Tag: female entrepreneur scotland

East Lothian Courier: Entrepreneur enjoys invite to House of Lords

Posted on
East Lothian Courier: Geraldine McCullagh at House of Lords business event

by Avril Campbell

East Lothian Courier wrote a feature about my visit to the House of Lords in June 2023.

Me Time Therapies at the House of Lords

A Musselburgh entrepreneur attended the House of Lords to mark the end of a programme to support the growth of small businesses.

The visit by Geraldine McCullagh, founder of Me-Time Therapies, followed her involvement with Small Business Britain’s Small & Mighty Programme.

Having won several awards for her products, which are sold on Amazon, Geraldine continues to make all her natural products by hand at her Denholm Avenue home. Offering a range of natural products that enhance relaxation and rejuvenation, including massage balms and gift kits, Me-Time Therapies is “committed to providing individuals with the ‘me-time’ they deserve”.

Geraldine discloses all the natural ingredients used with her products and, with a commitment to sustainability, almost all the products are vegan. Every product is handmade, chemical-free, gluten-free, skin and eco friendly, she said.

In addition to promoting the importance of self-care, Geraldine is a current mentor at Musselburgh’s Queen Margaret University, supporting students who are looking to start their own ventures.

Enrolment on the Small & Mighty programme has supported Geraldine and other small firms with ideas for business growth and their decision-making processes.

The end of the six-week programme was celebrated at the House of Lords in London.

Geraldine, a Musselburgh resident for the past 20 years, said: “As a qualified clinical aromatherapist and reflexologist for the past 27 years, I embedded my expertise into a unique range of handmade natural products six years ago to deliver self-care and support to as many people as possible.

“The help given throughout the programme has been amazing and to cap it all off with an invite to the House of Lords is incredible.

“I am proud to have been part of the Small & Mighty Programme, who all share the passion small business owners such as myself have for our local community and economy.”

Share:

East Lothian Entrepreneur Article

Posted on

East Lothian Entrepreneur finds success by embracing digital economy- Edinburgh Evening News -2/11/21

Journalist -Julie Douglas

An East Lothian entrepreneur is backing an initiative to help business startups and SMEs succeed in the digital economy.

Geraldine McCullagh, who owns and runs Me-Time Therapies in Musselburgh, wants to see others gain access to the global marketplace by signing up to the Amazon Small Business Accelerator. The scheme has already helped more than 12,000 Scottish startups and small businesses to build digital skills during the pandemic, with more than half of these firms planning to increase
investment in digital infrastructure over the next year.

Around 3,000 Scottish SMEs now sell professionally on Amazon, with around 450 in Edinburgh generating £20m in export sales in 2020.
Geraldine is one of a number of local entrepreneurs who have agreed to share their success stories in a series of free online training sessions being organised by Enterprise Nation, in partnership with Amazon and Scottish Enterprise.

Without the support of Amazon and Scottish Development International, she believes her business – selling a range of natural body butters, balms, and self-care kits– would not have survived the pandemic.
She says: “You have nothing to lose and everything to gain from learning how to sell your products globally.
“I was able to focus on what I am good at – making products – while Amazon took on the responsibility of logistics and delivery to customers, which I’d never been able to do as well.

I also feel a deeper connection with my customers who can see from my online store that I make every one of our products by hand.”

East Lothian Entrepreneur

Share:

Meet The Maker: Me-Time Therapies

Posted on
Meet the Maker - Eco products by Me-Time Therapies

Meet The Maker: Me-Time Therapies

I was featured as Meet the Maker in the Green Parent Magazine as a result of winning for the third year in a row,  ‘Best Buy’ for my Vegan Body Butter.

I started Me-Time Therapies in 1996 offering Complementary therapies. Over the past 25 years, I have expanded the business by offering short 1day/2day therapy courses in Aromatherapy, Hand Reflexology, Indian head massage, and Self-Care. In the past 4 years, I have also added teaching Mindfulness classes along with adding an Eco- Beauty product range. My product range is Make your own Body butter & Lip Balm kit, Self-Care kit, Vegan Body Butter, and a selection of massage balms. I enjoy making products as combines my love of cooking, being in nature, using Aromatherapy oils, and also be eco-conscious.

