Thanks to a love of nature, Business Wales support, and the power of artificial intelligence, a husband and wife team have created a line of sustainable, holistic products that are flying off the shelves.
Andrew and Deborah Owen-Smith from Caernarfon launched My Lovingly Handmade in April 2024 offering aromatherapy wax melts, clay diffusers and a wax melter created from raw Welsh slate.
Within the year, the popularity of their product led to the pair expanding to a range of 100% natural and vegan-friendly products and the couple realised that what had begun as a fun hobby selling items at a Christmas fair was actually the seed of a thriving business.
Today, the couple’s products regularly sell out in local outlets and online. My Lovingly Handmade’s range of aromatherapy products are also stocked in locations across Eryri National Park, where their popularity with visitors has resulted in repeat orders.
However, the near overnight success hasn’t always been easy, and the Owen-Smith’s quickly found that they needed support to build a business capable of meeting demand.
Reaching out to Business Wales, the couple were introduced to Business Advisors, Laura Fordham and Ian Harvey, who were able to help them build financial and marketing plans and source the technology they needed to expand. This included harnessing the power of artificial intelligence.
Andrew said:
This has been a steep learning curve as My Lovingly Handmade is a very different business to our first company. Though our products were selling, Business Wales support helped us realise our marketing and operations needed work to ensure that initial success could continue and grow.
We’re an independent business, it’s just myself and Deb, we don’t have unlimited amounts of time to devote to marketing. Long days and late nights are normal. But our advisors introduced us to technology and resources that changed everything. People would probably be surprised that a business like ours uses artificial intelligence, but this technology has revolutionised how we work and promote ourselves.
The next six months is set to see My Lovingly Handmade double their brick-and-mortar sales outlets as they expand into garden centres. This is in part thanks to successful applications for Barriers to Start-up Grants that have helped fund new high-capacity equipment to increase their production volume and speed.
Business Wales Business Advisor, Ian Harvey, said:
Andrew and Deborah are no strangers to running their own business, having already done this successfully once before. They both were so willing to attend and learn as much as possible to grow My Lovingly Handmade. They are a great example of how, no matter how much experience you have, or how popular your product is, there are always new skills and support that can help you go further.
Business Wales is funded by the Welsh Government. For more information and support to help your business discover opportunities, and to speak to a specialist advisor, contact Business Wales. Visit Homepage | Business Wales or call 03000 6 03000. Rydym yn croesawu galwadau’n Gymraeg - we welcome calls in Welsh.