Her Biz January 2022 Winner
Hooked on knitting: owner of specialist knitting store ‘Flock’ Harriet Couchman wins £500 to launch after winning Her Biz business plan competition
Picture what you imagine to be a shop dedicated to yarn and knitting, and turn it on its head – with Flock, Harriet Couchman aims to create a modern and stylish approach to reinvent the idea of traditional knitting supply shops, which will focus on the endless possibilities of all things knitting.
Harriet won £500 towards her start-up costs for Flock by taking part in the CHART funded Ready for Business start-up business workshops at the Hastings Library, and then submitting her winning business plan to the Her Biz competition, which is open to all ladies taking part in both workshop programmes.
The Her Biz programme, which is delivered by Let’s Do Business Group and supported by NatWest Bank, aims to increase entrepreneurship, and break down the barriers between women and business by supporting more people to follow their career aspirations. Delivered virtually over Zoom by our two expert business coaches Lisa and Helena, the programme has been a long running success since it started three years ago.
The inspiration behind Flock
Born from Harriet’s lifelong love of craft and desire to make her own clothes, Flock was established in 2021 to create a resource for knitters everywhere, through supplying quality yarn and knitting tools combined with an offering of workshops and classes for beginners.
The goal for Flock is to be a hub for the local knitting community, with a specialist knitting and yarn store that will fill a gap in the market, as there are no longer any local yarn stores in the Hastings and Rye area.
“In an increasingly fast and stressful world, making something with our hands gives us a chance to relax, be creative and take back control.”
“We draw our inspiration from beautiful natural yarns, well-made tools and stylish, functional patterns. Each of our products has a story, and we will only ever stock things that we have used and loved ourselves.”
Why Flock?
The UK Hand Knitters Association has estimated the number of knitters to have risen by over 1 million since the start of the pandemic, with John Lewis reporting an increase in the sales of yarn and knitting needles by 90%. The rising popularity of knitting is clear and shows no sign of slowing down, due to consumers increasingly distancing themselves from fast fashion and looking to create more conscious wardrobes.
Despite this rise in popularity, Harriet felt that consensus is that majority of local yarn shops feel old fashioned, and Flock can change that with a renewed outlook on the craft, offering a fun, modern feel to their stores and website, and backing it up with top quality yarns and tools. Combined with the boom in popularity of knitting, the online presence of Flock will help Flock appeal to a younger audience, and the store will only help to create a destination for local knitters on the high street.
Harriet identified a gap in the market for a specialist knitting shop in the area of Hastings and Rye where she plans to launch Flock’s physical store. While knitting has seen its boom in popularity, there’s evidence to suggest that majority of knitters prefer to select and buy their materials in person to get a real feel for the products before committing.
Short term, Harriet’s plan is to create a following and community for Flock using social media platforms and building an online content library of useful articles and tutorials, with the aim of engaging beginner knitters and driving traffic to Flock’s website.
Following from this, Flock’s online store will begin selling products to test out their popularity and gauge the success of their physical store, which, if all goes to plan, will launch in the local area of Hastings and Rye.
Getting Harriet and Flock #ReadyForBusiness
To get herself on track and ready to launch Flock, Harriet took part in our virtual start up business workshop Ready For Business, a CHART* funded programme tailored to supporting aspiring entrepreneurs in Hastings and Bexhill. Consisting of 4 x 2.5 hour sessions over four weeks on Zoom, the workshop covers everything a pre-start business needs to know before their launch; from refining your business idea, to marketing and managing your finances.
“The workshops have been absolutely invaluable in helping me to write a business plan and determine the next steps for my business.
Lisa and the other guest speakers delivered well thought out and enjoyable sessions which equipped me with all the information and tools that I needed and gave me the opportunity to share and discuss ideas with the other participants in a friendly and supportive environment. I frequently refer back to the slides and resources that were provided after each session, and have received invaluable ongoing support through 1:1 sessions.
I am incredibly grateful to everyone at Ready for Business for providing such a fantastic workshop, and would highly recommend it to anyone thinking of starting a business.”
