Claire Connor is the founder of A Pie Party, Instagram - @apieparty. Not only are her amazing American style sweet pies and epic cookies delicious, they look incredible. As a result, this has given her a devoted following of over 25,000 fans on instagram.
To build a business and brand to such success in under 3 years is quite an accomplishment, so I couldn't wait to sit down and speak to her about how she got started.
Claire's honest depiction of what starting and running a business is really like made this interview so interesting. Her amazing journey is a story of the grit, determination and sacrifice but one that is well worth it. Full of fantastic tips and advice, this interview is a sure fire way of giving you the confidence to turn idea into action.
To listen to the podcast, please head:
My favourite quotes from the interview*
*some have been paraphrased or shortened
HOW THE IDEA CAME AND THINGS GOT GOING:
"I wanted to do something that hadn't been done before"
"the idea came before the ability"
"I learnt through combination of books & online but ultimately you just have to keep trying"
"I got a virgin loan for £5k to get started"
RUNNING YOUR BUSINESS WHILE WORKING:
"Working full time while running the business was intense but I started small because I didn't want to take a massive risk"
"I was working 4-days a week and in the evenings I was doing my prep"
"Working full time while running a business was intense but it meant I had security"
"Just. Get. Started"
"Starting a business in London is expensive. I moved into a studio apartment that was tiny & started my business"
ON CO-FOUNDER:
"I didn't want a business partner because I thought I never find someone as emotionally invested in the concept as I was and care as much"
"you can look back and say....I did that"
SOCIAL MEDIA:
"Instagram has been fundamental to the business"
"On instagram the better something looks the more engagement it gets, the more engagement it gets the more followers you get"
"Since Coronavirus pandemic I've tried to give people an honest look at what it is like running a business and keeping it a afloat"
"It's far more about the quality of followers then the quantity"
"People think they have an idea of what it is like to run a small business but I don't think they understand how fragile it can be"
"If someone is thinking about doing something on stories then just do it, the good thing about Instagram they're gone in 24 hours.
BOOKS:
"Dear Female Founders: 66 Letters of advice from women entrepreneurs who have made $1 billon in revenue"
FINAL ADVICE:
"My advice would be - Just. Start"
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