MY MORNING ROUTINE
I moved house last September so my new morning routine is sitting in my conservatory on my green velvet rocking chair and admiring my flowers in my garden and listening to the birds. I am very fortunate that I can have a slow mindful start to the day. I find this helps me stay calm throughout the day which results in me getting more achieved.

MY FUTURE PLANS
As I will be celebrating 25 years in business in April 2022, I will mark this anniversary by offering different promotions with 25% off on therapies, courses, and eco-beauty products.

3 THINGS ABOUT ME-TIME THERAPIES
My brand is

1. being a heart-based business where my primary aim is to help and be of benefit to others

2. using only natural ingredients in my eco-beauty product range

3. offering ‘me-time’ by coming for therapy or on a course and also offering ‘me-time’ at home by using the Self-Care kit, Massage Balms & Body butters.

https://thegreenparent.co.uk/Meet the Maker – Me-Time Therapies

Share:

Luxury Adviser: How I Transformed My Therapy Business

Posted on

Luxury Adviser Feature: How I Transformed My Therapy Business Online During The Pandemic Article

Luxury Adviser Feature -July 2021 

When I launched my business Me-Time Therapies 24 years ago, my main offering was in-person massage and therapy treatments. For these appointments, I had developed a range of natural, sustainable massage balms to use on clients.

The rise of clean beauty

Over the years I noticed that there was a huge demand for clean, eco-friendly beauty products using natural ingredients, something I was already making on a small scale for my clients. In 2017, I refined my products and their packaging and started selling on Amazon as an additional source of income.

People really care about what what goes into their skincare products so I am completely transparent about the ingredients I use. Similarly, the packaging used for all of my ranges is reusable and eco-friendly and everything is handmade with care by myself.

My massage balm, body butter, lip balm and self care kits, all use eco-friendly and 100% natural ingredients. What sets my products apart is that, given my aromatherapy background, I can create aromatherapy blends that will help customers feel relaxed or invigorated depending on their needs.

The impact of the pandemic

The client side of the business was still my primary source of income, so when the pandemic hit last year forcing me to halt all consultations I went into panic mode. I had appointments booked in that had to be cancelled and I had to completely rethink how I was going to make an income.

I refocused my business strategy on my products and doubled down efforts online. People were becoming increasingly conscious on mindfulness during a time of isolation, and demand for products like mine increased. People were either looking for something to use themselves, or as a gift to check in with loved ones.

How I shifted to sell clean beauty online 

Thanks to having established a small business Storefront on Amazon, the pivot to a more product-led business model was fairly straightforward and it became my main source of income. This meant I was already in a good place to reach new customers and fulfil orders. Amazon’s distribution network was one of the ways I could maintain sales with a good service to customers.

With Amazon handling fulfilment, it meant I was able to focus more on making the high-quality products that my customers have grown to expect. As I am the only person in the business, it is reassuring to know that this aspect of my business is in capable hands.

There were several key ways I adapted my strategy to not only sustain the income I had lost from therapies, but make my products a more prominent part of my business and continue to grow during this time:

  1. I solidified the relationships with suppliers and placed more considered orders for materials strategic order sizes to ensure I was always properly equipped and limiting wastage.

  2. I doubled down on production and increased the inventory held with Amazon to meet the increased demand for my products. This helped me to not only meet delivery deadlines, but also expectations of my customers.

  3. I expanded my product ranges to cater to new customer needs. As we emerged from the first Lockdown in July 2020, and massage therapists were returning to work, I developed the Muscle Relax Balm for more professional use. Similarly, in the run-up to Christmas, I launched the Self-Care Kit which proved as a popular gift as people isolated over the festive season.

