Sioned Davies
Sioned Davies
Siop Sioned
In a nutshell:
Siop Sioned sells a whole variety of items that have been made locally or have a Welsh connection. They range from jewellery, cushions, frames and repainted furniture – all under one roof.
Sectors:
Creative Services
Region:
Conwy

I started my business back in 2016 when I was 23 after having a bellyful of working for other people. I have always had an interest in interiors and colours, so I took a leap of faith and started my own business. The shop that I took over was an antiques shop that was closing down, and the previous owners gave me a few shelves and furniture so I could showcase my products.

I remember after being here for a month thinking to myself “how am I going to make money to survive?” The process of opening the shop happened within 6 weeks and I hadn’t thought much about the business itself. That’s when I prepared my business plan and focused on what I liked and what I wanted to sell. That helped me a great deal and it’s great to be able to refer to that and tick a few things off.

Inspiration… I’m not sure who inspired me to be honest, I think that what inspires me is seeing people work hard for what they’ve got. For my family, staff and myself to be able to have a comfortable life is really important to me. I think it’s important to have a work-life balance and to enjoy life and running my own business allows me to do this. If you enjoy what you do, it makes life pretty good.

There are problems to solve every day, the main ones are my stock not arriving or stock selling out and I can’t replenish it and also, finding the best products that will sell! However, I’ve had some big problems to deal with too, I think that the Covid-19 Pandemic has proved a real challenge to many businesses. I managed to adapt my website within a week so that I could continue trading, I have never worked so hard in my life, but it was essential to do it and to attract people to it. There are also the challenges of finding the best staff for your business and making sure that they bring the skills that you are looking for.

The best thing about being your own boss (after working hard on building the business for a few years!) is you can choose the hours that you want to work during the week! The best part about the business for me is being able to source lovely products to sell and meeting new people on a daily basis. There is a saying “If you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life” and to me this is so true, even if it is a cliché!