tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2919352005680320466.post7459483353773300660..comments2011-10-17T11:43:30.723+01:00Charlotte, Cottontailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06187037174877356896noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2919352005680320466.post-13714166089567641322011-10-17T07:06:25.572+01:002011-10-17T07:06:25.572+01:00Dear Charlotte ~ thank you for sharing your story. I really enjoyed reading the progression of your business. I could sympathise with a number of things you mentioned! As you know I have just closed my shopfront to focus on my website ~ so I feel some hope reading your story. I will follow more chapters via your BLOG. Mx<br />PS: I adore Humphrey!Ruby &amp; Rose Interiorshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11168599467270294823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2919352005680320466.post-49016737238253629932011-10-13T10:01:07.811+01:002011-10-13T10:01:07.811+01:00Charlotte, it has been lovely reading about you and how you built up your business.<br />I have been buying soft toys and other lovely items from you since you first started.<br />I now have four children and they have loved all the beautiful toys I have given to them from &#39;Cottontails&#39;. <br />May your wonderful business continue to thrive! xxxJulia Logienoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2919352005680320466.post-58082924332756927462011-10-11T12:27:16.218+01:002011-10-11T12:27:16.218+01:00Thank you for that little insight , lovely to see where you started and where you are now . Good luck for the future xperiwinklehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02061430927732039062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2919352005680320466.post-28344004201556160562011-10-10T21:39:24.281+01:002011-10-10T21:39:24.281+01:00I am glad that your business is going well - it is always good to hear an inspiring story!<br /><br />Pomona xPomonahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18399181139470676975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2919352005680320466.post-24035777589837427832011-10-09T15:51:10.223+01:002011-10-09T15:51:10.223+01:00Hi Charlotte, great blog post. Lovely to find out more about you and your buisness. Also thanks for all the tips. They will really help me when i start setting up Poppy and Daisy properly next year xxLissyLouhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07144955806086442951noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2919352005680320466.post-1705922643452897742011-10-09T11:56:14.484+01:002011-10-09T11:56:14.484+01:00Gosh. I am really surprised at so many comments - thank you so much Magpie, Simply H and Crafty - I thought the blog was probably too long and and am touched that people have read it. I&#39;m really glad I wrote it now as had been wondering about it for a while. Thank you. Charlotte<br />xCharlotte, Cottontailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06187037174877356896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2919352005680320466.post-14274673363108368442011-10-09T09:28:39.296+01:002011-10-09T09:28:39.296+01:00It&#39;s very interesting to read your story. Such a shame you had to leave the shop, but it was obviously the right decision.Crafty Green Poethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02486633917197181851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2919352005680320466.post-814729712798350282011-10-09T09:07:09.269+01:002011-10-09T09:07:09.269+01:00What a lovely and informative post Charlotte. Lots of the blogs I follow are by people setting up little cottage industries and small businesses so it was really interesting to find out all the history of Cottontails baby. I had no idea you had a bricks and mortar shop before! I am so glad your online shop is doing so well for you - I just saw a post on your catalogue on someone elses blog and it looks gorgeous! xxSimply Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13861163780095924507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2919352005680320466.post-68813911356631769052011-10-09T01:12:07.984+01:002011-10-09T01:12:07.984+01:00Wow, what a wonderful and interesting read this was! Fantastic blogging! Thank you for sharing your experiences!magpie bessiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08771705226705537463noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2919352005680320466.post-64479833656161952622011-10-08T17:40:27.881+01:002011-10-08T17:40:27.881+01:00Thank you Caroline and Sue...<br /><br />Yes the shop was lovely and gosh it was hard to let it go, particularly because my mum loved it. But she didn&#39;t like seeing me stressed and worried all the time, and even she got fed up on days when it was oh so quiet. In the end it was absolutely the right decision... within a couple of days of actually closing, I wished I&#39;d done it long before.<br /><br />And these days I don&#39;t miss the shop really. Although what you say about empty shops rings a bell Sue - yes I sometimes think, oooh it would be nice and have to remind myself no, it wouldn&#39;t!<br /><br />The vat thing was a disaster. I was (and am) dreadful with money. I knew I was in the zone of the threshold and in 2008 went right over it and thought I&#39;ll have to register, and when I started doing the rolling 12 month thing to track back, I&#39;d been over the threshold for two years. That was two years of VAT to pay. Thousands and thousands. I considered staying quiet, just registering and not mentioning the past two years, but my conscience wouldn&#39;t let me and I wouldn&#39;t have been able to live with the worry. (I&#39;ve de-registered again now by the way - it was the joint shop / web sales that did the damage!)<br /><br />xCharlotte, Cottontailshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06187037174877356896noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2919352005680320466.post-84361673519645477362011-10-08T16:18:39.145+01:002011-10-08T16:18:39.145+01:00How lovely to find out a bit of history about you and your lovely business.<br /><br />I did something similar (twice!!) and now I&#39;m collecting eggs from chickens, but missing my gorgeous little shop like hell. Every time I see an emprty shop I start making plans :-)<br /><br />I didn&#39;t go down the business loan route, instead I maxed out on my credit card to stock the shop and lulckily paid it all off in the first six months.<br /><br />So as you say anyone can do it, you just need access to a bit of start up cash, a bit of confidence and lots of energy for all the hard work. And lots of retail research and know how helps if you want to make a profit (I was a shop manager for 12 years).<br /><br />(I niftily stayed under the VAT threshold so no scares for me thank goodness!)<br /><br />Sue xxsue15cathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04177854521955532744noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2919352005680320466.post-41091564573803206202011-10-08T16:09:05.589+01:002011-10-08T16:09:05.589+01:00It fascinates me what makes people start their business. Your shop looked lovely but working from home looks very cosy! I work from my bedroom...but dream of a space in the garden. I love everything about Cottontails and I wish you lots of luck for the future. xxxxCarolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07409862790902037569noreply@blogger.com