ClaireaBella's founder reveals how she went from police officer and mum to running a successful accessory brand

Known for its quirky aBella character, who’s found on bags, mobile phone covers and many other accessories, ClaireaBella products now adorn the arms of an legion of fans, and you might find a few celeb faces amongst the crowd.

But the company started out life in a decidedly 'un-entrepreneurial' way, as police officer and mum Claire Barratt doodled her designs on her living room table to accessorise her own items.

We asked Claire about her journey to become her own boss and a successful businesswoman to boot.

Getting creative

“ClaireaBella Designs is best known for the girlie aBella character with the huge eyelashes, huge hair, huge personality and mostly seen on my jute tote bags,” Claire says.

“She was born on my dining room table as I tried to design something quirky and different for myself.

“The character was based around my own eyes that a street artist had created in a caricature of me in Paris.

“I made myself a bag with the last remaining few pounds I had in my bank account and took it to my then workplace, Humberside Police.

“Colleagues asked me if I could make them one for them and how much it would cost. I hadn’t thought about it but agreed to make a few on request to make our family a little extra cash. But to even do that I had to borrow £30 from my mum for the raw materials.

“And my business was born from that very point.”

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Self-promotion

“When I had a product, I headed to Twitter.

"I figured it was a good social media portal to showcase what I did and get a further outreach than just friends and family.

“My husband built me a basic website at this point, against my wishes. As a full time mum and working 26 hours a week with the Police in a hugely stressful environment, the last thing I wanted was to be drowning in orders. But orders trickle through, courtesy of the word spreading on Twitter!

“The TOWIE girls then noticed the bags and I gifted Chloe Sims and Sam Faiers. I got a message from Chloe a few days later saying that she and the bag had been pictured in the Daily Star newspaper. I couldn't have been more elated. It was a surreal humbling ‘wow’ moment for me. Then all hell broke loose. The orders started to flood in and as I expected I started drowning.”

Stepping up

“I was sat with more than 200 orders on my dining room table and still working all day within the Police. So I’d be coming home and working until the early hours.

“We had to cap orders and put the bags ‘Out of Stock’ so I could play catch up. I sat and sobbed. What should have been a triumph and a moment of proudness was replaced with stress, pressure, and anxiousness.

“I was just a woman on her own with only one pair of hands; hands that had to work to pay the bills in my day job; hands that had to be hands-on mum hands and hands that had to glitter and paint bags.

“I knew nothing about business and I had to learn fast. I hadn’t been to business school and I’m dyslexic so I was struggling. My husband, Jon, was also a full time police officer and he had to take over the finance side of the business.

“I was already head-deep in bags; I couldn't handle the finances too. I quickly had to learn about being a sole trader, book-keeping, accountants, National Insurance, tax and then about Limited Companies. My head was on the cusp of the Bermuda Triangle."

The hard graft

“I kept pushing, fighting, absorbing and learning. In my darkest hours of unimaginable stress I kept striving. Why? Because I was proud, I created a brand, a legacy for my children.

“From the £30 borrowed from my mum I had created a limited company with two adverts on TV."

“My product line is now very extensive. I've seen my brand stocked in Harrods, launched in New York, and it’s won me awards and seen me speak to hundreds of people about my experience.

“Do I consider myself "lucky"?  No! I created my own "luck". I worked for it.”

Could you do it?

“The advice I would give anyone thinking of setting up their own business is to be very aware of how much your life, on all aspects, will change. It's all-consuming and not for everyone.

“Get a team behind you even if that team is just your partner or friend.

“A shoulder and reassurance is always needed – someone to fight your corner.

“And don't worry about the bits you know nothing of, like me and the finance side. Business is a learning curve, it's all a lesson and you do get there.

“Lastly, make sure you soak up the dream, let it in and don’t give up on what you believe in.”