If you're from around Belfast and have a pet then you've probably heard of, if not already been, to Murphy & Bailey's. If you're not familiar, they are a pet concept store based on the Belmont Road in East Belfast and the brand was named after the owner's two dogs. They sell gifts for cats, dogs and the people that love them - something for everyone!

Murphy & Bailey started when Karen Breene and Judith Scott met while walking their dogs in Belmont Park and both had the burning desire to escape the 9-5 job to work on something they both felt passionate about. The brand started two years ago with a small online store and occasionally set up a stall at markets such as Waggy Races and Pooch Socials, two popular local Northern Irish events for pet lovers. This allowed Karen and Judith to get an idea if there was a market for pet themed gifts and quality brands that weren't particularly known in Northern Ireland.

With Murphy & Bailey becoming a well known shop in Northern Ireland as a pet haven, we thought we'd ask a bit about their journey from being online to having their physical presence.

From Selling Online to a Shop

As much as we enjoyed doing the markets and the website, we certainly weren’t going to be able to sustain incomes that way. We travelled to New York and across to London and the Midlands to visit dog-friendly shops and cafes, and started to develop the concept of Murphy & Bailey as a destination.  We wanted to customers to be able to see and feel the quality of the products we stocked and also to be able to “fit’ their dogs by being able to bring them in and try collars, harnesses or coats and jumpers for size . To enhance the experience they would also be able to grab a coffee or cookie to go, so treats for themselves as well as the dogs . We then just had to find the right premises.

What challenges did you face?

Our biggest challenge was finding the right space and then tweaking our original business plans to suit COVID.  We originally had planned for a sit-down cafe, but with our lack of experience in running a food business, the health & safety aspect of having dogs on the premises, and the space we would have required for social distancing etc. it began to look like we would need somewhere much bigger than we had budgeted for. Additionally, it ruled out a number of key locations we had been looking at with great footfall but smaller premises.  

We ended up focusing much more on the pet / gift store aspect with the addition of a small outdoor seating area (post-lockdown) and just a “to go” food and drinks proposition. This has worked really well for us with the multiple lockdowns we have encountered since we opened, as we have regular customers who pop in for takeaway coffee when out on their dog walks and pick up some dog treats or dog food at the same time!

What Northern Irish brands can be found at Murphy & Bailey?

We currently stock a large number of Northern Irish brands:

• Collars and leads by Hiker Hounds , made from climbing rope and named after local forests and beaches. We also are the only instore stockists of their canvas Belfast and North Coast canvas collars.
• Mud Ireland make our treat jars and dog / cat bowls, and we also stock their matching mugs so that you can have a co-ordinating kitchen .
• We have some lovely wooden postcards and dog tags from Dribbley Yak, who also made us our own Christmas decorations this year.
• Bee Haven Bodycare provide us with shampoo bars and paw balm made from local beeswax.
• We also have our own range of candles and wax melts (in nice strong scents to keep a boot room or kitchen smelling sweet and not of damp dog!). As well, we have our own NI themed bandanas, bow-ties and Tote bags (Harland & Woof, Giants Pawsway, TerrierTanic and Ulster Fry) and of course the Irish sheepskin bed range suitable for both dogs and cats!
• Finally nearly all our food and treats are provided by local companies - Barkin Bistro & Barkin Bites in Kilrea, Naturo and Norsh from Mackles in Dungannon, and Salmon Oil, Marrowbones and Liver cake from Taggarts in Ballymena, we also stock meaty flavoured Irish CBD Oil from Cannabears in Lisburn.

Advice for opening a shop

Do your sums, check your footfall, and talk to lots of people who have done what you want to do! We spent two years after starting to visit premises, talk to coffee shop and gift shop owners, getting business advice from people with a lot more experience in retail than we had. It was invaluable when it came to the business planning, as we could be realistic on volumes etc. and implement the advice we had been given around location and expectations. Selling at markets allowed us to get customer feedback as to what people wanted to see on the shelves in the shop, and more importantly, what they would be willing to spend for the right product.

What is the future for Murphy & Bailey?

Now that would be telling! It is still early days, we have only been open for three months and we’ve had Christmas and COVID to deal with - however we are always having ideas and looking for opportunities, so we could pop up in a few other places who knows! We definitely will be continuing to work on some of our own product lines, and we look forward to getting our outdoor area open, and perhaps even running some events in the future .

