Episode 2.4 - Case Story: Stitching Entrepreneurial Life Together
To get a sense of what life has been like for UK entrepreneurs seeking to save their business during C19, tune into this ‘case story’ interview with international business-woman, Lisa Comfort. Be prepared, this is not a typical interview about entrepreneurial success.Frank, honest and often emotional, listen to Lisa share her struggles. Learn why facing up to previous challenges gave her the strength and ability to save her craft-based company from being a victim of the pandemic.As part of the case story you will learn about Lisa’s background, her motives and her passion for sewing, clothes and crafts. As importantly, you'll learn about her retail roots and how her digital transformation leadership proved so vital during the darkest months of 2020. Lisa Comfort set up Sew Over It in 2011 with one main aim – to teach as many people as possible to sew. She loves fashion and learned to sew as a teenager and wanted to share her passion. After studying languages at university, she started her career in couture fashion and worked for Bruce Oldfield and Phillipa Lepley before venturing out on her own. Lisa started the business by teaching people to sew in their homes; taking her sewing machine all over London. She opened her first shop in Clapham in South London in May 2011.A bit of Podcast background...UK-based Peter Harrington set up his first business following graduation in York in 1989. He has since started and grown several companies in various sectors including research, marketing, design, print, educational software and consultancy. Over the last 30+ years, Peter has employed over 1,000 people and experienced many highs and a few lows including burglaries, floods, fire and of course the most recent pandemic.As well as being the CEO with the SimVenture team, Peter is also an Entrepreneur in Residence at the London School of Economics and London South Bank University.Big thanks to LSE Generate, the SimVenture Team and Seajam Moths for supporting the Startup Survival Podcast.Find Guest details and all Reference SourcesThe full podcast series together with additional materials, guest details and hyperlinks to all episode reference sources is available on Peter Harrington's Blog 'The Hitchhiker's Guide to Entrepreneurship'.