One of my key values is community: I love connecting with other small business owners and get inspired by how they run their businesses and live their lives. In this interview series I’m asking lovely small business owners to share how they run a slow, gentle and profitable business.
In this post, Alice Hibbert shares her journey to a slow, gentle and profitable small business. I love how naturally a slower life seems to come to her and really appreciate her emphasis on following your intuition. Enjoy!
Alice Hibbert is the designer and maker of Alice Stewart Jewellery, offering a collection of unique handmade engagement rings, bespoke services and delicate nature-inspired jewellery. She personally designs and makes each piece from her leafy garden studio.
Alice currently lives in Stratford-Upon-Avon, in the UK. When she’s not making jewellery or playing with her mischievous rescue cat, you will likely find her exploring in nature, feeding the hedgehogs at the bottom of her garden and baking.
Find out more about Alice and her gorgeous work through her website, Instagram and Pinterest.
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What does living a slow and gentle life, and having a slow, gentle and profitable business look like to you? What does a day look like for you?
Living a slow life isn’t something I think about too often, probably because I’m an instinctively ‘slow’ person. I’ve always been drawn to and needed a slower pace of life, and as an introvert I’ve learnt how important it is to give myself time to process and reflect in my own way.
I’ve been on this journey of running my nature inspired jewellery business for just over 10 years now, and along the way I’ve learnt a lot about how I work best, when I feel most creative and energised, and I know my best decisions are always made by listening to my intuition.
I’ve realised recently that my week starts best when I allow myself to have a slower start on a Monday, easing in with either a walk in my local nature reserve, or some other form of gentle movement, and doing little things that bring me joy like topping up my bird feeders in the garden, or baking a tasty treat. Although there can still be that niggling feeling that I should be getting on with my to-do list, allowing myself the freedom to start my week in a way that fills me up makes such a difference.
I know my best decisions are always made by listening to my intuition.
Without the freedom to explore on my walks, and carve out space to live and work with a little more flexibility and flow I feel stifled and stagnant. Over the years I’ve learnt it’s vital for me to protect the space I need to find moments of wonder, so I can come back to my work feeling inspired and excited.
What inspired you to live this way? Which choices and changes did you make, or have to make?
It’s taken a lot of work to let go of the idea that my working day should start at 9am and finish at 5pm, and that mornings are always the most productive time of day for everyone. When I first started my business, I would try to fit my work into this typical working day but it felt very forced, and I frequently found myself feeling burnt out and uninspired. I eventually figured out I needed some freedom to feel creative.
Leaning into working alongside the ebb and flow of my energy has given me a much more joyful and beneficial way of working.
Working in a way that feels flexible means I can allow my working days to be guided by when I have the most energy, which changes with the seasons, and my personal cycle. I try to do my most creative or challenging work like learning something new during times I’m most energised. Leaning into working alongside the ebb and flow of my energy has given me a much more joyful and beneficial way of working.
What three tips would you suggest for readers who also want to create a slow, gentle and profitable business?
Listening to your intuition has to be the most important thing, having the courage to trust yourself and the choices you make. It’s your business so ultimately you know better than anyone what you need to thrive.
Listen to your intuition and have the courage to trust yourself and the choices you make. It’s your business so ultimately you know better than anyone what you need to thrive.
Create space for little things that bring you energy in your week. It’s so easy to get caught up in the long list of jobs that need doing that time for topping yourself up with inspiration or nourishing yourself with rest whatever that looks like for you, can end up at the bottom of the list. I try and plan these into my week first, then work around them if I can.
Find a way to switch off from your working day, and work on setting boundaries for your working hours. Personally, I don’t work on weekends, so on a Friday evening I make sure all work related things are tucked away out of sight till Monday.
Thank you Alice, for sharing this peek into how you are running a slow, gentle and profitable business. I am so inspired by your take on a slow, gentle and profitable business, especially your focus on following your intuition. Find out more about Alice and her work through her website (where you can also sign up for her seasonally inspired newsletter), Instagram and Pinterest.
If you’d like to answer these questions on slow, gentle and profitable business, do get in touch with me. More interviews on how to run a slow, gentle and profitable small business are coming soon! Sign up for my newsletter below so you never miss one.
And, if you want to create that slow, gentle and profitable business that truly nourishes you, discover how we can work together here.
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