Outro

We have a great social media following - on Facebook you can find us by searching for Murphy & Bailey (@MurphyandBailey), and on Instagram it’s @murphyandbaileybelfast.

We do a regular Customer Sunday snaps feature as well as sharing all the visiting dogs on our Instastories - so if you love seeing cute dog pictures, then you need to go follow us!

From us here at Made in Northern Ireland, we think it's great to see a brand starting out on their exciting journey during unknown times and trusting in the process to show them the way of creating what is a successful local brand.

Thanks to Karen and Judith taking the time to talk with us. Hopefully we'll hear plenty more from them in the future. Drop them a follow on social media to keep up to date or even pay them a visit to see their stunning shop!

Want to know more about another maker? Get in touch with us and let us know who, and we'll ask them the questions you want to hear! Drop us a message on Instagram, Facebook or email us: hello@madeinnorthernireland.co.uk

Catch up with Murphy & Bailey on social media:
Instagram @murphyandbaileybelfast
Facebook @murphyandbailey

If you love your local makers then I'm sure you've come across Olivia's Haven. If you're looking for inspiration when it comes to marketing and branding then I'm sure Olivia's Haven catches your eye. Her home fragrance business producing luxury candles, diffusers and melts is growing strength to strength and collaborating with other local artists has helped her continue on her journey to success.

We thought we'd have a chat with Olivia and find out what has helped her, take her passion and turn it into a fulltime job after having a career in Marketing.

A little bit about Olivia

Hello! I’m Olivia Burns, 30 and I am the founder of home fragrance brand Olivia’s Haven based in Coleraine, Northern Ireland. Before I started Olivia’s Haven I studied Marketing and Business Management at Newcastle University. After graduating I moved to London for 5 years and worked in various marketing and branding roles in both the children’s toy and travel industry. I absolutely adored working on lots of incredible brands such as My Little Pony, Moshi Monsters, Marvel, Star Wars and Walt Disney World Resort.

After 5 years in London I was ready to move back home to Northern Ireland where I worked in an Advertising agency in Holywood before my last job at a health tech start up as Head of Brand & PR. I loved working in Marketing but I always had an underlying urge to create my own brand rather than continually working on someone else’s and was always developing business ideas until I found one that stuck.

Where did Olivia's Haven come from?

As a self-confessed candle lover I adored the wonderful ambience that a candle creates and how particular scents can instantly transport you or remind you of somewhere or someone you love. However, I kept getting frustrated that what I could afford in the candle market wasn’t matching what I liked and I just felt that there wasn’t a brand for me - so I decided to create my own.

I wanted to build a modern luxurious brand with high-quality fragrances at an accessible price point with a focus of design, storytelling and community. It would look as good as it smelt and would be the perfect gift for that someone special or simply as a treat for yourself.

After about 18 months developing the brand look and feel along with the nostalgic scents I launched Olivia’s Haven on the 27th February 2020 with 6 soy wax candles. Since then I have been able to add wax melts, reed diffusers and limited edition seasonal scents.

What helped Olivia's Haven become successful in a short period of time?

It was really important to me that my products didn’t look like any other brands and had clear points of differentiation. I spent a lot of time on the brand vision, mission and goals at the very beginning and really challenged myself to get my product strategy in place. This meant I had a clear picture in my head about what final products would look, feel and smell like before I even made one candle. I didn’t realise it at the time but I believe it was this initial focus that really helped me and made sure I stayed on the right path for the brand.

3 tips for other makers to help gain a loyal following

That’s a hard one but I think my three tips would be:

1. Make sure you are completely in love with what you are making. If you don’t absolutely love it how can you expect anyone else to?
2. Be clear on exactly what makes you different from the other makers in your category and hero on this to tell your unique story. Your tribe will find you.
3. Show up! If you want to build a loyal following I have found consistency to be key. Allow people to see behind the scenes and definitely chat on your stories even if it’s for a few seconds a day.

What does the future hold for Olivia's Haven?

We have so many hopes and dreams for Olivia’s Haven in the future but some of the short term ones will see us introduce new and exciting fragrances and products in 2021. We would love you to be part of the exciting journey. Come and follow the flame on Instagram @olivias_haven.

