AS a welcome warm spell encourages people to spend time outdoors, we hear from a woman whose love of nature prompted her to swap corporate life for the start up world.

Name:

Jo Chidley.

Age:

45.

What is your business called?

Beauty Kitchen.

Where is it based?

Glasgow.

What does it produce?

We create 100 per cent natural skincare, body care and bath products with innovative ingredients such as Seahorse Plankton. Our ethics are at the heart of our brand so we never test products on animals and all our ingredients and packaging are ethically sourced.

We also run Create Your Own workshops and have so far taught over 5,000 people how to make their own products.

To whom does it sell?

Our products can be found in over 1,000 Holland & Barrett stores across the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands and on its website. In addition, we sell through our own website and store in Glasgow.

What is its turnover?

Our turnover in the last six months has been more than the full previous year and we are on target to grow sales by around 250 per cent this year. To us, the most important thing is that we are making a difference and we have recently become a B-Corp.

A B Corp is a for-profit organisation that meets the rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency set by the non-profit organisation B Lab.

How many employees?

When I first launched the business, it was me and my mum Josie making the products by hand before my husband Stuart decided to join us. Now, we are a team of eight.

When was it formed?

We officially launched in 2014.

Why did you take the plunge?

I’m very passionate about the natural world and natural ingredients. We are provided with so many amazing sustainable resources and most of the time natural ingredients work better than synthetic ones.

The idea for Beauty Kitchen came from me being unable to find genuinely natural products that I felt were affordable and effective. With my chemistry background and the curiosity I had for botany, creating my own products with effective ingredients that interested me came naturally. Once friends and family had tried them for themselves, I could see that there was a need for products like this on the market and so began to make and sell them through the first Beauty Kitchen in Saltmarket, Glasgow, as well as holding workshops to teach people to make their own beauty products at home.

The turning point was securing the deal with H&B, which happened when I met the beauty buyer in a coffee shop in March 2014 armed with some ingredients and a bowl, and created my bespoke product there and then.

What were you doing before you took the plunge?

I studied Chemistry at university before becoming a qualified herbal botanist. I’ve also worked as a beekeeper and I keep up-to-date with advances in both areas.

I had a long career in HR working for blue-chip companies but left the corporate world because I wanted to make a difference. I worked with Avon, Microsoft and Nestle and whilst they are great companies I felt that I could make a bigger difference (or make sure I had a positive impact on the world/planet) by doing something else.

I started beekeeping in 2010 as a result of my interest in botany and beauty and the publicity around the plight of bees. It’s been a great experience and it’s so fulfilling seeing them working away and the impact they have had on the local landscape.

I have five hives and share some of the honey from them with family and friends. I also use some in the Beauty Kitchen’s workshops for the fresh and personalised recipes.

How did you raise the start-up funding?

We didn’t get any start-up grants but later we secured funding from Scottish Edge while Business Gateway and the Entrepreneurial Spark start up incubator helped us source additional finance.

What was your biggest break?

The deal with Holland & Barrett. This was huge for a small brand and our relationship has gone from strength to strength. We started out by selling a few products and now our full range is stocked in stores. It’s raised the profile of our brand as we are recognised and respected by such a big name in the natural and wellbeing industry.

What was your worst moment?

The biggest struggles were in the early days, the time before Business Gateway were on board, because I was working full time and it was difficult to get people to see the potential the brand and business had.

We’ve had fantastic help from Business Gateway Glasgow and Glasgow City Council. That along with the support of Entrepreneurial Spark who gave us an office base has been wonderful for a small business.

What do you most enjoy about running the business?

It’s incredible when we get customer feedback saying our products have made a real difference to them.

What do you least enjoy?

Doing the monthly expenses.

What are your ambitions for the firm?

Our aim is to take natural beauty to the masses and help to make the beauty industry more sustainable.

What are your top priorities?

Innovation; the customer; the team; finding great partners; cash flow.

What could the Westminster and/or Scottish governments do that would help?

Certainty on the future of our trading relationship with Europe would definitely help us.

What was the most valuable lesson that you learned?

‘If it has to be, it’s up to me’ - I’ve learnt that I need to take responsibility and take action. It’s also important to be brave when making decisions.

How do you relax?

Gardening and tending to my bees.