are well! So Christmas is nearly upon us and it is definitely Christmas Fair time!!

It has been a very busy few months for me and there have been so many changes it is hard to keep up sometimes! I  have been fortunate to attend my first two Christmas Fairs. The first one was at the Morgan Stanley offices in Canary Wharf. For those of you that do not know Morgan Stanley, it is a Global financial services firm and a market leader in securities, asset management and credit services as well as Investment Management! There were numerous business involved in the Christmas Fair i.e Molton Brown and Book People to name a few.

I was very honoured to be accepted sell at the offices and met some really wonderful people! I would like to thank Matt Tragheim for all his assistance on the two days I was at the Morgan Stanley offices! Also to my mentor, Peter Renshaw for his support on both days! You are a star!

I also attended The Princes Trust's Christmas Fair and found out that Mini Men UK was selling very well in the Tomorrow Store next door to the offices and managed to sell most of my stock at the fair too! It was a brilliant evening and again I met some really lovely people who were so inspiring, funny, inquisitive and enthusiast! Everyone was in high spirits and the evening was a wonderful success! Thank you To Sally Haynes and Alan Kimpton for all their help!

Speaking of high spirits, have you seen Mini Men UK's new Christmas advert? No?! Please do check it out here and like and comment! http://t.co/KifRurwpiG

Right! Now I have that out of the way! I have two huge announcements!! Yayyy!!

Firstly, Mini Men UK has a brand new website! We have been working hard to change the look of our previous website and to add some new features to our company! That brings me to my second announcement! We now have an up to 40% sale running on selected items!

I would advice you all to make your purchases now, just in time for Christmas! All orders placed by the 16th of December will receive a free Christmas Gift wrap! Order now at www.minimenuk.com

Christmas dreaming!

Hi everyone,

I hope you are all well!

I just wanted to announce that Mini Men UK has uploaded it's first video on You Tube and I would really love for you to take a look at it! Our Christmas campaign is just beginning and we would like for all our customers to join us in celebrating this wonderful festive season!

We have our brand new Christmas advert as well as a great new competition to encourage the children to become more creative and really use their imaginations!

Christmas is my favourite time of year as you can enjoy some quality time with the people you love the most! It is also the season when dreams come true.............I know you are all working hard to make your goals and dreams come true!

Please take a look, share and comment!  http://youtu.be/caTeZhMSlLE

Superconnector!

Hi everyone! I hope you are all well.

Well the summer has officially come to an end! It's the beginning of a great Autumn/Winter season.

I know I have not put a post up for a few months now but I promise you it is due to sheer lack of time! I have been so busy selling Mini Men UK Clothing and learning about being a business owner that I have not had a chance tell to write anything!

It has been a great summer and I was busy selling in fairs and markets, trying to create brand awareness. I am quite a shy person when it comes to talking to new people and I have found it difficult coming out of my shell however since taking part in the Millionaire Minds Seminar, I always say to myself, 'Feel the fear and do it anyway'! This usually makes me get through the uncomfortable situations I have to put myself in for me to grow more as an entrepreneur.

Mini Men UK now has some new stockists. We are now available at Little Beau in Cranleigh, New 2 U Ewell in Ewell, Just Boys in Paignton and still available at Mini Wardrobe- miniwardrobe.com

I am very grateful to have these stockist and I encourage everyone to go out and buy Mini Men UK garments from these great Independent businesses!

I also attended a seminar yesterday called Women In Business at the Morgan Stanley offices in Canary Wharf! For those of you who are not familiar with Morgan Stanley, it is the global leading Financial Services Firm! I was invited to take part in the seminar to showcase my business and discuss the obstacles that I have had to deal with in order to get to where I am now! I was so in awe of all the women that were there especially the women who worked at Morgan Stanley as I know it is not an easy field to get into especially as a woman. It is a predominantly male environment!

I felt relieved that I am not the only person that has a problem with confidence and dealing with bad news. I am very grateful to The Princes Trust for hosting this event and for Morgan Stanley giving me and the other entrepreneurs the opportunity to learn from their staff.