The future of makers in Northern Ireland

Back in May I started Made in Northern Ireland and wasn't too familiar with the online presence of makers. It's clear to me that there's been a massive growth in the amount of local makers being online with a big push for shopping local which is great to see. Hopefully this trend will stick around and people like Olivia will continue to have success with their businesses by shoppers making someones dream come true.

Want to know more about another maker? Get in touch with us and let us know who, and we'll interrogate them for some answers! Drop us a message on Instagram, Facebook or email us: hello@madeinnorthernireland.co.uk

Catch up with Olivia on social media:
Instagram @olivias_haven
Facebook @oliviashavenni
Website olivias-haven.co.uk

A short while ago Niamh Boyle from Digital 24 gave a seminar on 'Getting Found Online' which was part of a series by CraftNI. The series of seminars happened during lockdown to help makers be found during times when craft fairs and markets were at a stand still.

I have curated the information from the seminar in the hope that it will help you with your business to provide some guidance on getting recognised. In this blog we're talking about Google My Business.

Google My Business

Google My Business allows you to have a listing on Google search when people Google your business name. It'll show on the right side with contact details, photos, reviews and other information specific to your business.

Google My Business is important as it helps with being found on Google. There are many settings which you're able to change once you have registered and verified your business on Google. Changing these settings will help to set your business up for success.

First, check if your business already has a listing like the one above by Googling your businesses name. If you already have one then you can just make changes to it and update the information.

Why use Google My Business?

- Free business listing service
- Produce local map results
- Keep business information up to date easily
- Monitor and reply to reviews
- Get statistics and insights, eg. click to call, directions etc
- Post latest news, products and events about your business
- Ability to create a FREE website
- Download the app to your phone for easy management and help

How to get started?

First head over to http://business.google.com/ where you'll be able to log in with a Google/Gmail account to register your business - click on the Manage Now button to get started.

After you've logged in you will be able to create your business. From there you can add all the information required for your business. Make sure to add as much as possible to get the most benefit.  Below Niamh talks about setting categories and a description for your business.

Setting categories

You're able to set categories for your business on your Google My Business listing settings. Niamh suggests that you take advantage of this by listing as many relevant categories as possible. The keywords in the categories are important as they help you to be found online when people search Google.

For example she has the following for her digital agency:

Business Description

Another important field in your business listing to help being found is the brief description about your business. You're able to type up to 750 characters giving a brief description of what your business does.

As an example, here is Niamh's:

Completing your listing

If you want to get the most out of your Google My Business listing then I'd suggest checking out the following tutorial to make sure you touch all bases (or you could Google for a guide, just make sure it's recent): searchenginejournal.com

Questions?

If you are confused, clueless, need some advice/help or have a question then contact us and we'll do our best to help you. You can email us (hello@madeinnorthernireland.co.uk), message us on social media or even send a carrier pigeon.

We'll be following this blog post up with other snippets from the seminar which we hope will provide great value to you.

If you've been active on Instagram recently and you're in the creative space you've probably come across Zara Ceramics through someone else's story, a post or someone recommended Zara's work for you to check out.

We thought we'd catch up with Zara and get the lowdown on what has been a turn around year for her with her small business flourishing on social media. What she has achieved in a short period of time would only be a dream for a lot of people with their small business.

Who is Zara?

Helloooo! My name is Zara McLaughlin, I’m 22 years old and I'm a Ceramic Artist/ Maker from a wee town in Northern Ireland called Ballymoney! I studied ceramics at Ulster University in Belfast, graduating this year after spending 3 years living in the city.  Even though I absolutely loved city life, I am now back in my hometown where I have set up a small studio space in my garage.

What got you into ceramics?

I actually never touched clay in school. I was more of a painter and when I started University I actually started my degree in the jewellery department. After 3 weeks of hammering metal I realised quickly that maybe this wasn’t the material for me. I took a trip down to the ceramics department where one of the lecturers handed me a ball of clay and I was bitten by the clay bug. I've been obsessed with everything about it from that moment on!

How did Zara Ceramics come about?

In school I was always Art obsessed and I actually chose Business Studies as one of my A-levels. I really wanted a creative career when I left school but I just didn’t know in what area. I actually almost failed my Business Studies A-level and my teacher at the time was really questioning me as to why I had chose it in the first place. I did consider dropping it as I remember spending many nights at my kitchen table crying over practice papers but I stuck in there and managed to scrape by to get into University. It made me want to prove myself more than anything.

