Thank you so much for your feedback on this new initiative - I loved reading your emails and comments! Over the next few months, I’ll be exploring four themes inspired by the questions that came through in the mentorship applications, as well as the things people have asked me over the years. We’re beginning with My Business Journey, Part 1: Growing Without Losing Yourself, which feels like a natural continuation from my last post. If you have comments, questions, or just want to say hi, please send us a DM or email press@donnawilson.com.
Thanks for reading!
How do you build a sustainable, scalable business model while protecting your creative voice?
Slow and steady wins the race! I have always been one for taking very un-risky risks. What I mean is that if I take a risk, I will try to make sure I am covered, even if it doesn't work... As an example, I remember (about 15 years ago) we were selling a lot to a major UK department store, and it was going well. We had a constant stream of orders coming in from this one company, which allowed us to expand a bit and employ another member of staff. I felt secure in their regular orders, but I never forgot the smaller independents who had bought our products before the chain. I nurtured them just as much because I knew that collectively they were important. Eventually (and inevitably) the department store changed direction and stopped ordering, but as I had built a separate foundation it didn't affect us, as were covered by our lovely loyal independents (many whom I work with to this day).
I have also consciously tried not to follow trends, as trends will come and go, so I feel sticking with what’s important to us, regardless of what everyone else is doing, has helped us keep our creative voice. There is always a theme of nature, a distinctive sense of colour and the essential playfulness in our designs, even when minimal neutral design was the prevailing design style. Like everything, it’s a balance between creativity and commerce, but most importantly I never put anything out in the world that I don’t like, and don’t feel proud of, and I think that’s the key.
What does “growth” actually look like for a creative business - financial, structural, or personal?
I think growth can look any way you want it to look like a small business - that's the beauty. You get to choose the way you grow.
I am always super conscious about the balance between commercial and more creative projects, and as you grow there is more financial pressure which means that the more creative projects are harder to justify in terms of sales. However, I have always really tried to keep this element to what we do as I think it's fundamental to the overall business - it keeps us relevant and pushes us forward (and it’s also the most fun part of my job!).
The exhibitions, installation, collaborations and furniture pieces are what keep things interesting to me. In 2024, we made a fantastic installation for Dundee Design Festival, which was held in an old Michelin Tyre factory. We used the existing vents as part of the piece and created a narrative to tell the story of our knit manufacturer in a fun way. The result was a giant creature - Haggis - whose hair was sucked up into the ducting and came out as a lovely soft yarn, made into an extra-long scarf.
Abstract Assembly is a furniture initiative that was key to me finding a new creative outlet. Working with my partner Jon Almond, I wanted to create beautiful and sophisticated, yet playful pieces of furniture using traditional, and modern carpentry skills. We sell these collectible pieces for interior designers and private customers.
How do you move from doing everything yourself to building a team?
I remember hearing Louise from The Printed Peanut talk about what success meant to her, and she said wanted to remain small as long as she had enough income coming for her family. I really admired this way of looking at it, as it was a reminder that you don’t have to be a big company to be successful! For me I have remained a small company too, but I never really wanted to work on my own. Having a team has inspired and motivated me personally to grow the business - basically it is a necessity! However, I am always careful not to lose the small things that make us special.
I waited for as long as I possibly could as I was terrified of taking this first step in case work would run out and I wouldn’t be able to pay someone. So, I was really overstretched and when I found my first employee it changed everything. I was so lucky as she was amazing at managing and reassuring me. It was great having another head thinking through things, and another pair of hands to produce more.
As I have grown, I now really see how important it is to delegate - I don't want to be the one holding us back. I have always felt it really important to build a team of likeminded people with similar values, and of course that really loved the product. Because we are small, we are all doing a wide range of tasks, and filling in for each other if anyone is away etc. In recent years we have gotten to the place where we have people that have specific skills and that are experts in their own fields which really helps too. I think it’s important to get help in the areas you find more challenging. For example, my first employee helped me make the products, she was much faster on the sewing machine than I was, so it freed me up to do the design and the invoicing.
