Coco Design
Coco Design founder Pauline Heffernan borrowed £1,000 to launch
her spa and bathroom design firm earlier this year. The business is
a triumph of bootstrapping, smart service and super-slick
purchasing. The website was built on Wordpress, Heffernan carries
no stock, there's no showroom and the Coco Design online store
means that customers can purchase products or book a design
consultation any time of the day or night. Heffernan fits her
business around the busy lives of her clients, arranging meetings
as early as 7am, or as late as 9pm. And Heffernan has been very
savvy with her model: consultations are not free, as is the case
with many competitors. This allows Heffernan to be impartial with
her recommendations - she's not relying on the commission to make
her crust. Turnover for the first year's trading is tipped to top
£40,000.
- Business is run from a bedroom with tiny overheads
- Flexible working hours suit busy clients
- Multi-channel revenue model, from consultancy to retail to
product sourcing
Learn more about Coco Design