I am currently putting a competition together which I will be announcing early next week. I am also going to be introducing my new baby range to Mini Men UK and will be showcasing a few baby grows for the lead up to Christmas.

Mini Men UK will be at a few Christmas Markets and we will also be at the official Princes Trust Christmas Fair on the 4th of December!
Don't forget to 'Like' the Facebook page www.facebook.com/minimenukltd or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/minimenukltd to get updates of where I will be selling.

In the mean time, I promise not to leave it so long again to send out a post and will keep you all Superconnected!

Time to make your dreams a reality!

Hi guys!

I hope everyone is well and have been enjoying the little bit of sunshine that we had the past few weeks!

I have been so busy I have not had a chance to write my blog and I feel terrible that I have been slacking in this department! Please forgive me!

So I will start from the beginning, I managed to manufacture my summer collection and we had a great photo shoot with Early Moments Photography in Woking. Kim, the owner is a very experienced photographer and captures some really great images!

As you can see, our models were very happy and cute little boys and they really did a great job!
I would like to thank their mothers, Maria, Clare and Lisa for agreeing to have them take part in the shoot and I really hope you all like the images.

With completing my collection, I have also been attending Brixton Market for their Brix Mix and Makers Market. I can say that attending these markets has really opened my eyes on how much work is needed to run your business. I have been getting lots of advice from the market traders on what I need to do in order to gain more customers and try to entice them with my great offers!

Mini Men UK will also be at Greenwich Market next week so if you are in the area, please do come and say hi!

We will also be at a few Summer Fairs this summer at some local schools in order for parents to see our new clothing brand!

Mini Men UK is currently looking for Brand Ambassadors! It is a great opportunity for anyone who wants to make some extra money! Please do get in contact with me via the website if you are interested. www.minimenuk.com

My other great news is that Mini Men UK is now available to order at Mini Wardrobe! Yay! Mini Wardrobe is an online store that sells fashionable and trendy childrenswear and gifts for the 0-12 year old age group. 'It is not only a “one-stop shop” for children’s clothing but also an interactive and innovative destination designed to make it fun and exciting to discover and shop for new clothes and gifts online'.

I am so excited and feel ever so privileged to have my first stockist! I cant wait to see what happens with my clothing and really want all parents out there to buy my clothes knowing that their boys are being influenced by the positive slogans!

You can order my clothing from Mini Wardrobe by going to www.miniwardrobe.com
or order directly from us at www.minimenuk.com

Mini Men UK will be at Woodmansterne Primary School in Banstead, this Saturday for the Summer Fair! It starts at 12 noon and ends at 3pm. If you are in this area, please do come along as I will have some great special offers on the day! Come and grab a bargain!

Party time!

Hi everyone!

I hope you are all well!

I am so sorry I have not blogged for quite some time but I have been so busy getting things together for the official launch of Mini Men UK.

My clothing has finally arrived and I can now say that Mini Men UK is officially open for business!! Yay!!!

I am so excited to see all of my wonderful customers and for them to enjoy putting their little men into Mini Men UK clothing!

To mark this joyous occasion I have decided to host a party! It will be a launch party for all my friends and family, customers and The Prince's Trust mentors who helped me get to where I am. I just really would love to be able to thank everyone that has been there for me and helped me and also given such wonderful advice.

I will be having the party on the 8th of June (The day before my gorgeous boys 4th birthday) and would like to invite anyone of  you who can attend. It will be in Banstead, Surrey and I will give you the full details closer to the time!

Now, with more good news, Mini Men UK was featured in the Children's Wear Buyer magazine as the 'Brand to Watch' and I was so ecstatic when I saw my company featured in the magazine. I would like to say a very big thank you to Laura, the editor of the magazine for all her help! You are fantastic!

Please feel free to browse my new website and purchase any of the items you see as I am fully in stock and also will be featuring my new scooter range t-shirts at the beginning of June for those little scooter heads that love riding! The new designs will be so cool for you.