Share:

Me Time Therapies Beauty Secrets Article

Posted on

Beauty secrets Green Parent Article – Sept 2020

https://thegreenparent.co.uk/articles/read/metime-therapies-beauty-secrets  

Extract from Me Time Therapies Beauty Secrets  Article

I started out offering Complementary therapies and over the years have branched out into teaching short courses in Indian head massage, Aromatherapy and Reflexology. In the past 3 years, I have trained as a Mindfulness teacher and now offering 8-week Mindfulness classes. I have also created a natural skincare range over the past 3 years .

The natural skincare products are

· Vegan Body Butter

· Relaxing Massage Balm

· Invigorating Citrus Massage Balm

· Make your own Body Butter & Lip Balm kit (Vegan)

Even though I have been in business for over 20 years, I only started to focus on my brand three years ago when I was creating my first product; Make your Own Body butter & Lip Balm kit.

By offering Wellness therapies, courses and products, my brand is about helping others and being of benefit to them by sharing my knowledge and skills.

SELF-CARE SECRETS

1. An Epsom Salt bath with Neroli & Geranium Aromatherapy oils followed by lying on top of my bed with a cosy blanket and doing a Mindfulness Body Scan.

2. Getting out into nature either into my garden or a walk by the sea helps me calm down when I feel overwhelmed by my ‘To-Do List’.

3. I also use Hand Reflexology when I am feeling anxious by massaging the Diaphragm, Solar Plexus and Head reflexes. I can do this anywhere (travelling or at home) as my hands are easily accessible.

BUSINESS PLANS

I am about to launch a Muscle Relax Massage Balm which is suitable for Body Massage, Indian head massage or for achy muscles post-exercise.

I teach a Self-Care Wellbeing Day and I am formulating a plan in how to create this as a Self-Care Kit to launch in October to sell as a Christmas gift.

THREE WAYS TO BE MORE SUSTAINABLE

1. Food – buying fresh ingredients, bulk buying nuts, pulses& rice and avoiding processed, over-packaged foods.

2. Organic gardening – having a compost bin and by avoiding pesticides it has encouraged bees & butterflies into my garden.

3. Making as many natural skincare products myself and buying natural skincare products that are free synthetic chemicals & preservatives.

Share:

East Lothian entrepreneurs

Posted on
East Lothian female business owner

I was delighted to be invited by East Lothian Business Gateway to be on the panel of East Lothian entrepreneurs. At the “Talking Business” event, we shared the good and also the challenges of running your own business with the audience. Members of the audiences also got the opportunity to ask questions on our experiences as East Lothian businesses.

Share:

Women in Business Celebration

Posted on
Women business owners

I was invited by East Lothian Business Gateway to the EntreprenHER talk at Queen Margaret University on Tuesday 19th March. The event focused on ‘being women in Business today’ and the challenges that female Entrepreneurs face. Prue Leith (the Bake Off judge) was the main speaker and shared her story of being a woman in business.

Prue Leith said “If you start with an optimistic nature, it doesn’t matter if you fail. Start with an idea that you really care about – that’s what matters.” This really resonated with me as over the past 22 years, I have also worked in a similar way.

I feel very fortunate that over the past 22 years as a female in Business in Scotland, I haven’t faced setbacks or discriminations. During the talk, it mentioned that Women in Business can be held back due to their gender, family commitments and unable to raise capital. Prue also mentioned that she never borrowed money for her business to grow. I have also done the same as that means if a recession hits or the economy slows down, you aren’t struggling to pay back bank loans. Prue said that she knew many successful women in business overextended themselves financially and their business went under.

I got to ask her a question about the difficulty in ensuringWork/Life Balance and how she implements Self-care into her life. She said that she ensured that she allocated time in her diary for holidays to re-charge her batteries. I also like having short breaks and holidays to look forward as this motivates me.

She also said that she loves being in business and although 80 years old next year, she is launching 2 new businesses this year. I hope that I can maintain her enthusiasm and her energy as I allow my business to grow and flourish.

Share: