How did you get the idea for your business?
About 12 years ago when I married my wife, my father brought some bottles of personalised Champagne themed around the wedding over. I had never heard of personalised Champagne and the idea captivated at that moment. I kept thinking about it and wanting to do it but never dared take the plunge. Circumstances a couple of years ago meant the timing was right and then the business was finally set up! We are an online-only business that caters for both the general public and also businesses.
For the general public, we have a range of designs covering all the popular occasions like anniversary, birthday, wedding and so on. All the designs are unique to ourselves and make a great gift to make the special occasion. For businesses, we design a label from scratch around the company branding - they will then typically use them as gifts to staff, gifts to key clients, or to toast corporate anniversaries for example. This side of the business has taken off massively since June, previously companies would wine and dine for staff for an occasion but with social distancing, they are now opting to send gifts to those concerned,
What's your best selling item?
Presently, we are the only personalised Champagne company that has a family produced Champagne. The Champagne producing side of my family are based in Festigny, and they are a 7th generation grower/producer. their yearly production is around 30,000 bottles or so which is fairly moderate but at the same time quite typical for many smaller Champagne producers.
Who or what inspires you?
People who are self-employed have always inspired me, whether they are a decorator, musician or owner of a large corporation. Until I started my business I was always unhappy working for others and knew being self-employed was a path I wanted to go down myself. It can be tricky however and needs careful thought before taking the plunge.
What advice would you give to someone starting their own business?
Be prepared to go without an income for a good few months, and even worse be prepared for some loss-making months, I think the majority of businesses that fold are due to lack of cash flow, and if that business had been able to stay afloat for a few more months may well have succeeded. It takes time to get things up and running, much more than people think and longer than I certainly anticipated. It also takes a lot of work and late nights, but if you can take some leans months and are prepared to put the work in to set it up then it will be worthwhile in the long run.
Can you tell my readers more about what you sell, please.
What's your best selling item?
The bespoke label design for businesses account for about 90% of my turnover and is proving increasingly popular as business look for gifts that are different but also ones that people will enjoy. For the general public, our birthday range is the most popular which makes sense due to the number of birthday gifts we all give and receive on a yearly basis.
What makes your company unique?
What makes your company unique?
Presently, we are the only personalised Champagne company that has a family produced Champagne. The Champagne producing side of my family are based in Festigny, and they are a 7th generation grower/producer. their yearly production is around 30,000 bottles or so which is fairly moderate but at the same time quite typical for many smaller Champagne producers.
Who or what inspires you?
People who are self-employed have always inspired me, whether they are a decorator, musician or owner of a large corporation. Until I started my business I was always unhappy working for others and knew being self-employed was a path I wanted to go down myself. It can be tricky however and needs careful thought before taking the plunge.
What advice would you give to someone starting their own business?
Be prepared to go without an income for a good few months, and even worse be prepared for some loss-making months, I think the majority of businesses that fold are due to lack of cash flow, and if that business had been able to stay afloat for a few more months may well have succeeded. It takes time to get things up and running, much more than people think and longer than I certainly anticipated. It also takes a lot of work and late nights, but if you can take some leans months and are prepared to put the work in to set it up then it will be worthwhile in the long run.
Thanks, Didier for answering my questions. You have a great business that's perfect for the big celebrations in life. Don't forget to check out the Say It With Champers website if you are looking for a bottle of personalised champagne or prosecco. They also do vegan champagne too!
It's my mum's 60th next year and she loves champagne. Great idea, I may be ordering!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea, this is such a nice way to make a celebration really special. Mich x
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of this as it's something nice which can be kept. I got something similar to this made up for my parents 30th wedding anniversary last year x
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