You can now shop at www.minimenuk.com

Happy shopping guys and I will update you soon!

 

Never give up!

Hi everyone,

Hope you are all well!

It has been a busy few weeks and I have been trying so hard to keep focused. My clothing is nearly ready and the last few pieces to the puzzle are being completed!

It's April and I can honestly say that this year so far has not been the best  and I have had so many knock backs that I have been very close to just giving up!

For example, I saw an advert about a Space Academy here at Merland Rise church across the street from me and thought I would grab the opportunity of asking the organiser if I could promote my Future Astronaut Hoodies and To Infinity top to the parents signing their children up. In exchange for this privilege, I would be happy to make a donation to the church for each sale made or even volunteer at the church.

Well you would have thought I had insulted her, the way she replied to me was absolutely shocking! And I am glad I did not sign up my son for the Academy as I would not want to leave my child with this woman!

I realised that people will always want to bring you down especially if they are unhappy with their own lives.  Had I been a weak person, I probably would have burst out crying and given up and my dream would be thrown away all because one poxy little volunteer knocked me back!!

Life is too short to be letting such insignificant people deter you from you aspirations! There will always be jealous people, mean people and people who are just miserable! As much as you want to smack them in the face, hold your anger back and kill them with kindness.

My response to the volunteer was, 'there is no need to be so rude but thank you for your time'! I can honestly say I wanted to say something else but I held back and I am going to do my best to continue to do that whenever someone is rude!

Focus on the end result and never let anyone think they have gotten the best of you! If they think they have, they know they have won and you know how the saying goes, 'misery loves company'!

Here are some great quotes to boost you for the day and remember, no one can stop you! Only you!

Don't forget to like Mini Men UK on Facebook www.facebook.com/minimenukltd

And follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/minimenukltd 

Follow the light! It will lead you to tomorrow!

Hi Guys!

I hope you are all doing well and enjoying the soon to be Easter holidays.

I have been super busy since my last post! So much is going on at the moment and it feels like there is just never enough time!

I would firstly like to announce that my new website is up and running! Yay! We are now accepting pre-orders! So if you see something you like, please do not hesitate to make an order!

I am very excited about the launch of the business and have already started thinking about how I can evolve the business!

Since my last post, Mini Men UK has been featured in CWB Magazine! I am very proud of what I have achieved and really hope I can generate some buyers from being in this well established magazine! We are in the 'Brands to Watch' section if anyone wants to purchase Children's Wear Buyer magazine this month!


I have been learning so much about marketing and all the innovative ways to stand out from the crowd! I need to make sure that my customers do not class me as the same as all the other Children's Clothing labels and that Mini Men UK is held in the highest regard for quality, customer service and design!

I am also writing a book that I feel will help others mums or dads who want to help their children become successful in the future! To be able to give them the wonderful tools they need from a young age so that they do not have to struggle to make money and live a happy life when they are adults!

This is something I was never taught when I was younger and I always think if I had, where would I be now! Life is all about choices. Those that make the right choices, live the life they want to live! Those that make the wrong choices, always end up living the life the definitely do not want to live.

If anyone has been watching Eastenders lately, then you will know about the storyline they are highlighting at the moment about Gangs!

'Bianca' talks about her little boy 'Liam' being a young happy boy and then all of a sudden turning into a rebellious criminal who looks up to a gang of youths who show him 'respect'! I believe 'Liam' has turned to the gang life because he was never given the tools to be able to focus on his future and have aspirations. Children who are not from affluent or wealthy families can go two different ways when it comes to making the right choices. They either look at the environment they are in and think that this is all life has to offer them and continue to live in a poverty stricken area and may even turn to crime to feed themselves! Or they could think, this is really not where they want to be and do everything in their power to get out of that area and better their lives.

I grew up like this and guess which choice I made..............................

Your life does not have to end the way it started! Always strive for bigger and better! This is really what we should be teaching our children and I want to help parents teach their children this as soon as possible!

