Originally from California, Angie Boothroyd worked as a graphic designer when she moved to London in 1994. She then retrained in jewellery at London Guildhall University and then at the Royal College of Art where she completed her MA in 2001.
Angie set up a workshop at Cockpit Arts with the help of a Cockpit Arts Seedbed Award and a Setting Up Grant from the Crafts Council. Since then she has exhibited her work throughout the UK and abroad at many prestigious events. She has taught jewellery making at a variety of institutions.
We are really pleased that she wrote this guest blog post for us:
“Beginnings are always messy.” – John Galsworthy
‘As exciting as starting up a business is, the questions of where to start, and how, and ‘Am I doing it right?’ can feel overwhelming. Don’t worry. It’s supposed to feel that way.
That thought may not provide much comfort; however, having a few handy steps to guide you through the process may help.
I have presented these ten steps in roughly chronological order. However, one of the reasons setting up a business can feel so dizzying is that many pieces to the puzzle are interdependent, so in truth you will find yourself needing to juggle many of these at once. Think of it as a giant crossword. You may think you’ve got an answer all figured out, only to discover later you should have only penciled it in.
Let’s start at the beginning…
1. Write a mission statement.
This might sound like a waste of time. It’s not. It is a way of agreeing, with yourself, what the whole point of your business is. It defines what is important to you, what is essential, and what you are willing to compromise. What are your priorities? Design? Environmental sustainability? Using locally sourced materials? Profit?
Decide what is important to you and sum it up in one or two sentences.
Tiffany & Co.’s mission statement is: ‘Tiffany & Co. seeks to enrich the lives of its customers by creating enduring objects of extraordinary beauty that will be cherished for generations.’
2. Do a cash flow forecast.
with A&C Black, which was The Design Trust’s Book of the Month in October 2012. You can 