I do think making the shift from maker to director was particularly hard for me personally. I am someone who needs to know how to do something myself before I feel I have the authority to tell someone else what to do. But, I have realised that my time is sometimes better spent doing the parts of the job I am good at (and less trying to do things that others can do better and quicker) so I think this has happened organically over time.
How do you decide whether to remain an artist-maker or transition into a brand/business model?
I think it’s a very personal choice and maybe it depends on what you want your life to look like. I was always very determined to have my own business and gradually this started to feel like a ‘brand’. I don't think I initially set out to have a large team, but I love working with people (as much as it has its challenges sometimes). The team is the biggest motivation for me to keep growing the business. They keep me on my toes, keep me going and pushing forwards, and we celebrate all the small wins together!
How do you navigate the “in-between” stage - no longer emerging, not yet established?
Just keep your head down and keep on trucking... and one day you wake up and people think of you as an established brand! I think this stage bypassed me, or I wasn’t aware of it. For many years I felt like I was just learning, and to an extent I still do now as the business and industry is always evolving. I think only as my team has grown, I feel as if I am more of an established brand, but I always feel like I can't take our success for granted.
We are always thinking of new, more efficient and creative ways of doing things, and that’s what truly makes my job so interesting, challenging and exciting all at the same time. We have recently been through all our hot water bottles and re-costed everything, making sure we have no waste, and deciding what the best way to knit things, on a role or in single form, even though we have been doing things a certain way for years, I think it’s always good to question. All these things are a way we can try to be as economical as we possibly can, which is essential to a UK-based business.
How do you balance life (family, energy, time) with the demands of a growing business?
This is always a struggle, especially with young children, and I have felt like I am stretched in every direction at times. Never feeling on top of things is constant the thing is you CAN’T do it all! In the early days I had to let go of guilt. I felt like a bad parent when being apart from my boys and felt like I was neglecting business when I was at home. Once you realise you can't do it all, it does become easier.
As an example, when I’d just had my second child, I decided that I wanted to create a magazine with all the creativity projects that I was doing with my 2 and a half year old. I was bursting with ideas, and I wanted to share them with everyone. It was called MYO (Make Your Own). We had an amazing launch with a puppet show from Slovenia, and I’d interviewed many people from all kinds of careers about what their idea of ‘creativity’ was. I was only 2 issues in when I realised that I had bitten off more than I could chew! It was much more mental load than I thought, as I had to think of designers, and artists and create DIY projects, and I think alongside a busy family life, I just couldn't do it. It was a sharp learning curve and realisation that I can't do everything was a shock to me, I'd never experienced this before as I’d always managed to juggle! I still feel a bit embarrassed and sad about it not being the success that I think had the potential to be, but sometimes it is good to take a step back and admit when something is not working.
Over the years I have really come to the conclusion that for any business or idea to work you have to have a lot of energy and passion (and headspace) for it. I feel that the pressures lots of women put on themselves are unrealistic and creates a lot of stress. Our generation was raised to believe we could do and have it all, which in one way is great and allows you to aspire and achieve, but it adds a lot of pressure, and from my own experience I just don’t think you can do it all without external support or we will all burn out!
Carving out time for yourself is essential and making sure that the kids understand when you are working, I keep it quite separate. I think now they are becoming more interested in what I do. My friend Marcia worked from home when she had her son, and I remember being there in her home office, and she explained to him that when she was in there, she was working so he couldn't disturb her. He, of course, eventually accepted that. I go to my studio most days, however if I am working from home the boundaries are a bit more blurred, making it a bit confusing for us all!
As a company that employs 99% women, we are quite flexible about school holidays or time at home. We have a really great and dedicated team, so if they need to go home for an appointment or a child is unwell, we are very relaxed – especially as I know how difficult the juggle can be. I wouldn't have it any other way!