Zara Ceramics started as a side hustle while I was still studying and juggling a part-time job in a cafe. Things weren’t always this crazy. Like anything worthwhile, it took time and constant graft.  I threw myself in at the deep end in the beginning saying yes to absolutely any opportunity that came my way and like most things in life, I sort of learnt as I went. I learnt what to do, what not to do and how to improve. I’m still learning and improving on things every day.

I think I was naive enough to just go for it and I think that’s where a lot of people talk themselves out of it. For me I had nothing to lose, I still live at home and I don’t have any children or a mortgage to pay so I could take risks. I really enjoy what I do so it wasn’t work to me and I just held on with the dream that I could eventually turn it into a full time thing.

How did you get to 10,000+ followers?

My Instagram platform started to take off when I fell in with the right people at the right time. I reached out to local businesses and took their advice. The businesses put me on a pedestal and shared what I was doing on their pages. From this, word spread like wildfire. It’s kind of like a snowball, slow to get going in the beginning and then it just takes off doubling in size.

I also started speaking on my Instagram stories in January (2020). I know a lot of people worry about what others are going to say but I slowly lost that fear the more I posted and it became second nature to pick up the camera and start chatting. I’m also really aware I’m making a luxury good! There’s nothing stopping anyone going into IKEA and buying a mug for a few pence but I’ve found that a lot of people are interested in investing in the maker, not just the product. Well crafted work is only half the story, you are purchasing a piece of art that someone has poured their heart and soul into and for me that’s something that I try to document.

What tips would you give to other small businesses hoping to get traction?

On my Instagram, I tell my story. I’m not necessarily interested in pushing product. I’m just really passionate about making and creating work, the sales are a bonus. I’m so lucky to have such a large platform especially just out the door of University but I think it’s because I am just being myself, I’m not playing a character. Who you see on the screen is very much me in real life too!

What does the future hold for Zara Ceramics?

My plans for the future are to move out of the garage eventually and into a bigger studio space. Zara Ceramics is expanding rapidly and it is only me in my garage doing all the work from the packing, shipping, replying to emails and ordering materials but I love it. I love having control but eventually I may need to hire an apprentice or PA to keep up with demand. In a few years I would love to open a huge creative hub for more local makers to make together as being self employed can be quite lonely at times! That’s one thing I really miss about University, bouncing ideas off other creatives but that’s another passion project that won’t happen overnight.

There’s so much I would love to do but I’m trying to not get bogged down on the plan too much. As 2020 has taught me so far, plans can change in a blink. For now I’m just thriving in my wee internet bubble and I'm so grateful to have the support on here that I do! It's been such a hard time for so many but to come out of a pandemic thriving is one of my greatest achievements to date!

Outro

Thanks to Zara for catching up with us and sharing her journey so far! Hopefully you will have taken something away from reading her amazing story that has only just started.

Want to know more about another maker? Get in touch with us and let us know who, and we'll interrogate them for some answers! Drop us a message on Instagram, Facebook or email us: hello@madeinnorthernireland.co.uk

Catch up with Zara on social media:
Instagram @zaraceramics
Facebook @zaraceramics

Naming your business is one of the most important processes you will do when taking a hobby to making it more serious. Your name will tell people what you do and create a unique brand presence.

How to choose a name?

Choosing a name is one of the most challenging parts when starting a business and definitely not something you should rush or skim across.

Tips for choosing a name:

1. Don't make it location specific
If you have 'NI' or 'UK' or 'Ireland' in your brand name, other than if the product is specific to the location or it makes a 'statement' if it's from a certain place, keep the name generic because it will attract a wider audience and appeal to more people.
2. Make it easy to remember, understand and spell
Going with something hard to spell or hard to pronounce or confusing will make it harder for people to pick up on and remember. The name should be something which can easily roll off the tongue while describing what it is you do for people to paint a picture in their mind.
3. Consider the name having a meaning
A name with a meaning behind it may help the name stick in people's heads and helps when it comes to explaining what the brand is all about.
4. Think about the future
Are you likely to diversify in the future? If you're likely to start making other products or changing what you make then think about keeping the name generic to save having to rebrand later down the line.

