Talking Shop: Honey Be Bright

BID for Galashiels’ Retail Resilience Pilot has been supporting local businesses with tailored advice from retail expert Graham Soult, helping them identify practical ways to improve their businesses and build connections with each other. In our Talking Shop series, participants share what they’ve put into practice and the difference it’s making. This time, we hear from Melissa from Honey Be Bright.

“I signed up for the Retail Resilience Pilot mainly because I'm a fairly new business and I'd never run a shop before. I was looking for advice, really, just to find out what I was maybe doing right, what I could be doing better and what I could do to encourage more footfall.

I think the biggest immediate benefit for me has been a real boost in confidence. It's reassured me that I am doing things right and that I'm not just winging it!

One of the things that came out of the report was that I needed to showcase more of myself and the fact that I actually design some of the products we sell. I think deep down I probably knew that already, but I didn't really have the confidence to put myself out there. Having someone else point it out made me realise I really did need to do something about it.

Since then, I've been putting myself out there a lot more on social media, even though it feels a bit uncomfortable! And I've genuinely noticed a massive difference in engagement already. I think I've realised that just because I know I've designed something doesn't mean everyone else automatically knows that.

It's also made me think about how I can showcase that more clearly in the shop itself, which I'm now in the process of doing. I want people to be able to walk through the door and see straight away that some of the products are my own designs, without me having to tell every customer individually."

"I think the programme has shown that there are things we can do as individual businesses that make a difference straight away, even while there's still work going on to tackle bigger things, like increasing footfall across the town. Obviously, that's not something one business or one person can fix overnight. But I think it's helped us realise that we've all got a part to play, and it's given us practical advice on what we can each be doing now to help make that difference over time.

I'd definitely recommend it to other businesses. I think some people might be hesitant about having someone come in and point out things they're doing wrong, or worry that they'll come away feeling worse about their business. But my experience was completely the opposite.

The feedback was so positive and constructive. It's made me feel much more confident and inspired about my business, but it's also given me practical things I can actually go away and do.

For me, that's been the biggest thing. It's not just advice for the future. I've already made changes, I'm already seeing a difference, and I've come away feeling much more confident that I'm heading in the right direction.”