I will keep you posted on the progress of my book and if there are any publishers out there, feel free to contact me!

I also went to see the great new film, 'The Croods' with my sister and our children!
The Croods is a 2013 American 3D computer-animated adventure comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by 20th Century Fox. It features the voices of Nicolas Cage, Ryan Reynolds, Emma Stone, Catherine Keener, Clark Duke, and Cloris Leachman. The film is set in the prehistoric era, when a man's position as a "Leader of the Hunt" is threatened by the arrival of a prehistoric genius who comes up with revolutionary new inventions like fire as they trek through a dangerous but exotic land in search of a new home.

 

If you haven't taken your child to see this movie yet, I highly recommend you do so during the holidays! It is a really great film that shows children about family sticking together no matter what, to never be afraid and to follow the light! It will lead you to tomorrow! Such wonderful things to teach your children while they enjoy all the funny parts of the movie! Mr Chris Sanders and Kirk DeMicco have really done a fantastic job!

 

So with Mini Men UK, writing my book and keeping little man entertained, I think this will be a very busy Easter holidays! Bring it on!

 

 

 

 

 

Don't forget to Like our Facebook page- www.facebook.com/minimenukltd

 

Follow us on Twitter- www.twitter.com/minimenukltd

 

 

 

The calm before the storm!

I haven't been majorly busy since my last blog post! I think this is the calm before the crazy storm!!

I signed my contract with The Princes Trust and officially made everything legal! So now I am just awaiting my funds to come through so I can start production on my clothing! Very exciting!

After going to The Princes Trust offices in London, I took a stroll down to Great Titchfield street to a shop called So Tiny London. It is a beautiful gift shop full of great quirky and cute gifts for babies and young children. I went in there to speak to the owner, Emma Kennedy,who gave me so much advice and guidance about becoming a childrenswear designer, retailer and wholesaler. I now have to think about where I want to focus in terms of being a retailer or wholesaler. We also talked about being fair in business and understanding that the boutiques I decide to sell through are my partners and to treat them with respect! Thank you to Emma for taking the time to speak to me! I really loved all the beautiful and varied gifts in the store and purchased a really cute pink 'Little Sister' vest for a friend who is due any minute now! I recommend if you are expecting or know someone who is, buy your gift from So Tiny London. Drop into the shop if your in London or order online at www.sotinylondon.com as they do deliver worldwide!

I also had a really lovely meeting with Justin Cox who owns Pinky Purple girl Ltd which is an online store that sells brightly coloured and gorgeous organic clothing just for girls! We had a lovely tea meeting in The Chalet bakery just here in Tadworth! If you haven't been, you should go! It's has a really awesome atmosphere and the owner is extremely friendly!

Justin and I discussed designing and how to start getting the customers to buy from us! It seems it is not as it looks to get customer to go to your website! Website traffic is something I constantly think about. However I think because I will be selling face to face at Brixton Market, this will give me a little more help in getting people to visit my online store!

It was really lovely to meet up with Justin and we found that we have a lot in common! We have decided to try and partner up in some way but we are still working on when and how that will happen! If you do have gorgeous girls and are Eco friendly and reasonably priced, do take a look at Pinky Purple girl at www.pinkypurplegirl.com

So now I am only a few weeks away from launching, the fear has really hit me and at the same time I want this more than ever! Funny how this time last year, I only had an idea!

I urge everyone to go and do whatever it is they have dreamt of doing! You only live once, why not make sure it's an amazing life?! 

I leave you with these last words from my idol and wish you an amazing rest of the week!

All dreams come true if we have the courage to pursue them.-Oprah Winfrey 

Wreck it Ralph! Good vs Evil

I went to see Wreck it Ralph with my little family and I must say, it was a really good film! It was little Elijah's first trip to the cinema and he was completely mesmerised by the size of the screen! He is obsessed with cartoons (he gets that from me) and I have never seem him sit still and be quiet for so long! I know what to do now when I need moment to myself, Cinema!!!