Help with picking a name:

Here are a few resources you may consider using to help when picking a name.
Visual Thesaurus - helps to visualise similar words, could also use a normal thesaurus which I've used before and found useful
Shopify Business name generator -  get ideas for business names while also checking the domain name
Naminum -  generate a name based on a theme
Brain storming - good old pen and paper writing out words which resonate with you and finding names from it which appeal to you with help from family and friends

Checking name availability

One of the most crucial parts of a business is the online presence. Generally you will find you will get more sales online with the correct setup as the audience is greater than in person. Ensuring that your name is available on social media is a big part and keeping the name consistent.

You can use an online name checker to see if the name you've chosen is available on social media and as a website domain.

Enter the name you have chosen into namecheck.com: https://www.namecheck.com/

Make sure the following is available:

- .com domain
- Facebook
- Instagram
- Twitter
- Pinterest

You may wish to check additional social media platforms if you intend to have yourself on them. The .com domain is the most popular top-level domain and widely used across the world. You may use other domains such as .co.uk or .net or .org or what you see fit though we recommend using .com where possible.

If your name is not available on a certain platform you could add additional words to it such as 'its' or 'the' or something similar which will allow you to have the username however, it's best to have the same username across all platforms so people don't have to guess or spend time finding your business where possible.

What social platforms should I use and why?

When you have a business you want the brand awareness to be as great as possible which means having your business on every corner of the internet.

We'd recommend you're at least on the following platforms:

Facebook - you can create a page if you have a personal Facebook profile.
Instagram - used to post photos. Ensure you sign up with your username as your business name. If you convert your account from a 'personal profile' to a 'business account' after signing up you can get access to features which will help you grow including insights into interactions with posts.
Twitter - less common for business but it has its own user base who wouldn't commonly use Facebook or Instagram as much. This user base may appeal to your type of business.

You may wish to be on other platforms such as:
Pinterest - where you post photos and people can create 'boards' which are similar to a mood board. If someone see's something they like, they may buy it.
Tumblr - less popular among businesses but worth exploring if you have some spare time.

When you get started you will realise that managing your social media and marketing is very time consuming, if not more time consuming than making your products. One way which you can reduce this burden is by posting your posts from your Instagram account as it will allow you to link your account with other social media platforms. When making a post you can then share it to your pages/profiles on the other social media platforms which will save you time going and posting on them too.

To finish

Picking a name which you like, is attractive and appealing, and also being available on social media is not easy. Everyone has to go through it and it's a very important part of the process. Don't rush it and take your time to brainstorm. Ask friends or family for ideas and don’t settle for a name you're not happy with.

If you want further advice or help get in contact with us through social media or by emailing us.

Why

Made in Northern Ireland was set up in May 2020 with the vision to support local makers from across Northern Ireland. As a maker you can feel lonely with no support network around you for moral support and to cheer you on. It can be tough starting out and competing with other makers from around the world on the likes of Etsy which has over 2.5 million sellers.

MINI hopes that it will be able to support and provide advice to makers who are looking to get started selling their products and/or create an online presence.

How

We plan on providing support to makers directly through our social media channels featuring makers in the most effective way with spotlight posts, product posts, giveaways and other relevant forms of creative content.

We'll be posting articles on our blog which are aimed at the makers to help them get a better understanding of social media, the best way to market your business, providing general advice and any other related content. If you're a specialist or expert in an area and wish to contribute an article then get in touch with us via email: hello@madeinnorthernireland.co.uk

We also provide support through our Facebook group allowing makers to connect and share advice, share what they've been working on and socialise with like minded people. If you're interested, you can join the group here. Note: ensure you answer the questions (don't worry if you can't answer them all) otherwise you will be declined - we have to ensure it's a focused group of makers from Northern Ireland.

The Future

Made in Northern Ireland hopes to continue supporting makers in any way possible by marketing businesses who are selling products made in Northern Ireland. We hope in the future that we may have an online e-commerce store which will allow makers to have somewhere they can share their products without the expense of high fees which come with other platforms.

We're open to ideas and ways in which we can support. You're also welcome to support us in any way you wish! Whether it's from providing feedback, helping us generate social media content, writing the blog or even a simple share on Facebook!

Any questions don't hesitate to contact us on our social platforms or by email.

Facebook: @madeinnorthernireland
Facebook Group: Made in Northern Ireland Makers
Instagram: @itsmadeinnorthernireland
Twitter: @itsmadeinni