8 March 2021|Latest Posts, Meet the Successful Founder
Lucy Bartlett, founder of Bundle Beds founder is a mum of two who loves to camp, travel and most of all sleep! Frustrated that portable beds were either uncomfortable or too bulky, and involved a hunt for spare bedding and fiddly equipment that took ages to set up, she set out to change this by creating the Bundle Bed. The Bundle bed is an all in one bed, that you simply unzip, roll out and you are good to go. All bedding and a self inflating mattress included. The birth of Bundle Beds was followed by the birth of her two children, Arthur (just as the Kickstarter campaign ended in 2016) and Dougal (in 2018). With this became a new passion, for travelling as a family. The saying “have baby, will travel” seemed an easy statement to make before having kids but the concept soon became a reality, and she realised that being prepared and having the right bits and bobs with you made all of the difference.
What would you love to share with other women to encourage them to start their own business?
As a mum, kids and work are always hard to juggle, whether you’re working the 9-5 or running your own business. You are not given a timetable or hours that you “must be” at work, so try to give yourself a routine. But make sure to enjoy the flexibility and make the most of being able to make the sports days or the extra days at half term, and be willing to make up the hours in the evenings or weekends.
What are your 5 top tips for entrepreneurial success?
Tell everyone your idea, and don’t be afraid that they will copy it. Chances are that they won’t have the time to do it anyway, and if they do, they are miles behind you!
Look at your network of family, friends and contacts and ask for help.
Know your own strengths and then find people to work with who have strengths where your weaknesses are.
Accept mistakes, learn from them and then go back to focusing on the goal
Have long term goals, but be willing for those to change and adapt – try to focus on short term at the start.
Who are the 5 women who inspire you the most?
Steph Douglas – Don’t Buy Her Flowers – focused on growing a business from the ground up and happy to share her journey and help others.
Georgie Woods – Sipsmith Minister of Culture – a really amazing way of seeing people’s strengths and helping to bring out the best in them.
Susie Stubbs – Totter & Tumble – an amazing product and a really unflappable approach to running a business.
Rachael Garden – previously a midwife and now a complete superstar of a Mum.
My Mum – raising 4 kids who have always wanted to be honest with her and know that kindness should be at the centre of everything that we do.
What is your favourite inspirational quote?
“Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.” – Les Brown
Website & Socials
F: @bundlebeds
Insta: @bundlebeds
