I hit rock bottom after my dad died and I got dumped – now I’ve made £200k with my swimwear brand Tiffany Watson loves – The Sun

WHEN Francesca Parsons was dumped by her boyfriend three years ago, she was left homeless and seriously strapped for cash.

The 29-year-old and her best friend Sophie Baldwin, also 29, decided it was time to make something of themselves – and launched their own swimwear company.

Two years after launching Aerin Swim, Sophie and Fran, who live in Bath, have made £200,000 in turnover.

They expect to double this over the next six months, thanks to deals with SilkFred and ASOS, and celeb fans including Tiffany Watson and Kardashian hairdresser Jen Atkin.

Sophie and Fran, who met as Mulberry shop girls in 2009, spoke exclusively to Fabulous Digital for #BOSSINGIT, our series about ordinary women who have launched incredible businesses.

Fran, a former business manager at a skincare brand, said: "I was in a relationship for four years, then I lost my dad.

"I'm an only child so a lot of responsibility fell on me, I was struggling to deal with it.

"We'd just come up with the idea when me and my ex broke up, and I found myself with almost nothing.

"I had to leave the house I was living in, move back in with my mum, I ended up without a car and with hardly any money.

Me and my ex broke up and I found myself with almost nothing. I had to move back in with my mum and had hardly any money

"I was like ‘OK, now’s the time’. I would get up at the crack of dawn every morning and work on Aerin Swim for three hours before my normal job, in the evenings too.

"It was really about proving a point, like 'I’m somebody without you, I will be successful and I’m not going to let this relationship or any of my personal issues determine who I’m going to be'."

Sophie, who previously worked in head office for designer brands Jack Wills and Mulberry, came up with the idea for Aerin Swim in January 2016.

The besties spent months researching their suppliers and materials, before launching their company in August 2016.

It was really about proving a point, like' I’m somebody without you

Fran said: "Both Soph and I have worked really hard. All of the money we’ve put into the company has come out of our own pockets.

"Originally we invested £7,000, we've spent £10,000 in total. Any money we made from our 9-5 jobs and didn’t need to spend on bills, we put into the company.

"Soph worked in a bar in the evenings and on weekends. That’s how we managed to get to where we are now."

All the swimsuits are designed in Britain by Fran and Sophie, and made in factories in China.

Sophie said: "All the stock comes to my house. My spare room is full of Aerin Swim boxes, it’s become our stock room and office now.

"My mum has helped quite a lot, which is great. But otherwise we do everything ourselves.

"I really enjoy doing the packaging, because when the orders are coming through it's like ‘wow, people are loving all of our stuff’.

It was very scary quitting our jobs. But you have to take those risks because you never know what’s going to happen.

"It's nice to be able to package those orders and know people are spending money on them."

The swimsuits are made from nylon spandex, which the friends boast "fits the body perfectly".

Fran said: "We’re all about empowering women and, when women wear this material, it makes you feel confident.

"Aerin means 'goddess', we fell in love with the name."

Aerin Swim made £50,000 in its first year of trading and £150,000 in the second year, with the friends on track to make a further £200,000 by the end of this financial year.

Made In Chelsea's Tiffany Watson and Sophier Herman, celeb hairdresser Jen Atkin and Brody Jenner's ex girlfriend Jade Nichol, of The Hills fame, have all worn their designs.

Influencers Emma Rose, who has 646,000 followers, and Yazmin de Christie, who has 203,000, are also fans.

Fran said: "We really grew the business through social media.

"For me, the biggest highlight was when Jen Atkin wore our one piece. You normally have to pay these A-list celebs TO wear your swimwear.

"She took our red swimsuit to Italy with her, we didn't have to pay her or ask her to wear it.

We got a lot of people saying ‘how are you going to do that? You live in Bath, you don’t live by a beach’

"She actually said it’s her husband’s favourite swimsuit on her. That was like ‘oh my God’.

"We are on SilkFred now and are about to launch on ASOS, which is really exciting.

"Sophie quit her job just after Easter and I quit mine at the beginning of May, we're full-time now."

The pair each earned £30,000-a-year in their 9-5 jobs, while Sophie would make £50 cash in hand for her bar or club work.

They're currently selling 500 items-a-month, with bikinis costing upwards of £42 for a set and one pieces pricing in between £32 and £38.

Sophie said: "It was very scary quitting our jobs.

"We're risking everything and it’s the unknown, but you have to take those risks because you never know what’s going to happen."

Fran agreed, adding: "The scary part is coming out of a routine.

"We’ve been working really hard since we were 15, with 9-5 jobs then weekend jobs on top of that.

"Leaving that to do what we love is obviously exciting, but it’s scary at the same time."

SOPHIE AND FRAN'S ADVICE TO OTHER WOMEN

1. Don’t give up. Make sure you’re passionate about it. If you lose the passion, question why.
2. If you’re going into business with a friend, it can be a strain on the relationship. Remember business is business. Have that business conversation, then close the door on it and remember you’re still best friends.
3. Don’t listen to any negativity.
4. Constantly set yourself three-month or six-month goals.
5. Always aim higher. You need to have constant ideas, that will keep you going.
6. Stay grounded and be prepared to work really hard. There’s going to be times when you will cry.

Sophie and Fran have big plans to continue growing their brand, including an influencer-led Ibiza pool party next month.

Fran said: "It’s really about thinking outside the box.

"There is more competition out there now, but what stands us apart from the others is our fabric is designed to mould to the body.

"Other online sites do some great affordable swimwear, but we think you can really tell the difference in fabric. Our swimwear lasts a long time.

"We did get a lot of people saying ‘how are you going to do that? You live in Bath, you don’t live by a beach’.

"Ultimately our passion was to travel the world and wear swimwear. We didn't want to be in Bath 12 months of the year.

"We can pretty much work from anywhere. When we’re not in the UK, our mums step in to deal with the invoices, orders and packaging.

"Then we can do all of the social media and customers queries from our phones and laptops.

"Our days aren’t exactly 9-5 anymore. We just work as much as we can, until we’re too tired."

In last week's Bossing It, we spoke to a woman who quit her job after a chance encounter with a stranger on a train – now she's set to make £1 million with YouTube campaigns.

You can shop Aerin Swim here.

Source: Read Full Article