So while watching the movie, I thought about the amount of parents who brought their children to the cinema on a rainy Sunday afternoon to see this particular film. I'm sure if their children were anything like my son, it would have been because they had been pestered and bombarded with questions, 'can we go see Wreck it Ralph?', 'when can we go see Wreck it Ralph' and 'I wanna see Wreck it Ralph!' To the point you just surrender and take the child to the cinema!

I always think films like this are genius because the creators come up with such great films which we pay to see, then they make toys of the characters which we parents buy for our kids and eventually they make a video game which we also buy! Very similar to Toy Story!

It really is an extraordinary way to build a business! And thought about how I can apply it to Mini Men UK?!

Mini Men UK will be launching in March and selling long sleeve tops, hooded tops and sweatshirts! We will also be introducing an exclusive summer collection that's about getting outdoors and exploring your world around you!

And later on in the year we will be launching new products such as trousers, jeans and cardigans!

Adding innovative new products to the brand is, a great way to gain customers and cater to the existing customers! 

Using your gift of high intellect is the best way to innovate your products and market them! Apple is the perfect example of innovation and marketing!

I thoroughly recommend taking your little bundle of joy to see Wreck it Ralph if you haven't been already and enjoy the wonderful story of good vs evil! This is what Mini Men UK is all about.

Don't forget to 'Like' us on Facebook! www.facebook.com/minimenukltd or follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/minimenukltd 

Happy Sunday everyone!

Going from demotivated to motivated!

For the past few months I have been finding it so hard to get up in the mornings! To feel excited about anything has really been a chore for me! With everything I have achieved, you would think I would be on cloud 9 but alas, this is not the case. I was so happy to have been approved by The Princes Trust and just before Christmas, I was really excited about being well on my way to becoming a business owner! 

And then a huge spanner in the works came along! I was having trouble getting approved for a business account with Natwest bank! Why? I hear you ask?! I still do not know! But this problem meant that I had to push the launch of Mini Men UK back because without a business bank account I could not sign for my funding from The Princes Trust which meant I could not buy my stock or marketing materials!

I can't tell you how upset I have been because of this and even had thoughts of giving up! I mean why put myself through all this stress right?! This ONE thing pretty much tipped me over the edge and i lost it! highly stressed and strung, I was having sleepless nights and I was extremely irritable! I couldn't get out of bed until sometimes 11am! Which If you have young children or run your business, you know this is way too late to be getting out of bed!

This has been going on for 2 months now! And I have finally realised that this is all a test! It is a way for me to be tested to see how badly I want this business to work! Will I give up at the first sign of trouble or persevere and keep pushing until my dreams are achieved?! 

I have decided to keep working hard and pushing to make my dreams a reality! You may knock me down but I will keep getting up! It may take me a while to get up but I will make sure I get up!

If you have ever felt this way or are feeling it now, don't suffer in silence! Talk to your friends and family. Go and see your local GP to get some professional help and keep believing that everything will work out fine! All is well!

Someone once said to me, 'If you want to be successful then that is what you will be! Only you can determine what you will be. No one can stop you but you!' And with that, I say if you have ever wanted something, go for it! Don't let anyone or anything stop you from achieving your dreams!

The best way to determine what you want is to write it down.

Firstly make a list of the things you want but write it as If you have it already.

Example: I am a successful fashion mogul

I live in a 6 bedroom house in Miami, Florida

I own a black Bentley Coupe Convertible with the number plate Mini Men

The more detailed you are the better! Get really clear about what you want and put this list of things in your visualisation book or board!

You need to look at your board or book every day and visualise yourself having the things you want! No matter how big or small your dreams are, you have to believe that you can have them and that you deserve to have them!

Remember, our thoughts become things and whatever you think about, you will 'be' about! 

We all have a purpose in life! I would love to know what your dreams are! No matter how small or big! Send me your list of aspirations and believe you can achieve them!